The Continuing Saga of Roland Burris
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jan 12, 2009 6:00PM
The ongoing drama to appoint The Lord's Senate Appointee™ Roland Burris as the junior senator from Illinois may finally be resolved this week. Burris has stayed behind in Chicago while his attorneys have traveled to Washington, D.C. to clear up the "paperwork issue" that has prevented Burris from officially being seated. While senior Illinois senator Dick Durbin said it's likely Burris would be seated this week, with a decision possibly by this afternoon, but he also added, "This thing changes by the day." Well, that's the kind of certainty we like to hear from our elected officials. On yesterday's edition of CBS's Face The Nation, Durbin tried to put to rest rumors of efforts by members of the Senate to delay the appointment until Gov. Blaogjevich's impeachment trial concluded with a possible removal from office, thereby allowing an appointment by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. Said Durbin, "To wait until Gov. Blagojevich is removed could be a matter of weeks. I think Roland Burris' future and fate will be decided before then."
Things have changed a bit as far as documentation is concerned. Friday's decision by the state Supreme Court that Burris couldn't force Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to sign the appointment actually went in favor of Burris because the Court said that it wasn't even necessary, something that White himself has admitted. What Burris's attorneys do have are the appointment signed by Gov. Blagojevich - the one White refused to sign - and "a certificate signed by White and stamped with the state seal attesting that the accompanying Blagojevich appointment letter is a 'true and accurate copy' of what was registered by the secretary of state." It remains to be seen if this will be enough to force the U.S. Senate to seat Burris as they stick to their guns, citing an 1884 rule that White had to sign it to be seated. With Obama's inauguration fast approaching and a desire from the President-Elect to move on to more pressing issues (the violence in the Middle East, the nation's faltering economy, a playoff in college football), it seems as if Obama is putting more and more pressure on Senate leader Harry Reid to settle this ASAP.