Imagine if it had been a Republican (yet again)

Yet another example of the BBC not stating the party a naughty American politician belongs to if he is a Democrat appears on their site today. The latest story concerns

"Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (who) has been arrested by federal agents, following a corruption probe.

He has been charged with conspiring to get financial benefits through his authority to appoint a US senator.

As governor, Mr Blagojevich is responsible for selecting someone to take up Barack Obama's now vacant Illinois senate seat.

He has also been charged with illegally threatening to block state aid to the company that owns the Chicago Tribune.

Mr Blagojevich allegedly demanded that the company fire members of the newspaper's editorial board in return for financial assistance in the sale of Wrigley Field, a Chicago sports stadium.

The governor's chief of staff, John Harris, has also been arrested. "

Nowhere in the whole report does the fact that Mr Blagojevich is a Democrat mentioned. This reticence seems less marked when a Republican is under suspicion, I wonder why?