Don't Have A Seat, Senator

As the Blago and Burris story continues to make news, I talked it over on WLS/Chicago this morning with Jim Oliphant, national correspondent for the Chicago Tribune.

Since Jim is based in Washington, we talked about that odd bit of political theater earlier this week when Roland Burris was refused entry to the US Senate and then walked several blocks in the rain (to the tune of "MacArthur Park"?) to make a brief statement to the press.  I also asked whether Friday's ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court means Burris will eventually be seated on Capitol Hill, or whether the Senate Democratic leadership will try to postpone the question until after the Illinois Senate goes forward with the trial of now-impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich.

We also discussed the likelihood of the Rules Committee undertaking a complete investigation of the connections between Blago and Burris, particularly those outlined this week by Carol Felsenthal in the Huffington Post, involving Patti Blagojevich getting an $80,000 job she wasn't qualified for thanks to Burris' lobbying partner, the $300,000 in state contracts given to Burris' consulting firm over the last four years, and more.

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