Burris: What Blago Did Was Good For U.S.
Senate appointee Roland Burris argued that he is the "junior Senator from Illinois, there is no question about that" on CBS News' Face the Nation today.
He told host Bob Schieffer that his appointment has now been made legal by the Illinois Supreme Court and the necessary documents have been signed and sealed by Illinois' Secretary of State. "We have done everything we have been asked," Burris said. "I should be seated, and I should be seated before the inauguration of our 44th president."
Whether that is possible is still up in the air. His potential colleague Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Schieffer earlier in the program that it may take "weeks" before disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached by the Illinois House Friday, is tried in the State Senate.
Burris said that his lawyers will be in Washington Monday to meet with Senate officials for a review of the documentation submitted on Friday. A decision has not yet been made if Burris would accompany them to the Capitol tomorrow.
While distancing himself from Blagojevich's troubles stemming from his arrest on Federal corruption charges last month ("I have nothing to do with all of his problems. Those are his problems."), Burris also defended the man who appointed him to fill Obama's seat.
"Remember this: a person who does bad can also do good," Burris said. "What Governor Blagojevich did was good for the U.S. and the people of Illinois ... Appointing me to that vacancy was certainly good."