Is Roland Burris the New Rod Blagojevich?

By Kevin Robinson in News on Feb 17, 2009 3:20PM

With Blago safely out of power in Illinois and awaiting indictment and trial, it would seem that Illinois can begin to move on from the hackneyed political soap opera that dominated the local news these past few years. But with Governor Pat Quinn quickly and quietly purging the state government of Blagojevich's people, and each new statement coming out of U.S. Senator Roland Burris's mouth potentially throwing more dirt on his political grave, the herd of ambitious Illinois pols that were eagerly lining up to make their move on Blagojevich may now be readying to run for the senate.

Rich Miller dissected Senator Dick Durbin's economic development trip to Greece Turkey and Cyprus yesterday afternoon on the Capitol Fax Blog, pointing out that Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is traveling with him. "It seems undeniable that Durbin is now helping Giannoulias with his foreign policy chops. State treasurers don’t usually get that sort of experience on their own, of course," Miller observed. And over the weekend Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr, (who's hardly been coy about his ambitions), re-emerged, raising cash at an annual roast aimed at the South side politician.

Still not sure that the heavy-hitters in Democratic politics have their sights set on the Obama-cum-Burris senate seat? State Attorney General Lisa Madigan, long mentioned as a front-runner to replace Blagojevich in the governor's mansion, is calling for an investigation into how, exactly, Burris came to be appointed by Blagojevich. "This is a particularly frustrating revelation," Madigan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I encourage the Sangamon County (Ill.) state's attorney to take a closer look at this in the interest of truth, integrity and transparency." And 9th District Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky isn't ruling out a run, either.

Even Illinois voters seem unsure of Burris. A Tribune poll last week showed that only 34 percent of Illinois voters had a favorable impression of the junior senator, compared to 18 percent who viewed him unfavorably and 43 percent who said they had no opinion at all. Not a good position to be in if you've got to run for re-election next year. As the chorus of voices demanding Burris's accounting for his appointment to the U.S. Senate grows, one thing remains certain: running for senate with the word "perjury" hanging over your head is a very bad place to be.

AP Photo/Paul Beaty