Illinois Governor Appoints Replacement for Obama's Seat

To the shock and awe of his accusers, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed the state's former state attorney general, Roland Burris, to fill the vacant Senate seat formerly occupied by President-elect Barack Obama. The position is one that the governor has been accused of attempting to "sell" in recent weeks, an offense for which he was arrested and briefly held on charges of federal corruption.

According to various media , the Tuesday appointment was immediately rejected by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who said he would refuse to certify the selection. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also stated that Burris would not be allowed to occupy the seat.

In an attempt to distance Burris' reputation from his own political antics, the governor who the public has come to know as "Blago" stated, "I'm here to announce my intention to appoint an individual who has unquestioned integrity and is a wise and distinguished senior statesman in Illinois. I'm appointing Roland Burris as the next United States Senator from Illinois." Noting Burris' qualifications, Blogojevich continued, "Please don't allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man."

The governor also seized the press conference opportunity to speak on behalf of his own plight, telling reporters, "Feel free to castigate the appointer, but don't lynch the appointer. I'm not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing."

With the help of Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), the governor was able to portray Burris' appointment as a racial issue. Calling the appointment a "good decision," Rush said , "Let me just remind you that there presently is no African-American in the U.S. Senate."

In defense of his gubernatorial duties, Blagojevich said, "As governor, I'm required to make this appointment. If I don't make this appointment then the people of Illinois will be deprived of their voice and vote in the U.S. Senate." Blagojevich claimed that he was was forced to act as a result of the state legislature's failure to set a special election for the people of Illinois to make the appointment.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6549970&page=1