Imagine that. A "civil rights" leader is really a demagogue. Who could have guessed??

The politics of entitlement and victimology which characterizes the so-called "civil rights" movement continues.

But now, after Blago completely outmaneuvered Reid (leaking the contents of their phone conversations was sinisterly brilliant), I can see it happening."

Sinisterly brilliant as a race card, but was it true? Reid claims Blago's lying about him opposing only African American candidates. I'm no fan of Reid's jelly-like spine, but if we're matching his truthfulness against Blago's, I'm going with Reid.

Nevertheless, Reid and the caucus will have to make a deal with Burris, who, by the way, is now claiming his place in the Senate was ordained by the Lord himself. (Maybe he can put "One-on-One Conversation with God" onto his funerary monument.)

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has tried to block the Burris appointment, and Jesse White is black.

White is black? I suppose next you'll be telling us that up is down and 2+2=5. Nice try!

"effort to black Burris"
I think you mean 'block', not 'black'.
----------------------------------
Rush, the new voice of minorities, who knew...

Burris, who, by the way, is now claiming his place in the Senate was ordained by the Lord himself. - shortstop

That was the line that got me, too. I'm thinking there must be something cultural that makes that OK to some people, but to me it's way to messianic.

Steve, Barack Obama supports the effort to black Burris?

Burris doesn't need blackening.

"...after Blago completely outmaneuvered Reid..."

Reid is easily and frequently outmaneuvered, and we could stand a change in the Senate leadership as well. Somebody a little more intelligent, articulate, and savvy would be nice.

if rod blagojevich wasn't is such trouble, i seriously doubt roland burris would have gotten the nod.
legally, burris is qualified (u.s. citizen, over 30, etc.), but he's only the most qualified illinois resident for the job in the same sense that clarence thomas was the "most qualified" candidate george h.w. bush could find to fill thurgood marshall's seat on the supreme court.

Who'd have thought the Senator from Nevada would be so lousy at poker? Harry, come over to my house on Saturday night, and bring cash. Lots of cash.

I was thinking that, if the seat could be kept vacant until Blago is ousted, the LtGov could appoint Burris and everybody would be happy.

But now I realize that Burris accepting the appointment from Blago shows he doesn't have the judgment to be a Senator, past achievements notwithstanding.

mellowjohn,

Well, Burris wasn't the first person asked, he was just the first to say yes. So even form Blagojevich's perspective, he wasn't the most qualified.

I still think 'jury' was the most important word on Rod's mind when he was shuffling through his potential appointments.

But now I realize that Burris accepting the appointment from Blago shows he doesn't have the judgment to be a Senator, past achievements notwithstanding.

I don't know. Judging from what I've seen of the Senate in my lifetime, Burris has exactly the level of judgment I expect from Senators...

Oh ...

You probably mean hypothetical GOOD Senators and not the actual average judgment one might expect from those who have held the office in the past or are currently sitting there. Nevermind...

Why oh why do the Democrats put up with a Senate "leader" for whom the following statement is all too often applicable?

But now, [politician X] completely outmaneuvered Reid

Politically, the smart thing to do is seat Burris. You get a presumably loyal Democrat in the office immediately, postpone an election for the seat for two years (when Blagojevich will be a bad memory instead of a political nightmare), and you can always expel him if some evidence of quid pro quo comes to light. Of course, after all of the blustering that would make Reid look like a fool, but when has that stopped him in the past?

This one stinks, and Rush/Burris are sinking old school, "by any means necessary" racial hardball politics even as they harden existent and foment latent racist attitudes. At least Reverend Wright spoke considerable, if incendiary, truth. Rush/Burris, on the other hand, appear to have fully internalized puerile, hollow Repukelican methods, unable to show any flexibility or originality in outstanding circumstances. Just what we need right now: self centered a**holes auto-aggrandizing like it's '68. Feh. Let Burris have the seat, with conditions, and watch his stones sink; if he's pulling this kind of s**t now, then that's all he's got - hot air. What an embarrassment Illinois pols are turning out to be, eh?

