High drama in Illinois
2009-01-01 14:38
Chicago - Criticism rained down on
embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday for his
defiance in appointing the state's new US senator, but doubts
persisted that anyone could block the move.
"It's off the rails. What else could be crazier?" said
Richard Epstein, a constitutional law professor at the
University of Chicago.
Blagojevich, who was arrested on December 9, ignored warnings
from within his own party on Tuesday by appointing a successor
to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat -
the seat the governor has been charged by federal prosecutors
with trying to sell to the highest bidder.
"State of Disbelief" read the headline in the Chicago
Sun-Times over a full-page photograph of the governor with his
choice for the Senate, Roland Burris, 71, the former Illinois
attorney general, fellow Democrat and frequent candidate.
"Blagojevich has demonstrated he's totally unpredictable,"
said Mike Lawrence, who recently retired from the Paul Simon
Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.
Obama has called for Blagojevich to resign and backed US
Senate leaders who vowed to block Burris from assuming office.
The governor sent a formal proclamation on the appointment to
the US Senate on Wednesday.
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse
White refused to sign the document, which analysts said might
stall the move.
Late on Wednesday Burris filed a request with the Illinois
Supreme Court asking it to compel White to sign and affix the
state seal to the proclamation, the court said in a statement
without indicating when it might respond to the filing.
Blagojevich, who has denied the corruption charges, is
facing impeachment in the Illinois legislature in the state
capital of Springfield where hearings resume next week.
Blagojevich, a Democrat in his second term, has yet to be
formally indicted.
Prosecutors who admitted having rushed into
charging him, on Wednesday asked the court for a 90-day
extension to formally indict Blagojevich, who has been under
investigation since his first term in 2003.
'Perfectly legal'
Prosecutors said in a court filing they needed the
extension to review a large volume of tape-recorded
conversations and because witnesses were still coming forward.
Burris said the charges against Blagojevich had "nothing to
do" with him and the appointment was perfectly legal.
"Burris has a good record in public office, but he is
someone who enjoys the limelight and loves being a player,"
Lawrence said. "I think he's being used in this situation."
If Burris does show up at the US Senate on January 6 when
newly elected members will be sworn in, lawmakers might refuse
to administer the oath and refer the matter to a Senate
committee to conduct an investigation, a Democratic aide said.
The saga could still take numerous twists, many of which
could end in court if Burris or Blagojevich, both lawyers,
decide to sue.
Besides the political implications, the appointment carried
racial overtones.
Burris is black and seeks to replace the only
black in the 100-member Senate.