I AM DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AT THIS TIME. HOW CAN THE DEMOCRATIC SENATORS CLAIM TO NOT SUPPORT THE SELECTION OF A LONG-TIME HONORABLE AND INTEGRITY FILLED MAN AS MR ROLAND BURRIS. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS SAME PARTY WOULD GIVE A PASS TO A JOE LEIBERMAN WHO STOOD ON THE STAGE WITH REPUBLICANS SUPPORTING THEIR CANDIDATE AT THEIR CONVENTION AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN HAS NOT SHOWN LOYALTY TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. I SUGGEST YOU DEMOCRATS BACK TRACK ON YOUR DECISION NOT TO HONOR THE SELECTION OF ROLAND BURRIS. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A SPECIAL ELECTION TO GET THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE, SO ALL WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS THE DECISION OF A SITTING GOVERNOR WHO HAS NOT BEEN CONVICTED OF ANY WRONG DOING THAT HAS THE RIGHT TO DO HIS JOB. AFTER ALL I'M SURE THIS CHOICE IS PROBABLY MORE VALID BECAUSE THIS SELECTION WAS NOT TAINTED BECAUSE ALL EYES ARE ON GOVERNOR ROD AT THIS TIME, HE KNOWS HE HAS TO SELECT SOMEONE THAT IS VERY HONORABLE. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT THE DEMOCRATS WOULD RISK LOSING A DEMOCRATIC SEAT AT THIS TIME WHEN PARTY UNITY AND A MAJORITY IS CRUCIAL TO PASS IMPORTANT LEGISLATION.

I'm a Democrat. The Democratic Party is great, we, the people, have done all we can do for "The Change".
On the other hand Democratic politicians are pathetic.
They didn't make any changes during their 2008 Session, they blamed it on Bush.
They didn't foresee that Gov. Blagojevich would do all he can to throw a 'monkey wrench" in the system --
It's clear that the Democrats in power can't or won't do anything...Hopefully, the New Congress will be able to do some.
Now they maybe stuck with a Senator that probably won't be able to get the votes for reelection - and Burris doesn't care - it all about HIM and POWER.
The people put the Blagojevich in power.
Get him out NOW.
The upside is, that Burris is a vote in the Senate for Democrats.
That's good.
We need all the votes we can to insure that "The Changes" that our New President wants will be supported.

As for the local politican in Ill. I have never seen a batch of Egomantics --- The Lt. Gov., will do anything to get Blagovich spot. Burris, will fight for his position, and as for the Blagovich, he's embarrasment -

Anonymous, Roland Burris can run for the seat in the next election like anyone else. Leiberman has nothing to do with it.

I can partly agree that the possibility of losing the seat to the Republican Party would be awful but Blago had no business appointing Burress in the 1st place and Burress had no business accepting the seat. Anyone with any measure of integrity would have turned the appointment down. The appointment came from unclean hands, in a desperate attempt to salvage Blago's soon dead political career. Blago is playing the card that he is doing it for the well-being of the people of the State of Illinois but he obviously was not thinking of the same people when he tried to "sell" the seat in the 1st place. Even if no money changed hands, it could be argued that he conspired to sell the seat just by the recordings alone. Maybe it isn't enough to send him to jail but it should be enough for those in the House and Senate to impeach him.

now it's starting to look like mr. burris is as thick headed as gov. buffonvich. he's going to look & sound just like our dishonorable gov. if he was smart & waited, i'm sure he would still get appointed without a big circus like blago wants. mr. burris looks & sounds like he is desperate & making a fool of himself & blago loves it.

For getting involved with this mess, at all - only indicates what an opportunist Burris is.

For him to think that his character is strong enough to overcome the obvious ethical issues involved here just shows that he's more than qualified to hold a Senate seat in IL, but not in DC.

Further more, if anyone doubted Bobby Rush's ability to mutate his political self to suit his needs and not the needs (or desires) of the IL people there is nothing more telling than him denying his criticism of Blago.

And since Blago's best defense is to create spectacles which expose the ineptitude of IL government, I can't imagine why he wouldn't go to DC.

Blago just may end up being the political enema this state has sorely needed for all too long.

Hey Anonymous,

How is it that an individual who has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in state contracts and has donate tens of thousands of dollars to the corrupt bozo appointing him is considered squeaky clean. And the fact that they met at the Senator Designee's office instead of the known bugged offices of one unnamed governor who's to say there is not a quid pro quo for the appointment. Better to be safe and investigate it all than to just accept a potentially tainted appointment of another crook. And anyone who is stubborn enough to insist on retrying a death penalty case where the physical evidence EXONERATES the person on trial(Rolando Cruz, the Nicarico Murder) is not a person of good judgement that I want representing me. It is not a matter of race, it is a matter of lets take a few extra days and get it right. As a suggestion, have Mr. Burris open up all accounts belonging to him and his company and his wife for review and see if anything further has turned up on continuing wiretaps of the Gov. Why hasn't he offered that to show that he is clean and to fight off the tainted charges out in the public? Could it be they both have something to hide? Maybe a deal to get rid of Mr. Fitzgerald?

