Here's what I've learned New Years Day:
I think Burris is underestimating how hard the Senate Democratic leaders are resisting his appointment. No one doubts that Burris is eligible to serve. No one is going to challenge Blagojevich's power to make the appointment. But they won't make it easy.
The new Congress will be sworn in Tuesday. Burris will arrive with no floor privileges because Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White will not certify his appointment. The Senate will likely refer the matter to the Rules Committee, where it will be handled as s-l-o-w-l-y as possible. For example, the rules panel will require a very, very, very complete investigation to make sure the appointment is stain-free.
While the Senate Democrats are slow-walking, they want the Illinois House to fast-walk the Blagojevich impeachment proceedings, and then have a swift state Senate trial, conviction, and installation of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn as governor. Quinn then can make the pick, preferably a Democrat with an excellent chance of winning either a special election or the 2010 contest.
Sweet goes on the remind her readers, as I did earlier this week, that Burris has lost four straight Democratic primaries, three of them were statewide contests.
In each of those four races he was not running with Blago's baggage.
Left out in the Democrats' plotting is the likelihood that Blagojevich will try to drag out the impeachment process--He wants to continue to get paid.
Of course the Dems muffed it--big time--when Blago called their bluff and made the Burris appointment. They could have prevented this fiasco by taking the power to make the Burris choice last month.
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