Blagojevich snubs Senate, taps Burris for seat

In defiance of U.S. senators who said they would not seat his pick, Gov. Rod Blagojevich today selected former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate.

Blagojevich praised Burris for his "unquestioned integrity" and "extensive experience," calling him a senior statesman.

"Please don't allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man," Blagojevich said.

Burris, who accepted the appointment, said he would next deal with the U.S. Senate's statement that it would not seat him.

"Faced with these challenges and challenged with these crises, it is incomprehensible that the people of the great state of Illinois will enter the 111th Congress short handed," Burris said. "We need leadership in Washington."

Burris said he spoke with Blagojevich Sunday night.

"I was asked if he would appoint me would I accept and the answer is yes," said Burris, who offered no comment on the governor's legal situation.

Blagojevich said he moved to appoint Burris after the General Assembly declined to approve legislation for a special election to find a new U.S. senator.

"To not fill the vacancy would be to deprive the people of Illinois of their appropriate voice" in the U.S. Senate, Blagojevich said.

Burris said he accepted the appointment because the nation is at a crossroads.

"Faced with these challenges and challenged with these crises, it is incomprehensible that the people of the great state of Illinois will enter the 111th Congress short handed. "We need leadership in Washington."

"I have faith in the record that I have forged over the last four decades. I accept this appointment," Burris said.

Tribune

Is Burris out of his mind? I wouldn't want to be involved in this scandal and I sure as hell wouldn't want anything to do with nutcase Blagojevich. If I wanted a seat in the senate, I'd run for the office like everyone else and be elected, or not, in an election. No more of this appointment bullshit. Hold a special election and let the people choose their representative for congress. Its the right thing to do. The fair thing.

Who's with me?

NY governor: Caroline Kennedy wants Senate seat

Caroline Kennedy told New York's governor on Monday that she's interested in the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, making her the highest-profile candidate to express a desire for the job. Democratic Gov. David Paterson will choose the replacement. "She told me she was interested in the position," Paterson said. "It's not a campaign. She'd like at some point to sit down."

Caroline Kennedy's spokesman, Stefan Friedman, declined to comment.

Clinton is expected to be confirmed as President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state.

At an afternoon news conference to discuss last week's paralyzing ice storm, New York's senior senator, Charles Schumer, said he has also talked to Caroline Kennedy about the job.

"And she's clearly interested," he said.

Over the past week, Kennedy, who lives in Manhattan, has reached out to several prominent New York Democrats to tell them of her interest in the Senate seat. They included Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. Kennedy worked closely with Klein as executive of the Office of Strategic Partnerships for the New York City Department of Education, where she raised about $65 million for the city's schools.

"I think she's thought about it a long time," Klein said of a conversation he had with Kennedy on Monday. He said the campaigning she did for Obama this year helped acquaint her with the gritty rituals of retail politics.

"She's a highly determined woman and she's clearly been thinking about her life and how to make an effective contribution," Klein said. "Everyone knows Caroline, and everyone has a great historical respect for the Kennedy family."

Other Democrats who appear to be on Paterson's short list include New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who won't say publicly whether he's interested.

One of the early front-runners, Rep. Nydia Velazquez of Brooklyn, took herself out of the running Friday.

Paterson will appoint someone to fill Clinton's seat for two years if she is confirmed as secretary of state.

Republicans wasted no time in criticizing Kennedy as unqualified for the job and unfamiliar with the state.

"If anything, it makes me more determined to run," said Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican who has already expressed his interest in the seat.

"As far as record of achievement, I strongly believe that I'm much more qualified, much more experienced, and have an independent record," King said. "Nothing against Caroline Kennedy, but I don't think anyone has a right to a seat."

Yahoo

I don't know why we allow governors to appoint senators. An outgoing senator should be replaced by way of a special election, among a field of candidates. The candidate with the most votes wins. This seems to be the fair solution to me. It allows the people's voice to be heard. I think it might even eliminate some fraud, in light of the Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich scandal.

What are your thoughts on this? Please leave them in the comments.

Media Coverage on Election '08

If you have been paying attention this election season, then you know it's been a wild ride. And if you haven't, you must be living in a cave if you don't know what is going on, because the election coverage is EVERYWHERE. The media coverage is a little ridiculous. Does anyone care how many houses John McCain owns? Or what car he drives? Are they really interested in this stuff? You don't see the media covering the issues, though. Where does Barack Obama or John McCain stand on such and such an issue? Ask anyone and see what the response is. Chances are they don't know. I think the media should focus on the issues and ignore this celebrity gossip crap. If they are going to cover the campaigns, then they need to do it right and inform the citizens so that they can make an educated decision come November. Now, I know people should do their own research, but how many people actually do it? Not many. They rely on what the media has to say. And one only has to look at the outcome of the 2000 and 2004 elections to understand this.