Burris "Had A Great Time" In Senate

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 15, 2010 2:30PM

Painting by the incomparable Lauri Apple

As Roland Burris prepares for the end of his term in the Senate, he sat down with Sun-Times Washington correspondent Lynn Sweet for an interview in which he indicates that the inauspicious start to his term is now water under the bridge, as Mark Kirk prepares to take his place.

"I am so thankful to God I had a chance to do it, spend time in the United States Senate," Burris told Sweet, although we suspect he also thanks Rod Blagojevich for naming him to fill the seat made vacant when Barack Obama was elected President. Burris said he didn't treat his time as Senator as a placeholder. He actively served on the Senate Armed Services, Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees. He's inspected the US-Mexico border, attended the memorial service for the 2009 Fort Hood shootings, and visited military bases.

As for making friends in the Senate, which at one time vowed never to seat a Blagojevich appointee. Burris said fences have been mended, particularly with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "Harry has since expressed an apology to me," Burris said. You'll remember that Burris, once he was seated, gave conflicting testimony to the State Legislature about whether he would raise money for Blagojevich in exchange to being appointed Senator. The Senate Ethics Committee said that Burris's actions "reflected unfavorably on the Senate."