Personally, I think Burris is committing political suicide here, and, my great fear is, he is going to have jack-asses like Bobby Rush make this some race issue.

FORCING the Senate to swear him in, then what?

Bygones be Bygones? Everything is hunk-dory?

I guess if it is your only shot, but he has to know he is making some very powerful people angry by being the arrow that Blago is shooting at the Democratic party.

Right now, Burris is probably THE most popular Democrat in Republican circles.

It's never a good idea to burn your bridges while you are standing on them.

He may have had other reasons for the appointment, but the third and fourth possibilities listed, a Senate investigation and court cases arising form the appointment, are more likely to have provided the decisive reason for Blagojevich's action.  The more this whole matter is investigated, litigated and generally aired in other forums, the greater likelihood that evidence the prosecutor could otherwise use to convict Blagojevich will end up excluded, or witnesses will be rendered uncooperative because they have already been given immunity by these other forums.  It's how many of the guilty in Iran-Contra got off.

I think that making a circus of it only helps the Republicans.  I don't think there's any constitutional basis for denying Burris the seat, regardless of whether he's a good or bad choice.  I don't think we would want a precedent that the Senate could exclude someone based on desirabity; wouldn't Wayne Morse and other opponents of the Vietnam war (ipso facto "traitors") have been excluded under a vague precedent like this? I think that Burris too egotistical to just back down, so the only possibility would be a special election (but don't forget to include a partisan primary!).

and I'm sure Bobby Rush is also laughing at how he'll be able to put Obama in a terrible position.

It's amazing that Harry Reid only finds his balls when he's dealing with other Democrats.  

After years of rolling over for Joementum and the Bush Administration's every beck and call, I had forgotten about his spine.

But I bet useless harry backs right down every single time McConnell uses the "F" word.

What the Hell is taking Gov. Peterson so long to make the NY Senate appointment?

I didn't vote for Jesse White last time because of the sad way the DMV was being run. But if he sticks to his guns now, he's got my vote next time.

Hope Burris gets a strong primary opponent in 2010, else it's hello to Mark Kirk.

This story angers me for a number of reasons.  First, it sounds as if Burris sought the death penalty for an innocent person while running for the governorship, and so I don't think he should be appointed.  On the other hand, I see no legal basis for Senate Dems to block his appointment and I'm amazed that Reid decided to make a circus out of this, of all issues, at a time when there are so many other pressing problems.  I'm very disappointed by Reid and company.

He threw the Democrats a lifeline to get their badly needed 59th Senator, in an inoffensive elderly AA man who probably will lose the next primary and become moot, but not before doing some good. He'd be loyal on some very crucial votes.

Too bad Harry Reid only finds the willpower to fight to the death when it's against party interests. With Democrats like him, who needs Republicans?

Is there really a need to point out why Reid could not have blocked Bush's SC appointments or the other pre-2007 actions listed in this post?

Good to see that only weeks after an historic Democratic victory, we're still in top form when it comes to eating our own.

Good to see that all those folks upthread who are so eager to get Roland Burris seated just to show up Reid weren't the ones plotting strategy when Social Security was on the chopping block.

As far as Blago and this Senate seat is concerned, if you want to blame someone, don't blame Blago, or Roland Burris, or Bobby Rush.

Blame Speaker of the Illinois House and Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party MICHAEL MADIGAN.

Who MORE than had the authority to pass legislation to ok a Special Election. In that time between Blago's arrest, and when he got his bearings by hiring R.Kelly's lawyer, he could have rammed legislation about a Special Election through. Don't let ANYONE lie to you that he couldn't. He runs that place with an iron first. I don't call him Massa Michael Madigan for nothing.

But, he didn't. He thought he was slick. He thought that he had taken away all of Blago's weapons. He forgot that Blago was from the street, and had no shame. So Blago kept ahold of his last grenade and threw it.

************

Either we are a country of laws again or we are not.

Here are the FACTS.

Blago is the Governor. He's not the impeached Governor. He's not the convicted Governor. He's not even the indicted Governor. He's still the Governor.

Blago has the power to appoint the Senator.

Burris IS qualified. He's more than qualified for the position.

They could all back Burris, who has been a loyal Democrat, telling him that they will remain neutral in 2010. That means he'd have to do everything on his own, and that means he wouldn't be in any position in 2010 for any possible win.

The time for a special election is OVER. Madigan had the chance to make it happen and it didn't. We're not going to have a special election, because if Blago decided to challenge it, which NOW he would, they'd lose, because, ACCORDING TO THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION, BLAGO WAS WITHIN HIS RIGHTS AS GOVERNOR.

The next election for that Senate Seat will be the Democratic and Republican Primaries of 2010.

once Blago did NOT resign immediately (which I never thought he would), I knew we were in for a drama.

a caretaker is what takes this away from being a NATIONAL story (and hurting Obama) to it being a LOCAL story (which doesn't hurt him as much).

I'm going to remind folks.

Patrick Fitzgerald just asked for a 90-day extension to the deadline for his indictment.

90 Days.

It's not being reported in the national media, but the folks that the folks in Springfield were depending upon to testify at that Impeachment Proceedings..well, they're not all that excited about testifying, because if it's between pissing the Illinois House off and pissing off Patrick Fitzgerald, they're choosing to dis the Illinois House.

These impeachment proceedings are not going to be the slam dunk that people outside of Illinois seem to believe that they will be. It's beginning to look as the phrase goes ` - not even close'. Without that indictment from Fitzgerald, the Illinois House doesn't really have things to hang on Blago. They have the same things they've disliked about him before. BUt, that wasn't good enough to impeach him with 6 months ago. So, what has changed. An arrest without indictment doesn't give them the meat for the impeachment.

I hope Burris stands his ground and takes it to the Supreme Court. Where he will WIN.

Doesn't Harry Reid have lawyers. There is one case of precedence. Ironically, with ANOTHER African-American - Adam Clayton Powell.

Maybe someone can tell Reid how THAT turned out for the House in 1969.

A primary motivation for Blagojevich's appointment is his criminal trial.  Blagojevich is helped in his coming criminal trial in two ways: Burris' appointment allows him to argue that he didn't sell the seat, he appointed the best man for the job and it helps him argue to African American jurors that they're after him for his politics.   Harry Reid will fight for what he believes in if the Republican party and Washington Post promise to support him.

about the Burris appointment. But Harry needs to suck it up on this one. It's a circus to good end, and Burris would be gone soon anyway.

Blago: 1
Sane Democracy: 0

You know, the only thing Democratic Senators need to do is offer their verbal opposition. Let them condemn the nomination if they want. I have no problem with that as that is the right thing to do. However, I do not see Burris taking advantage of the situation as any more immoral than Lieberman who instead of being content with his status as an independent senator wanted to thumb his nose at the primary process and get recognized as a defactor democrat by his friends in crime such as Reid, Salazar, Landrieu, and Dodd by using political blackmail that he will base his senate votes on political expediency..

THere is absolutely no need to waste a single second opposing this Burris appointment  in real terms. There are bigger fights such as the AL FRANKEN  election. Right now, the Democrats should be spending as much time making sure Franken gets elected. The GOP are going to fight his election. So instead of raising fundraisers for Clinton's campaign debt, how about our leaders actually banding together to fund Franken's long tough fight to get his possible lead ratified?