Rejected by Senate Burris remains optimistic

CAPITOL HILL - The lame-duck appointee and would be junior senator from Illinois, Roland W. Burris arrived on Capitol Hill today and was shown the hand
by the secretary of the Senate, Nancy Erickson. Her rejection prohibited Burris from being seated in the United States Senate.

Mr. Burris has been facing mostly Democratic opposition since he was nominated by embattled Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich on December 30, 2008.

The New York Times reported in their online edition today, Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White, has refused to sign, saying the appointment is invalid because of a federal corruption investigation surrounding the governor and what prosecutors describe as his efforts to sell the Senate seat, vacated by Mr. Obama.


Refusing to accept the denial, Burris marched out of the Senate chambers and proclaimed from across the street before a full-throated media assembly, “Members of the media, my name is Roland Burris, the junior senator from the State of Illinois.” Technically, he has a point but until the cloud of negativity that surrounds Gov. Blagojevich has been settled he will just have to wait outside.