The main argument for supporting Burris is that Blagojevich is still the legally elected Governor of Illinois, that he has the legal authority to appoint someone to the vacant Senate seat and that nothing illegal seems to have taken place in the final choice. I call this the 'It's the Law, Stupid!' argument.

Is Senator Dick Durbin hitting the brakes on Burris? Here's part of his remarks from a press conference courtesy of Progress Illinois:

"At this point, we've clearly reached an impasse. The Illinois Supreme Court has said, 'Our state has done all it needs to do under its statutes and constitution to fill the vacancy. We're not going to do anything, nor require any officer of the state to do more.' The Senate rules say, 'More needs to be done.'

I'm sorry but you cannot separate the person who got the seat from the utterly corrupt and probably criminal process that led him to getting it.

The fact that Burris accepted this is all you need to know about his moral character.

And if anyone is hoping to forget this, don't worry: we'll be reminded of it incessantly through the months and years of Blago's criminal trial.

This is an embarrassment to the State of Illinois.

Hi Mark,

Love the mention of me in the Jan/Feb 2009 edition of The American Prospect (p. 4):

"And on tapped, the Prospect's staff blog, commenter Leo wrote, "I didn't even have to know the guy's background to know he was a vegetarian." Sorry to disappoint, but Adler is, in fact, a meat-eater."

It's hard to imagine anyone looking back at 2008 and feeling nostalgic. In fact, it's hard to imagine anyone looking back at this entire decade and feeling nostalgic. Talk about 'Lost Generation'? This one practically qualifies as a 'Lost Decade'.

Let's say someone robs a bank and right before he gets nabbed by the police, he hands over the loot to one of those Salvation Army bell-ringers.

Are we going to spend much time dwelling on the probity of the bell-ringer -- much less, let him hold on to the money?

Well, I guess it'd be an understatement if I said things look messy at the moment.

Unfortunately we have to clean up after the elephants -- not after they've left but while they're still here making a mess.

It's hard to imagine the outcome at the moment but within weeks, Blago is going to be impeached. There is not a vote in the Illinois State Legislature that won't be against him. This current attempt at nominating a Senator will die a natural death as the chief promulgator is no longer in office.

Alexi makes the cut:

Illinois SOS Jesse White:

As I have previously stated publicly, I cannot co-sign a document that certifies any appointment by Rod Blagojevich for the vacant United State Senate seat from Illiois.

Although I have respect for former Attorney General Roland Burris, because of the current cloud of controversy surrounding the Governor, I cannot accept the document.

[h/t TheCapitolFaxBlog]

Could Chicago become the new capitol of the breakaway 'Central North-American Republic'? This might be our only consolation if the (crack-pot) predictions of Igor Panarin, former KGB analyst and current dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats, comes true: