Guess I'll be watching C-Span...waiting for the fireworks!

Wow ... We truly have the stupidest leadership on the face of the planet. Physically bar him from entering the chamber? Really? Call the cops on a 71 year old man? How about just let him in and not swear him in?

I thought I'd be glad to see the Democratic Senate get tough about something... but this? Wow. Talk about turning yourself into a spectacle for zero politic benefit.

So this is when the Democrats will grow balls? When fighting themselves? Will nobody rid us of the Magic Underwearman Reid?

I wonder what these "leaders" think will happen if they don't seat him.

I'm not backing the guy, I'm just wondering what will happen after they refuse to seat him.

We can't say no to republicans but we are strong when it comes to our own!

This is theatrical crap. A new term can now be confirmed: "self-hating Democrat". No crime was too great with a Republican not to roll over time and time again. Impeachment... off the table, says Pelosi. Crimes against humanity and the country, you're our man, Bush- bipartisan cowardice is all the rage. Five million "lost" emails and refusal to respond to subpoena, watch out there's a sternly worded letter coming up.

Let's not use our constitutional powers of impeachment, inherent contempt, and power to direct the sergeant at arms to arrest and frogmarch Rove into the chambers of Congress. No. Heck, we won't even make the minority Republicans do an actual filibuster, just threaten one, when they try to obstruct and/or strip Americans of what little prosperity we have left with there trickle-down manure for ideology. Yet, we're all about following through in trying to nail a fellow Democrats. Welcome to the Lieberman-ization of Congress. Now we see why they let him keep his committee chair without consequences for assaulting Obama and shilling for McCain. Their looking to him for leadership about how to cut off their own noses.

I'm ready to give up on these quislings. Say what you will about that pompadoured pomposity, Blag. He's not even indicted. He has the legal power to do what he is doing, and his selection is qualified. You might not like it (I don't), but its the law, a "quaint" notion that seems to have been forgotten in everyone's rush to posture and everyone's retreat from accountability and law.

I wish the Dems had balls like this when it comes to policing the repubs and Bush

Hi, Illinoisan here. First off, the City of Chicago, Cook County and the State of Illinois, all three wonderful places which I have the absolute PRIVILEGE to live, flat out SUCK when it comes to governing.

By defiantly selecting Burris, it effectively means that Illinois now only has one Senator to represent the people of Illinois. It screws us, big time, b/c how can Durbin and his staff research and tailor bills that may affect our taxes, economic development, ecology?

Now there will be a lawsuit, and guess which lucky people get to pay the bills for that? The People of the State of Illinois!!!

Why should they admit this clown?

Speaking as a non-Illinoisan, I'm OK with Burris taking the seat if he promises not to run in 2010. That would seem to take out the possibility of most personal gain, and Illinois gets its second vote. Dealing with Blagojevich becomes less of a crisis too.

Illegal war in Iraq? Go Ahead!
Illegal wiretapping? Go Ahead!
Illegal surveillance? Go Ahead!
Subverting the Constitution? Go Ahead!
Torturing POW's? Go Ahead!
Politicizing the Federal Govt? Go Ahead!
Destroy the environment? Go Ahead!
Obliterate the line between church & State? Go Ahead!

Refuse to seat a Dem appointed by an alledged crooked Dem Gov rather than allow the courts to resolve the issues, thereby making it into a circus that will only embarass the Dems? Go Ahead!

THIS is why the Democratic Party is BROKEN. We need new, truly progressive leadership and candidates in 2010.

I think the missing point is that Blago tried to SELL THIS SEAT.

That said, Reid does have a legitimate leg to stand on that could withstand the blocking.

How do they know that Burris didn't buy it? So Reid can simply say that he cannot be seated until it has been verified that the appt is legitimate. That will take time..enough for the Blago impeachment to finish anyway.

Obviously Jesse White, IL Sec of State, didn't think it was legit enough to sign it. So really I don't think Burris will get as much sympathy as people are supposing.

Before I go off half-cocked, I'll wait for the Senate Democrats to actually do it before I comment on whether or not I think it was a good or bad idea. No point in raising a ruckus if they haven't spillt the milk yet. Right now, talk is cheap and a whole lot of hot air.

