Here's Roland Burris, occupying the Senate seat once held by President Obama, on the Senate floor today:

"I am committed to voting for a bill that achieves the goals of a public option: competition, cost savings and accountability, I will not be able to vote for lesser legislation that ignores those fundamentals.

My colleagues may have forged a compromise bill that can achieve the 60 votes that will be needed for it to pass. But until this bill addresses cost, competition and accountability in a meaningful way, it will not win mine.

As Mohandas Gandhi once famously said, `All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender."

This guy's got nothing to lose, he loves the spotlight... too. So this is who we wind up in bed with to fight Lieberman. Oh irony!

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Nope, not missing any zeroes. I know it's not exactly news that there's no way Roland Burris will be the Democratic nominee for Senate from Illinois in 2010, but this is just too pathetic slash amusing not to share:

U.S. Senator Roland Burris, the controversial appointee to the seat once held by President Barack Obama, is holding his first campaign fundraiser since he took office this weekend--and the financial report he filed this week shows he could use some political donations.

Burris campaign officials on Thursday released a report showing the new senator raised only $845 from January through March and had $111,032 in debts from defending himself in ongoing ethics and perjury probes and travel.

Burris never has been a prolific fundraiser during his decades in politics. And his first three months on the job have been focused on a U.S. Senate Ethics Committee investigation and a Sangamon County perjury probe over his testimony before the Illinois House panel that recommended impeaching then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Yes, his first real fundraiser is this Sunday and it is hilariously billed as a gathering of "potential donors" and a "a friend and family thing." It's the real world equivalent of when Michael Scott asked his grandmother's investment club to invest in the Michael Scott Paper Company.

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Today, Rod Blagojevich, along with his brother Rob and a few of their shady colleagues were indicted on corruption charges.

Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and five others were indicted Thursday on charges of scheming to auction off President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat, pressuring a congressman for campaign money and lying to FBI agents. The 19-count indictment alleges Blagojevich and his aides discussed the possibility he could get a Cabinet post in the new president's administration, substantial fundraising assistance or a high-paying job in exchange for the Senate seat. [...]

The indictment also charged that Blagojevich was involved in a corrupt scheme to get a massive kickback in exchange for the refinancing of billions of dollars in state pension funds. It said he took part in a plan with convicted political fixer Antoin "Tony" Rezko and two others to make money while Blagojevich was governor, then split the profits after he left the office.

Blagojevich, 52, and others are accused of illegally pressuring an Illinois congressman for help in raising funds and lying when FBI agents came to question him.

TPM has more details from the DOJ press release (pdf), which document Blago's alleged schemes to financially benefit from his position as governor going back to 2002.

In the meantime, Sen. Roland Burris responded to the indictment:

Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) told The Hill that Blagojevich is the one who will have to "deal with it."

"It has nothing to do with me," Burris said. "The governor has his own problems and the law will take its course in reference to what he did. If he did anything wrong, the law will take care of the problem."

A surprisingly concise and cogent statement from Burris. Sigh, he used to be so entertaining.

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Illinois' two US Senators, Dick Durbin and Roland Burris, had what sounds like an awfully awkward meeting today. The short version sounds a little something like this:

DURBIN: Resign.

BURRIS: No.

Lynn Sweet has a more complete play by play:

Durbin said he told Burris he would not support his candidacy in 2010. Durbin said he asked Burris if he was going to run in 2010 and Burris said he has not decided. [...]

In recapping their discussion, Durbin said, "I told him it would be extremely difficult for him to be successful in a primary or a general election under the circumstances.

Burris was under some pressure, Durbin said; Burris' legal fees were "hundreds and thousand of dollars."

"I told him that under the circumstances I would consider resigning if I were in his shoes. He said he would not resign and that was his conclusion," Durbin said.

Sweet reported earlier today that a source had told her that Burris has in fact decided not to run in 2010. That may have been premature. This guy doesn't look like he's dropping out of anything.

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Those, according to Lynn Sweet, are the messages Roland Burris will be sending Dick Durbin when they meet this afternoon.

Scoop: Burris will also be sending, directly or indirectly (maybe this is it) two messages: he will not resign in the wake of the controversy surrounding his appointment by the ousted Gov. Blagojevich and he will not run for the seat in 2010. Burris has finally realized that not seeking election next year is the least price he will pay.

Here is the state of play regarding Burris, from the Burris perspective.

*Senate Democratic leadership is going to realize Burris is not going away soon.

*The Senate Ethics panel moves slowly.

*The Sangamon Co. (Ill.) inquiry about Burris' will take some time.

*The Senate Democrats need Burris for his vote, especially with the Minnesota seat still up in the air.

*So they all have to make this work somehow.

Makes sense for a guy with an almost admirable lack of shame. Governor Pat Quinn, who has announced he will run in 2010, continues to call for Burris's resignation.

As for Burris, Quinn said, "There are other missions in life for Roland Burris to be a public servant" other than in the Senate and suggested that he "find a civic cause."

One person whose silence on the matter has been deafening is Mayor Richard Daley. One suspects that if he had spoken out against Burris over the past 2 weeks, that there would not be a Senator Burris right now. Seriously, Mayor, what's a guy gotta do?

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