And Reid: jeezus, how long are the Dems gonna wait? He's the weak link in an otherwise stellar opportunity to permanently reshape this country. He may have been a great senator for Nevada, like Leahy a good man and really good at the state level, but like Leahy he's out of his element on the national public stage. He just doesn't have it in him, and I imagine he's also quite stubborn and set in his {insufficient) ways (call it a hunch). Time to go to the bullpen.

Presumably, the people of illinois could recall Burris if they don't want him as their senator. Seat him and then let them decide.

BS. Reid made it clear he didn't want an African-American to be appointed. Rush and Burris are right.

ghillie...
illinois has no recall provision. lt gov quinn has been pushing a constitutional amendment (aimed at guess-who) for the past year or so, and there was an "advisory" question on the ballot last november. it passed, but has no binding effect.

Rush is a warrior from the old days. Like some others, he has not totally adapted to new realities. Like an old race horse sometimes when the bell is heard, they burst out charging hard – often inappropriately.

On the other hand:

It's possible that if Burris were to agree…

I am trying to remember if Harry Reed has always been this much of a misdirected chump. Burris should agree to nothing and back that a**hole into a corner. Once again my Democratic Party in Congress is giving me cramps.

If Rush feels so strongly about having a black senator I'm curious why he backed a white candidate in the 2004 primary over Barack Obama? Could someone ask him this question? I really look foward to the answer.

Seat him!He is the senator selected by law in the state of Illinois.

Well, sure enough, the Senate refused Burris on the grounds that his certificate was not signed by the SoS White.

Constantly raising race as justification for doing something that is sketchy at best blunts its impact for occasions when it is genuinely a factor, to great discredit.

Like I keep saying, Burris is a subject unto himself and should only be considered in terms of his own character and qualifications. Otherwise it's ad hominem to blame Burris for who picked him. Atrios has said so as well, can you folks get around this point?

Of course Burris is going to be seated, and there will be no worry about whether he runs in 2010 or not.

All you have to do is read the post above this about the stiumuls plan, the Republican plan to obstruct it, and Krugman's comments about what that will result in.

The Republicans are pushing for a special election in Illinois and donating to Coleman to fight Franken in court because they have to depress the Democratic majority if they are to have any hope of torpedoing Obama's plan. Mitch the Bitch McConnell already announced they will filibuster. They have 41 votes.

If the vote was 59-41, there are three Republican moderates facing the voters in 2010, and one of them could be found to vote with the Democrats to stop the filibuster. If it's 58-41, then the Demos need two of the 3, and that's about 1,000 times harder to get. If it's 57-41, they'd need all three and that's about impossible.

The Democrats in the Senate are now getting a good lesson in why you don't jump into somebody else's fight without knowing everything. If the Blagojevich indictment was so strong, why is Fitzgerald asking for an additional 90 days? That's because - other than the fact Blago is an annoying twit and a general scumbag - there's nothing there. Unfortunately, you can't do to an "annoying twit" or a "general scumbag" what you'd like to. (The world would be a better place if we could, though)

Maybe Burris should consult with "Independent Democrat" Joe Lieberman about how to approach this, Burris might even emerge with a committee chair to boot.

BS. Reid made it clear he didn't want an African-American to be appointed. -- Jay, @12:06

Considering that this bit of info came from He-of-Sterling-Integrity; Washington (cannot tell a lie) Blagojevich (a part o whose very name *means* "big lie")... I wouldn't give it much credit.

Like Clarence Thomas, libs hoist on their own race preference petard.

It's amazing that in virtually all the debate on this in the broadcast media, the term "black" is almost never used, but instead the cumbersome "African American." When did the word "black" become anathema? Is it suddenly as archaic as "Negro"?

Actually, some time ago while you weren't looking, African American went out and black came back. The MSM will need a few more years to catch up.

God what a stinking racist that Bobby Rush guy is. He is everything that is wrong with our party all rolled up into one ugly man. I hope he has a heart attack today and dies.