Bozo the Clown? No. Senator Burris Is The Chosen One
Chicago - Handpicked by Chicago's disgraced governor, unabashed to be so publicly rejected when he first rolled up to Capitol Hill, Roland Burris is an individual with a thick skin and superabundant self confidence. Mr Burris is the new senator for Chicago, Barack Obama's old seat. It's the one the Governor is alleged to have been touting around for a huge cash payment. That's one of the reasons Governor Rod Blagojevich is now facing criminal charges for corruption.
While Blago fights that case and protests his fxxxin' innocence, he's outflanked his detractors by using gubernatorial authority to appoint the unlikely Mr Burris to the seat. In all his 71 years Mr Burris has achieved many things. We know this because his accomplishments have been chiselled in marble on the large mausoleum he's had built in a Chicago cemetery.
Beneath the name BURRIS we read the heading "Trailblazer", an interesting word when you spot the very modest, traditional grave next door (a tenth of the size?) and see that it's occupied by Jesse Owens, the Hitler-defying Olympian.
Mr Burris, we read, was Illinois's first African-American attorney general and the state's first African-American comptroller. His memorial even notes Mr Burris was the first African-American exchange student to Hamburg University in Germany from Southern Illinois University in 1959.
Hamburg must have meant a lot to Mr Burris because he reiterated the German experience when we met. Of course, as a black American back then, all these accomplishments were considerable and not to be understated.
Not to worry, he's not the man for understatement. It's all helped feed the Burris ego which is renowned throughout the state. His son, Roland ll, and his daughter, Rolanda, will no doubt be proud to witness their Dad become the first Chicagoan nominated rather than elected senator by the first governor impeached for corruption.
One local critic noted, unkindly, that Governor Blagojevich could have chosen Bozo The Clown and no one could have stopped him. But he chose Roland Burris and Mr Burris, happily enough, has left room on his tombstone for the words "U.S. Senator".
He could also add the testimonial we heard from Laura Washington, a former official at Chicago City Hall and a canny observer of the state's extraordinary political terrain: "He's a go-along to get-along guy, a long time part of the Democratic Party machine, not particularly respected by his peers. But he's not corrupt. He's never done anything illegal."
And in Chicago politics, that's an accomplishment worth chiselling in marble.
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TWIN TOWN
Does Boris have any plans to twin London with Chicago?
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Oh dear, no wonder so much attention is being given to the third runway. The above and Israel's carte blanche to do whatever it likes with impunity is too depressing.
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Barack Obama' s old seat?
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What a world! We no longer look for excellence in our politicians, just that they are not corrupt. - Doug
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Peter -- how about some focus on the willing of political positions to friends and family in Illinois?
The Madigans
The Strogers
Obama and Burris
Or how about how Dan Rostenkoski went to prison and left the 5th Congressional Dist for Blagojevich who has a strong chance of going prison -- and how Rahm Emanuel took the seat from Blagojevich after Blagojevich got elected Governor?
Most Americans are completely unaware of this open and public nepotism and cronieism here.
Also -- thank you for doing a much more thorough job on corruption in Obama's home here in Illinois. Nice to see somebody doing it. Maybe all my posts in Matt Frei"s blog last year actually found purchase.
Kudos on featuring John Kass. How about Milt Rosenberg -- host of WGN radio's extension 720? What a story he has to tell about how the Obama campaign tried to shut him down for daring to look at Obama's record.
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Peter:
Bozo the Clown is someone to be respect, although I think that Senator Burris...should never been given the Senator seat in the State of Illinois following the relevations of his "problems.."...
~Dennis Junior~
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