Senate's Democratic majority clears path for Roland Burris Pressure by President-elect Barack Obama

[kpete]

Source: Chicago Tribune

Senate's Democratic majority clears path for Roland Burris
Pressure by President-elect Barack Obama leads to about-face

By Rick Pearson and Mike Dorning | Tribune reporters
11:13 PM CST, January 7, 2009

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate's Democratic majority opened the way Wednesday for Roland Burris to become Illinois' next senator, pressured by President-elect Barack Obama to remove a politically consuming distraction less than two weeks before he assumes the White House during an economic crisis.

A top Senate Democratic source said Obama's concerns about the Burris situation were among several factors that resulted in an about-face by Senate leaders, who had vowed to reject Burris or anyone else named by disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and others when he visited Capitol Hill this week "that if Burris had legal standing—and it appears he has—he should be seated as quickly as possible," a senior Democratic official said Wednesday. Obama earlier had sided with Reid's opposition to the appointment.

Reid held a 45-minute Capitol Hill meeting Wednesday with his top deputy in leadership, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, and Burris. Afterward, Reid called the Blagojevich appointee someone who was "candid and forthright" and "not trying to avoid any responsibility or trying to hide anything" about how the governor named him to the seat.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-burris-senate-08-jan08,0,4054257.story

[No Elephants]

1. It's called the Constitution, folks. She does not work perfectly in every case, but she's

all we've got.

[AlinPA]

2. The republicans will filibuster this attempt to seat Burris. McConell

said (on CSPAN Wednesday) that the entire republican senate minority (41) want an election in IL.

[classysassy]

4. The 41

fools,want to keep the club pure.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Seat Burris

should have been done ages ago.