Dem Aide: Obama Team Pushed To Seat Burris

The apparent decision to seat Roland Burris came after aides to President-elect Barack Obama contacted senior Senate Democrats and suggested that they reverse course and accept Gov. Rod Blagojevich's controversial appointment, according to a senior Dem congressional aide.

Just minutes after the decision to seat Burris was reported, Obama offered the veteran Illinois pol praise and promised a working relationship.

"That is a Senate matter," he said of the news. "But I know Roland Burris, obviously he is from my home state. He is a fine public servant, if he gets seated then I am going to work with Roland Burris like all other senators to make sure that the people if Illinois and the people across the country are served."

Confusion remains as to what will happen with Burris. While reports signaled his imminent seating, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the AP report was "wrong," and that "there have been no decisions."

Later, at a press conference following a meeting with Burris, Reid praised Blagojevich's pick as "candid" and "forthright," but said the Senate is waiting for a court to rule whether the signature of the Illinois secretary of state is needed for Burris to take the seat.

"One of the first things he said to us was, 'Hey, this is nothing racial, do you understand that?'" Reid said. "A lot of people tried to make this a racial issue. Roland Burris has not, and will not."

"We're going to do the best we can to make sure the State of Illinois has two Senators, and not one Senator," Reid said.

Burris would have a curious role to play in the upcoming Congress. Already viewed a bit dubiously, he could be a critical vote on legislative matters. There is surprisingly little information on his policy positions at hand. But one would have to assume that he won't deviate much, if any, from Obama or the Democratic majority -- certainly not after the party seated him without a legal fight.

Comments

[weeklyworldnews]

Burris...

wtf?! ha - Burris...and Obama? weird...

http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/politics/burris-and-obatma-cry-together/

[GravitonX]

Alot of people took the Republican's bait and got worked up, Blagojevich was "investigated" by one of the most politicized Justice Departments in history. I'm not saying that Rod Blagojevich will or will not be found to have done something, but he is certainly not on the 1st or 2nd page of the "perp" list the Feds should be trotting out in public.

[InspiredByTruth]

I think all of you are missing something...the original refusal to not seat Burris was intended to be SYMBOLIC. He would have eventually been seated anyway. There was nothing legal that justified refusing to seat him permanently. The fact that this is being done almost 2 weeks before the inauguration and not during the fight with the rethugicans over the stimulus bill is a GOOD THING.

[Promise]

From everything I've read about Burris and his behavior in the past few days, it seems to me that he is not someone I want to see in the Senate. There have been many posts here from people in Illinois who say what a lightweight, at best, Burris is. That's putting it kindly. Obama surely knows the guy and his first reaction was not to seat him. You have to wonder why Obama changed his mind? Pressure from Blacks? If Burris had been White....then what? Is it worth having a vastly underqualified in the Senate just because he has the right skin color? Isn't this called "racism?"

[InspiredByTruth]

Talking to yourself in the dark?

[elimenez]

Obama should have stayed out of this. This is going to cause him great heartburn in the coming months. This is a dividing issue. He should have let the senate decide the outcome.

[Promise]

I totally agree.

[InspiredByTruth]

Lets see. We have 2 weeks before Obama has to battle the rethugs over the stimulus bill (or as I call it, the "Depression Prevention bill"). In what way does a sideshow (that keeps the blago fiasco in the headlines) benefit Obama, the Dems, or the stimulus bill? Its not like he wouldn't eventually be seated anyway.

[SpectCon]

Isn't there a Democratic doctor who will do the considerate thing and write this guy an Rx for some artificial testosterone???

Please help us all! (Perhaps you could make a mass Rx for the whole Democratic Senate???

[sbrown80]

The American people elected Bush and Blajocovich. Blajocovich appointed someone w/out half the taint we have in Washington, and we're still not satisfied because he's not well known. Burris is a fighter. He refused to be pushed around by Washington insiders. I would think that's what Americans would want. But we're so use to our big time, corrupt politicians that we can't accept a no name like Burris. There's a reason why he's a no name. Bush, Rove and Blajocovich is big name.

[sbrown80]

Ok! And let's dig up some things about HRC, Caroline Kennedy, Reid, Pelosi, all of the Republicans...darn even Obama. If you're trying to get the messiah to run for office, sorry he's busy in heaven.

