Roland Burris' incoherent Senate ramblings

There are plenty of Chicago legislators who emit nonsensical verbiage, forcing observers to wonder, "How did that person ever get elected to office?"

Fortunately for the rest of the nation, most of those public servants are relatively powerless members of Chicago's City Council.

Then there is Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL), who was not elected, but appointed to his position during the final days of Rod Blagojevich's unhappy tenure as governor.

Burris, a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, chose to speak and ask questions during a hearing last week on White House Czars.

Poor Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). It was left to him to make sense of Burris' emissions. He probably felt like that overwhelmed United Nations translator who gave up after translating Muammar Gaddafi's ramblings last month.

Here are some Burris jewels, which David Weigel of the Washington Independent posted yesterday:

BURRIS: This has — being a constitutional and political science student, I mean, this is Political Science 101 or Political Science, maybe, 1000. The panel's just been terrific.

And I have so many thoughts just rolling through my head, I don't even know where to start. I mean, this is — this is the meat that caused us political scientists to even exist, because you're dealing with these major issues of the separation of powers and the creation of this country and whether or not you want your president to really have the powers that you granted it, and whether or not the Congress, which is on similar or equal footing, can then control or muscle in on those powers of the president

Undersecretary as acting secretary?

BURRIS: Every president's going to go through it. I don't even know how we in the Congress can legally — I mean, I heard the distinguished ranking member say that we passed a law. We can pass a law and say there's going to be a position in there, but I don't think the Congress can tell the president who to put in that position.

I mean, if we do that, then I think that we're violating the separation of powers. I mean, this is what we get into. And you can create a position. What happens if — what happens if the president says, "I don't want to appoint anybody as secretary of state. I'm going to use the undersecretary as an acting secretary"?

Is there a law that would require us or require the president to appoint a secretary of state? Is there? Is there?

CASEY: A law that requires the president to appoint a secretary of state?

BURRIS: Yes.

CASEY: Specifically, there would not be a law requiring him to do that. Now, of course, if he wants the functions that you vested in a secretary of state performed, he — he probably has to do...

Bigger than czars?

BURRIS: The recess appointments. And they serve for only a certain period of time, and — and otherwise…

CASEY: Right.

BURRIS: … that person would have to leave the position and — I mean, you can see all the questions that are just flowing through my process here, as we try to talk about czars and policy-makers. This is even bigger than — than czars.

I mean — you're — you’re wrestling with this — this just wonderful document that's created 200 and plus years ago that created our entity and this thing called separation of powers.

No questions, but more questions than answers, and "What if":

BURRIS: So, Mr. President (sic), I really don't have many questions, I just — I got more questions than I have answers, Mr. Chairman, in reference to this, because I — I just sit here and listen to the experts talk, and every time there was a statement made, there's a — there's a new question come to my mind, well, what about this? What ifs — What if? What if? And — and so, I find this so fascinating, and I'm — I'm certainly going read each and every one of you all's testimony.

Burris, who is a vain man--even when measured against other politicians, has already constructed his mausoleum, with an empty place for his future accomplishments.

The conclusion of his Homeland Security Committee testimony belongs on it.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, this is — this is — I mean this is. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm done

Hat tip to Liz Mair.

I'm done.

UPDATE 1:30pm CDT: No I'm not done. The Right Scoop has the video of Burris' bumblings. Very painful. What is Burris' problem? Too many meds? Not enough?

And to think this man represents me in Washington...Very sad.



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