For the most part, the Late Show's David Letterman kept his audience under control for the duration of Rod Blagojevich's appearance, airing later tonight. But he couldn't always.

The in-studio audience at the Ed Sullivan theater couldn't stomach two statements by the disgraced former Illinois governor: his assertion he'll eventually be vindicated, and a tortured analogy comparing his battle with the Illinois legislature and federal prosecutors with Letterman's own rivalry with NBC's Jay Leno. On both occasions, there was some booing of Blagojevich.

Still, given the disdain with which the accused bribe-seeker is held by the general public,it appears to have been a remarkably civil appearance, all things considered.

In the clip above for example, Letterman does a masterful job of politely, even kindly, telling Blago how slimy he sounds, and needling him for being, in all likelihood, a total crook.

The segment is set to air later tonight on CBS.

Despite the heckling and Letterman's expert surgical removal of his dignity, this appearance fits nicely into Blago's master plan to keep talking and talking endlessly, in the most charming way a crook can, until much of America sees him as an adorable, mostly harmless slimeball, and aren't most politicians slimeballs anyway? Assuming he holds himself together like this for the rest of the segment, Blagojevich is looking at his own talk radio show, minimum.