If that's all you can find on Burris, it's a heck of a lot better than the criminals we have in Washington.

Try again!

[Skiwee]

Burris' Lobbying partner is a member of the board of the Christian Industrial League, which hired Blago's wife Patti this September. Her salary? $80,000 a year.

Things that make you go hhhhmmmmm!!

[rock2casbah]

That's all!!!! Keep digging. This guy has been around politics in a dog eat dog environment for decades without a speck on his reputation.

You are going to have to come up with better than that.

[Graywolf48]

Okay, just another case where Obama was against it before he was for it. And Harry Reid is one of Bush's greatest enablers. He talks tough but always seems to let his alligator mouth overload his canary a$$. Now Reid thinks that the great war hero from Alaska, disgraced fellow Senator Stevens, should be spared jail or any other punishment because "Steven's has suffered enough". Reid needs to go. I certainly hope the people of Nevada dump his sorry butt when he runs in 2010. I know his fellow Senators will never replace him as Senate leader, just like the House kept the other Bush enabler, Pelosi, on the job. This Congress, Democrat and Republican alike is nothing more than a den of ineffective weasels and thieves. I can't help but get the feeling we won't be seeing very much in the way of change. So far it seems to be heading towards business as usual.

[nomobull]

WHY BECAUSE YOU AND THE MSM SAY SO . TRYING READING WHAT HE SAID NEXT TIME.

[SpectCon]

He has Reid pegged, sorry to say.

[rock2casbah]

Don't try and broad brush everyone with the taint of Bush and the GOP. It's pathetic and cowardly.

[Graywolf48]

Reid and his Democrat wusses are the real cowards. Aside from Feingold, give me a list of courageous Democrats in this Congress and their accomplishments. Who stood on principle against Bush and his GOP thugs? Certainly not that old maid school marm Reid.

[FaceYourFears]

Well said

[GJR227]

Reid is a joke.

[Captain Pass]

Absolutely disgusting. At least the Repugs develop a strategy and stick to it. Here the Democrats have simply caved to special interest politicks. Next to having Warren speak at inauguration, this does not bode well.

[SpectCon]

Because of Reid's weakness, the party with 41 seats controls the legislation of this country.

We don't even know if the GOP can get a filibuster together. The GOP has to ALL stay together and filibuster. Snow, Specter, McCain...the GOP can only have a single cross over to even possibly stop legislation and yet they OWN Reid.

And why shouldn't they own him when disgraced Blago just schooled him?

[Graywolf48]

I find it fascinating that whether they're in the minority or the majority the Republicans always seem to get their agenda through. Reid is a joke, a weak sister who has done little to stop Bush or further a Democratic agenda. He's really worse than Tom Daschle and I thought Daschle was as bad as it could get. The Republicans are certainly more effective legislators than the Democrats. It's just a shame that the Republican agenda favors the rich and powerful at the expense of the majority of America's citizens. I think most Democrats in Congress need testicle transplants, there's hardly a good pair among the whole lot of them.

[SpectCon]

Sure seems that way with Reid as the standard bearer.

[HeavyHitter]

Obama was right the first time. Burris is a pathetic loser who never could have been a Senator on merit. No self-respecting person would have accepted an appointment from Blago.

[Freedomscap]

Obama supported Burris in his primary race against Blago.

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

Which still aint saying much

[XME]

I don't care for Burris (wants the job far too much), but Obama gets that in the grand scheme of things, they've got much bigger fish to fry and they need to move on.

[SpectCon]

I agree, Burris just means losing one Democratic Senate seat (of course it may prove to be the one that stops us from getting to 60 and saving us during the Second Great Depression). But hell, odds are we won't be looking at Dem gains in 2 years, so the seat probably won't matter. I don't like that risk myself (or the risk that Burris turns out to criminally involved with Blago) but it probably won't matter.

What we have to care about is Reid effing this up. You seat the guy or don't. You don't let him come and make a circus appearance at the Senate and then give him what he wants.

Reid was played by Blago, is that who we want running the Senate (the bottleneck holding back change)>>>??

Demand your Democratic Senator oust Reid from his Majority spot, before he messes up again.

Reid is the guy who's never made the GOP filibuster. EVER.

[nomobull]

LAST I HEARD IT WAS GOING TO COURT