No matter what you think the senate should or should not do you must admit: having a legislature with no black members use armed police to block one from entering the chamber is NOT gonna look good.

Man, I want 2 senators representing me. I don't know what to do about the situation but this is such terrible timing to be under-represented.

Let's try Dingy Harry's logic. We don't want to make Joe mad even though he is a disloyal smear job artiste because he might vote with Republicans even more often. However, we can allow a vacancy from Illinois during a grave economic crisis because the people of Illinois elected a wack job as Governor. Can we presume they would have refused to seat Caroline Kennedy if Spitzer hadn't let them run him out of his job?

In my opinion, Burris’ selection should be under review.
If Blagoavich is eventually convicted, or his peers determine that his conduct was irreprehensible, then it becomes a matter of determining whether the Governor was of sound mind, and whether any decisions he made was based upon sound reasoning.

Will it be determined that the Governor’s decision, was based more on “in your face politics” in an effort to thwart the will of the people, in a last ditch effort to extract hateful revenge, because the Democratic leadership would not support or defend the Governor when faced with expulsion.

Coming from an elected official accused of being corruptible, it comes as no surprise his apparent nature.

REVENGE being the motive and not Sound judgment, and Burris being the willing shill.

The Governor’s madness being made manifest, would cast doubt not on Burris but on whether the Governor was still acting irrationally, when he made his decision. The Governor having been forewarned, the implications of his continuing to interject himself as he faces the prospect of expulsion.

The Governor has arbitrarily ignored the many other counselors of his political base, a base of supporters and financial support that brought Blago to power.
A base that has repeatedly, rejected Burris in the past, but will now be forced to accept his appointment, not on an electorate, confident of Burris’s ability, but forced upon the citizens of Illinois, because they have no remedy to prevent the appointment?

This is a representative government and the unfit Governor has called into question his right to represent?

Blago’s going down and he’s determined to take others with him, especially those not willing to bend their knees, to his authority. That is the conduct not based on soundness of mind, but on Revenge. "Pay to play. Support my defense or i'll wreak havoc."
This is the type of conduct, that is going to remove the Governor from office, it is the corrupt nature of the man.

The Governor should not be allowed to act arbitrarily or with capriciousness.

His actions make a mockery of the principle of sound governance, where trust is the foundation.

Oh man, f*&% Harry Reid and our stupid, spineless leadership if this is the issue they decide to get tough about. Ridiculous! You've got the GOP threatening not to seat Franken, and now this--the Dems saying they'll physically bar one of their own party, simply because they are terrified of blowback from the Blago mess. (And that's all that's at work here--I don't believe for a sec that all of this fire and brimstone has any basis in principles on the party's part.)

The holding in Powell v. McCormack, 395 U.S. 486 (1969) seems unequivocal in limiting the exclusionary power of either house to determining whether the person seeking admittance meets the "standing qualifications" set forth in Art. I, §2, of the Constitution ("No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen".
The opinion for the Court (a model of judicial analysis, in my view) was written by Chief Justice Warren (only Justice Stewart dissented).
The Court's opinion examines in detail the history of Article I, §5: "Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties as each House may provide".
A fair and attentive reading of Powell shows that after a probing analysis of historical precedent (from English and American law; from pre-1787 and post-1787 American sources) and textual meaning, the Court, with only Justice Stewart dissenting, wrote a clear and well-reasoned opinion that precludes any constitutional basis for barring Roland Burris from taking his seat and being recognized as in every respect a United States senator from Illinois.
It would be an unpleasant irony, as the first African American president of the United States takes office, were the Senate to seek to exclude a man who would be the only black member of the body, in defiance of a Supreme Court holding issued to bar the exclusion of a nationally known black Congressman from Harlem.

Two words for Reid: Reed Smoot.

Watching "The Fugitive" from 1993 last night and who's marching in the Chicago St. Paddy's day parade, smiling at the camera while Harrison Ford tries to evade Tommy Lee Jones but Roland Burris himself. The man does make the most of his opportunities.