It's been a big year for weird press conferences, but watching Bobby Rush stand before Rod Blagojevich and endorse his appointment of Roland Burris to fill Obama's Senate seat might be the weirdest spectacle yet. "This is about Roland Burris as a United States senator, not the governor who makes the appointment," said Blagojevich, the governor making the appointment. "I would ask you not to hang or lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointor," Rush added. And Burris just stood there. Smiling. It's ugly stuff. Blagojevich is trying to racialize his problems. Rush's defense was entirely on grounds of skin tone. Burris locates his base among the state's black churches. Blagojevich's is hoping that if the US Senate rejects Burris, they will anger the black community, who will rally to his side. For his part, Burris is all too happy to grind his ethics beneath his ambitions. As Progress Illinois points out, on December 12th, he endorsed the effort to impeach Blagojevich and termed him "incapacitated."
Not everyone, of course, is on board with the Rod Blagojevich Rehabilitation Plan. Reid pronounced the appointment "unacceptable," and said Burris wouldn't be seated in the Senate. "We say this without prejudice toward Roland Burris’ ability, and we respect his years of public service," affirmed Reid. "But this is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat. Under these circumstances, anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus." In Illinois, Secretary of State Jesse White (who happens to be, um, black) has said he won't certify the appointment. Obama has not yet weighed in.
