In The Blogs

The Senator from Blago-land

| Sat Feb. 21, 2009 1:11 PM PST

Senator Roland Burris, Blago's pick to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat, did not have a good week. He's under investigation for making contradictory statements about his fundraising connections to the disgraced ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich; new Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and a coalition of black ministers have called on him to resign; the White House has urged him to think about his future; an Illinois newspaper discovered he did not reveal all his lobbying clients (including mortgage bankers and the tobacco industry); and his key Capitol Hill staffers have fled his office. The question is, can he hold on and resist the calls for him to pack it in? On Friday night, I pondered the Burris matter on Hardball:

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David Corn is Mother Jones' Washington bureau chief. For more of his stories, click here. He's also on Twitter.

Comments

Still Time...

Submitted by Anonymous Bosh (not verified) on Sat Feb. 21, 2009 9:03 PM PST.

He can still step aside with a modicum of grace, at this point. Or he can drag it out and make it even uglier than it already is. D.C. has enough of stench of corruption generated right there within the beltway. Nothing is served by importing some more from Illinois, particularly given it's relationship to, and close association with, our new President.

I understand that Burris is

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun Feb. 22, 2009 1:05 AM PST.

I understand that Burris is an embarrassingly weak senator who will probably be defeated if he runs in 2010. But I still don't see what he has specifically done that justifies the anger directed at him, or the heat pushing for his resignation or removal. Most of the things charged against him are vague at best, and/or things that most senators have done (such as generic discussions about their interest in being appointed or elected to office, and raising funds for their political allies). If Burris has broken the law, let that be shown. But if he hasn't, where is all this coming from?