Now Rod Blagojevich's successor calls for Roland Burris to resign

As our colleague David Savage in Washington has written -- though with more eloquence than we can muster--it's darn near impossible for a senator to be expelled from the U.S. Senate.

"It takes a vote of two-thirds of the senators to oust a member," Savage observes, "and the last senators to be formally expelled were charged with supporting the rebels during the Civil War."

Even former Sen. Larry E. Craig, the Idaho Republican infamous famous for his alleged adventures in an airport men’s room, didn't get the boot. An ethics committee did, however, issue a "public letter of admonition." That showed him.

Which brings us to Roland Burris, the man selected by former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill the seat vacated by Barack Obama. Unlike Craig, he has not had to explain that he has a "wide stance," but his various explanations about his contact with Blagojevich’s camp are prompting more and more folks to call for his resignation.

Blagojevich’s successor, Gov. Patrick Quinn, joined that chorus today. We’ll let Monica Garcia, of the Chicago Tribune, take it from here:

Quinn, who said it was a mistake for Burris to take the appointment, has not spoken to the junior senator and fellow Democrat about resigning. "He will always be held in high regard by the people for making this decision," Quinn said about a potential resignation. "The common good is really what we have to focus on today." Quinn suggested Burris was "harming" the common good by remaining in office amid questions about various affidavits "correcting this and that" about his contact with Blagojevich allies.

-- Steve Padilla

Photo: Michael Reynolds / EPA

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Comments

[ephil]

Unfortunately, I don't think Burris cares about the 'common good'. He seems far too concerned with himself and his legacy. He ought to just step down because 'he cares for the people of Illinois' but don't hold your breath.