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Burris, a former state comptroller and attorney general, has done nothing wrong - his only crime was to be appointed by a governor, Illinois' Rod Blagojevich, who's under investigation for trying to sell the same seat, made vacant by the election of Barack Obama. With Blagojevich facing the prospect of federal charges and impeachment, the pick has caused a maelstrom within the Democratic Party. Officials from Illinois secretary of state Jesse White, whose refusal to certify Burris' selection was used as an excuse to invalidate the appointment, to Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who ordered Burris to be turned away...
...accept Burris with open arms. "This is a lose-lose situation for Reid and the Democrats," says Mark J. Rozell, a political science professor at George Mason University in Virginia. "They can either look like they are accepting the choice of a corrupt governor who tried to sell the seat or they can look like bullies denying the seat to a guy who has done nothing wrong...
...waiting in the wings, ready to object to Burris and demand a special election (as Illinois Republicans unsuccessfully tried to do a few weeks ago); given the way Blagojevich has dragged down the local party in recent weeks, Democrats fear such a vote would cost them the seat. "The [Republicans] wouldn't have a leg to stand on if Quinn were to appoint someone," a senior Democratic Senate aide said...
...Congress, followed by photo ops and statements that could be read as closely as the oracles. Would the Republican House minority leader, John Boehner, thank Obama for making a courtesy call or praise their "productive discussions"? Would Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell demand for Republicans a bigger seat at the legislative drafting table or simply welcome the new President? (See pictures of Barack Obama when he was in college...
Blagojevich, Rod •efforts of to demonstrate innocence of charges of trying to sell Senate seat by giving it to someone who clearly couldn't have afforded it •Roland Burris accepts offer of to fill Obama Senate seat after first choice of said thanks but no thanks