Seat Roland Burris ASAP

What a difference a day makes. After taking the hard line against seating Roland Burris as the junior senator from Illinois on Tuesday, Senate leaders on Wednesday appeared to have a change of heart toward the 71-year-old lawyer and consultant appointed to fill the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Earlier, Burris had been turned away because his credentials did not comply with Senate rules. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has refused to sign the necessary paperwork because he considers Burris' appointment invalid in the wake of a federal corruption investigation. Federal authorities allege Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who appointed Burris, attempted to sell the Senate seat.

On the one hand, White, as Illinois' chief elections officer, should be concerned about the validity of Blagojevich's appointment given the ongoing "pay to play" investigation. But on the other hand, Blagojevich has not been convicted of a crime. As the sitting governor, he is authorized to fill the unexpired term of a U.S. senator.

At this juncture, there is no reason to believe that Burris had any role in Blagojevich's alleged activities. Burris, 71, has joked that he could not have participated in such discussions because he has no money.

Burris does have a long history of government service, having been elected as Illinois attorney general and state comptroller. He is the highest-ranking African-American official to be elected to state office.

Burris appears perfectly qualified to serve in the U.S. Senate. Any allegations against Blagojevich should not be held against him.

Despite the earlier political posturing by Obama and Senate President Harry Reid calling into question any appointment by embattled Blagojevich, there appears to be no legal impediment against seating Burris in the Senate. Senate leaders and Burris' representatives need to resolve these issues as soon as possible so a qualified and unblemished appointee can begin to serve the people of Illinois and the Senate can focus solely on the economy, the war in Iraq and other pressing issues to be raised by the new administration.

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