Despite the fact that he’s facing impeachment, looking at federal prison time, and has received warnings from Harry Reid not to make a selection, disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected today to name former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate…
Shortly after Obama’s Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich’s arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor’s support.
Though he is 71, Burris has said that Obama’s replacement should be able to win re-election and he has noted that despite a string of primary losses in races ranging from Chicago mayor to governor and U.S. senator, he’s never lost to a Republican…
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada previously warned Blagojevich, following the governor’s Dec. 9 arrest, that Senate Democrats would not seat any appointment the two-term Democratic governor made. Reid’s warning was contained in a letter signed by all 50 sitting Democratic senators, including the No. 2 Democrat in Senate leadership, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Will Reid block the appointment? Allahpundit makes a delicious point:
He was state comptroller for 12 years and AG for four in the mid-nineties, then lost a bunch of mayoral and gubernatorial primaries. That’s all I know about him — except, of course, that he’ll now be the Senate’s only black member, leaving Reid in a simply glorious predicament of whether to seat him or not.
By the way, Burris is a supporter of and donor to Blago. I don’t see Reid seating him.
Update: Reid says that the choice is unacceptable. Should be a fun afternoon, folks.
More: Michelle Malkin, Don Surber, QandO.
by Stephan Tawney on Tue, Dec 30, 2008