We need a special election for Senator from Illinois. This whole state is corrupt! In fact all of Congress is corrupt. Is there anyone we can trust to go to Washington to work for the people instead of themselves?

Dear Anonymous:

Is that you Governor Rod writing those comments?!!! It sounds like it if it is not. Or maybe the author is on the gov's payroll!!

With this kind of thinking, i now understand why the country is going down, down, down.

I much prefer Burris not be our new junior senator. That said, I'm glad the S/T ed board finally took a deep breath and realized that there appears to be no legal (constitutional or statutory) basis for Jesse White not to certify his appointment, as it is a mandatory, and merely ministerial, duty; or for either the Ill. legislature or the U.S. Senate to block it. I was skeptical re: the move to enact legislation to change the law giving the governor the power to appoint in favor of a new law for a special electon, aince retroacive statutes - as that would be - are not favored in the law. But (truthful or not) Blago said he'd sign it if passed. The Dems chose to gamble; Blago bluffed and then pulled out his aces. And now, there is much chest-beating and all types of 'perceived' chaotic scenarios predicted by all the various media. Blago has contributed greatly to the national exposure of what has never been a secret in Ill. re: how government operates here. But, haven't our Dem lawmakers just exposed themselves to be pretty much the same?
Blago is doing all to hold onto power. And, whether the 'considered' new statute was well-reasoned or not, it was dumped because they are likewise desperate to hold onto power, in this case of that Senate seat. Now they have a Democrat. Like him or not (again, I don't) Burris fulfills the eligibility requirements. So, it's time for everyone to take a deep breath, abandon any ridiculous planned machinations and just allow him to be seated!

But: Thanks, Democratic legislators, for exposing yourselves as (well, almost as)conniving when it comes to the power-grab game as Blago and/or so many of our famous / infamous current and former "public servants."

I'm mostly philosophically Dem-leaning and happily voted for Obama. But, "change we can believe in"? Not in IL. Here it's 'S.O.S' So let the deserved(but sad)mockery of IL. continue!

If Blago were to exercise his Senate floor
privilege in Washington next Tuesday, could
he bring anyone on to the floor with him?

If any Senate Democrat dares to block the appointment of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, it will surely bring back the memories of a time when an Alabama governor blocked the entry of black children to a segregated school system.

And in case your memory is clouded; that man was George Wallace and he was a Democrat.

Let the people of Illnois vote who they want. This is what freedom is about.

To all you Koolaid drinkers of the democratic political machine of the city of chicago, what we have in this state was brought about by ourselves. we have a corrupt system that has developed and evolved since the inception of the city's charter. Blagoyovich's rise is completely darwinian. He is the creme of the crop of the political machine. If all of you who voted for him thought this would never happen, then all of you have deluded yourselves on what this city political system is all about....power and greed. It's only by the grace of the almighty that he was discovered before his presidential and senatorial aspirations became true.

I am still trying to figure out what the Governor did. I know he was arrested but where is the indictment? I must have dreamed that a
person is indocent until proven guilty. I dreamed
that anyone can also be indicted. In my dream a
lawyer said that a "ham sandwich could get indicted". There are no witneses nor is the other
side heared. It is like being in a Cuba, Russia
or some other country. The government said that you are guilty. So lets go hang him now. Or in the governor's case impeach him.
Cheney and Bush did worst and nothing happened.
Think people where is the justice. Nothing that has slipped out has been true. Jesse Jackson,Jr
was involved. Not true. Valarie Jarrett and others in the president elects transition team were involved. Not true.How do we know this is true?
The whole Government is corrupt. Why do you think people voted for the bridge to no where?
You do this for me and I will vote for this for you. What's the difference? To me NOTHING

I wish Blago would show up on Capitol Hill. I would pay money to see how the Senate handles it.
Also, I would love to see Mr. Obama send Rahm Emanuel to deal with him. It would be a cussing match, that's for sure but I think Rahm would win.
He's smarter than Blago.

As a black woman I am sick and tired of hearing about what is owed to us. Bobby Rush embarrassed himself on national TV when he fumbled his ridiculous statements about a black being owed the seat. Then I see on TV the black preachers marching and holding signs endorsing Burris. Arent these the same preachers who come out and march when a gangbanger has a gun, points it at the police and the police shoot to kill and then they say that the gangbanger had no gun?Just asking. Gov.Bigheadbitch is the most arrogant, conniving and deceitful person that Ive ever read about. He has succeeded in turning this whole situation into a media circus and has injected race into this political scandal. Cant wait till the day when hes tried and convicted and they shave his head.