Well he made it almost, he still has to take the oath. Hope that he has nothing to do with Rod!
Burris Cleared to Take Senate Seat
New York Times, United States - 29 minutes ago
By Kate Phillips
Senate Democratic leaders today cleared the way for Roland Burris to be seated as a senator from Illinois, after more than a weeklong ...
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Burris declares fight over, praises opponents
January 12, 2009 4:51 PM | 19 Comments | BREAKING STORY
His appointment finally endorsed by U.S. Senate leadership, Roland Burris said today he expects to be sworn in this week as Barack Obama's replacement.
At a news conference this afternoon, Burris, a former Illinois Attorney General, extended an olive branch to the Democrats who had stood in his way after he was nominated by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Burris singled out for thanks two of his major oppnents, Senate Majroty Leader Harry Reid and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who had staunchly opposed the Blagojevich appointment. "It will be my honor to both serve with them and to learn from them," Burris said.
And he said he "owed a debt of gratitude" to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who had refused to sign papers certifying his nomination. He called White "an honorable man" who "stood for what he believed was right."
It became clear that Burris had won his battle to become the junior senator from Illinois this afternoon when Senate Democratic leaders dropped their objections.
The agreement came after Senate lawyers said Burris met the chamber's rules and could be sworn in.
"Barring objections from Senate Republicans, we expect Senator-designee Burris to be sworn in and formally seated later this week," said a joint statement from Reid and Durbin, the assistant majroity leader .
The Senate Democratic leaders had told Burris last week that he needed to testify before the Illinois House impeachment committee about his relationship with Blagojevich and submit a signature from Illinois Secretary of State certifying his appointment by Blagojevich.
"We have spoken to Mr. Burris to let him know that he is now the Senator-designate from Illinois and as such, will be accorded all the rights and privileges of a Senator-elect," said the joint statement.
Senate Democrats initially balked when Blagojevich announced he was appointing Burris to the Senate seat. Their objection, they said, had nothing to do with Burris, but the fact that a potentially corrupt governor had appointed him.
"As we had outlined to Mr. Burris, a path needed to be followed that respects the rules of the Senate. We committed to Mr. Burris that once those requirements were satisfied, we would be able to proceed," Reid and Durbin said. "We are pleased that everything is now in order, we congratulate Senator-designee Burris on his appointment and we look forward to working with him in the 111th Congress."
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, say they have no objection to the seating of Burris, who waged a lonely struggle to claim the seat that included standing in the rain outside the Capitol after officials turned him away.
The Blagojevich-Burris saga caused heartburn for the Senate as it watched a governor accused of corruption and facing federal indictment trying to force them to accept a senator of his choosing all the while accusing Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, of racism.
The Secretary of the Senate originally denied Burris's request to be seated, citing a rule dating back to 1884 that requires an appointee to present both a nomination from his home state governor and a certification by the Secretary of State. Burris had one, but not the other.
White decided to reverse course on Friday evening. He submitted a certificate signed by White and stamped with the state seal attesting that the accompanying Blagojevich appointment letter is a "true and accurate copy" of what was registered by the secretary of state. And that paved the way for Senate lawyers to accept Burris's appointment.
--Jill Zuckman reported from Washington
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