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Rod Blagojevich committed his greatest sin when he broke the cardinal rule of Chicago politics: don’t make no waves, don’t back no losers. He could have followed George Ryan’s lead by stepping aside, accepting cut-rate legal counsel from a well-connected, high-powered firm, and putting himself in position for political forgiveness and maybe even a high-paying job when he’s out of the can. Instead, he’s gleefully made lots of waves. As he put it himself: “I’ve enjoyed the limelight I’ve had over the last couple of weeks.”
“Senate Democrats, once sharply opposed to allowing Burris to be seated because he was appointed by Blagojevich (D), are considering allowing him to serve as a way to end a confrontation that could drag on for weeks and distract from what they hope will be an end to a decade of gridlock on Capitol Hill. One idea being considered, Democratic officials said yesterday, is allowing Burris to be seated if he agrees not to run for election in 2010, allowing the party to recruit another candidate to defend the seat (Burris has lost multiple statewide races in Illinois).”
