Burris: “Oh Wait, I Forgot…”

 

Newly-appointed IL Senator Roland Burris is now admitting that he actually agreed to a “request” from then-Governor Blagojevich’s brother to raise funds for the governor, as Burris was seeking appointment to the Senate seat.

Let’s recap, shall we?

Story #1: I didn’t do anything wrong, and I most certainly didn’t speak to anyone, including the Gov’s brother, so help me God.

Story #2: I didn’t do anything, but I might have spoken to some people–but not the Gov’s brother. And I still didn’t do anything wrong, so help me God.

Story#3: Oh yeah, I forgot–I spoke to the Gov’s brother. And he asked me to raise some funds for the Gov, but I said no. And I still didn’t do anything wrong, so help me God.

Story #4: Well, I actually told the Gov’s brother I would raise funds for the Gov. And I still didn’t do anything wrong, so help me God.

 Hypothetical Story #5, sure to come sooner or later:  Perjury? No, I don’t know what that is. But I I still didn’t do anything wrong. So help me God.

Question: Is Harry Reid kicking himself now for caving in to Burris so quickly?

Question 2: How long will it be before the good citizens of Illinois get tired of being a political joke and elect some decent people to represent them?

H/T: HotAir

Stoutcat

Blago Speaks Volumes

 

In a voice that with a little tweaking would sound like the Simpsons’ Mayor Quimby, and a hairdo reminiscent of Elvis, Blago let loose and finally spoke the truth that we all know, and no one wants to face in our heart of hearts – on a frighteningly large scale, American politics are dirtier than a brothel bathroom.

Blago said a bunch of interesting stuff, but one thing leapt out…

“You guys are in politics. You know what we have to do to go out and run elections”

I’m not sad to see Blago go… He was an operator, but at least he was stubristic enough to utter that rare truth – that of so much of the filthy underside of politics. There must be something of value in there somewhere.

Alan Speakman

Blago Speaks

Coming to you live from Planet Blago, 20 minutes or so later than scheduled; apparently not being covered at all by the local Chicago press–interesting–they seem to realize that he’s trying to preach directly to a likely jury pool…

He’s eager to confront the charges against him and is determined to call witnesses to prove his innocence, despite some mistakes of judgement from time to time.

[He keeps harping on "mistakes of judgement", "getting things right most of the time"]

Complaining about Rule 15F, which prevents his calling of witnesses–Blago named specifically Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, and Jesse Jackson, Jr. as possible witnesses to his “integrity”.

[Haven't these rules been in effect for a long time? Why have these rules gone unnoticed for all these years? If you're the governor, perhaps you should have looked at the rules before you started breaking them.]

Complaining about Rule 8B which states that charges that the House brings in a report cannont be challenged, contested, or refuted.

[See above--find out the consequences of breaking the law before you actually break the law.]

Violation of all the freedoms we hold dear, cowboy movies, stealing horses, hang the horse thief…

[This guy is really out there.]

“…trampling on constitutional rights…calling all newspapers across IL …Chicago Tribune building…Near vs MN…mobsters vs. freedom of the press…”

Taking questions now: blah blah, more of the same. The reporters try to ask questions about the case, Blago keeps harping on how much good he’s done for the state, it could be a conspiracy, he’s always done his best, made some mistakes, etc.

[I really think he's going for the insanity defense.]

He’s had enough, he abruptly leaves the podium, hugs a few people, shakes a few hands, and he’s gone.

[At least this time he didn't quote any poetry!]

Stoutcat

Blago Backs Dems Into Corner

At 3:00PM EST today, beleaguered Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich backed the Democratic party into a corner by naming former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. This presents the Democrats with several problems:

• First, should the Dems accept the naming, they destroy the tenuous construct of Obama’s concept of transparency. (Well, OK… I guess that things will be plenty transparent at that point.)
• Should Blagojevich’s pick actually go through the Senate without a tantrum on The Left, the fact that Burris carries his own pricey “designer Blago baggage” will speak volumes.
• Should Burris be accepted, that simply offers legitimacy to Blago.
• On the other hand, if the liberals take the high road and muss and fuss away the naming as Reid says they will, they face the possibility that the citizenry will become so fed up with Chicago politics (note to Obama, stay in Hawaii for a little while longer), that they will demand a special election and perhaps even usher in a Republican. Gasp!

Maybe, just maybe, the very best thing that the GOP could do right now is just go politely mum, and let the Lefties squirm.

Alan Speakman

BREAKING: Blago Names Burris

In a political power play just bristling with chutzpah, scandal-enmeshed Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich just named former IL Attorney General Roland Burris to fill President-Elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat.

This presents something of a quandry for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has previously threatened to decline to seat anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich. It also contradicts the statement made on December 17 by the governor’s attorney, Ed Genson:

The attorney, Ed Genson, was asked at a news conference after an impeachment hearing in Springfield if Mr. Blagojevich was planning to appoint anyone against the wishes of Democrats across the state and country including Mr. Obama.

“No,” Mr. Genson replied. “(U.S. Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid said that they’re not going to accept anybody he picks. Why would he do that?”

The entire theatrical gesture may, in fact, be moot. According to the AP, the Illinois Secretary of State has said that he will not certify Burris.

But who is Roland Burris? He will definitely be arriving with his own baggage. In examining his record, the Chicago Tribune reports:

“…Burris has given more than $20,000 to Blagojevich’s campaign fund on his own and through his consulting and law firms, state campaign finance records show. Burris’ consulting company received about $290,000 in state contracts with the Illinois Department of Transportation a few years ago, according to state comptroller records.”

Sounds like Burris knows very well how to play this game.

UPDATE: Chickens coming home to roost, indeed! From the an article published on February 26, 1998 in the Washington Post:

Burris, the only black candidate in the Democratic field of four, issued a cryptic response to reports that he told an African-American community group that his opponents are “non-qualified white boys.”

Stoutcat