It seems that the race baiters won.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opened a potential path to seating Roland Burris in the Senate after a 45-minute meeting with the former Illinois attorney general at the Capitol this morning.
After days in which Senate leaders had demonstrated determined resistance to Burris’ appointment to the Senate by scandal-tainted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Reid praised Burris as “candid and forthright.” And he suggested the testimony Burris is to give Thursday before the state legislature’s impeachment committee could be crucial to his prospects of gaining the seat.
“He’s going to go answer any other questions they might have. He’s not trying to avoid any responsibility and trying to hide anything,” said Reid (D-Nev.) “Once that’s done, we’ll be in a different position and see what we are going to do.”
One Democratic aide said the Senate leadership’s attitude toward the appointment had now “thawed.”
Still, citing a Senate rule, Reid said the Senate would not seat Burris until his certificate of appointment is signed by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. White has declined to sign the certificate but Burris has gone to court to seek an order requiring White to certify the governor’s appointment.
Reid said he still would ask a Senate committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the appointment before Burris is seated but said he hoped the process would move swiftly.
“There’s going to come a time when the entire Senate is going to have to act on this, and that day I hope would come sooner rather than later,” Reid said.
Burris said at a news conference in Washington this afternoon that he expects to join the Senate “very soon.” A Burris advisor said his camp’s understanding is that the Senate will move to seat him swiftly if Burris’s testimony before the Blagojevich impeachment committee goes well.
Burris’ appearance at the opening of the Senate session and the refusal to seat him stirred saturation media coverage, eclipsing efforts by Democrats to promote their economic stimulus plans.
On Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), an influential Democrat, broke with the Senate leadership and urged them to seat Burris.
Yeah, I’ve been following this. I wanted to wait and see what happened before I Blogged about it.
I just find it very interesting that this joker got seated or will get seated. Ol’ Rocking Rod Blagojevich played the Blacks in Chicago like a damned fiddle; and they just went along with it! Unbelievable! Say what you wish, but if this guy had been a White Man, he would be turned away and this would all be over with. But, because he is black, he gets this special free pass. Kinda like our soon to be “President”.
Sorry Democrats; but sometimes, you just make it too damned easy. Do you all see now why I refused to ever vote for another Democrat? 🙄
There’s a word I thinking of here…. Oh, right! It’s called Identity Politics. Bobby Rush played that hand, very well.