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Report: Obama Gave Senate Green Light on Burris
The Page by Mark Halperin — ... Chicago Tribune: Democratic Senate source says the president-elect told senators on the Hill this week that if Burris had legal standing — and it appears he has — he should be seated as quickly as possible. Obama earlier had sided with Reid's opposition to the appointment.       ...

Trib: Obama weighed in on Burris with Reid
Ben Smith's Blog — So much for it being a "Senate matter?" Rick Pearson and Mike Dorning: WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate's Democratic majority opened the way Wednesday for Roland Burris to become Illinois' next senator, pressured by President-elect Barack Obama to remove a politically consuming distraction less than two weeks before he assumes the White House during an economic crisis. A top Senate Democratic source said Obama's concerns about the Burris situation were among several factors that resulted in an about-face by Senate leaders, who had vowed ...

Republicans, Burris, and Blago
Political Animal — REPUBLICANS, BURRIS, AND BLAGO.... It's likely that the initial response from Senate Democrats to the Roland Burris appointment was driven, at least in part, by appearances. Reid & Co. didn't want Republicans to be able attack them as tolerant of corruption, so Dems took a hard line. Now, of course, that hard line is giving way to Burris' likely success in joining the Senate. And what do Republicans have to say about this? Not a whole lot. Jon Kyl, last week, announced his belief that Burris' appointment was apparently legal and should be accepted by the Senate. Roll Call ...

No Senate bid for Chris Matthews
The Reaction — ... Then again, given that the Senate may soon include Roland Burris in its lofty ranks -- to go along with the likes of Joe Lieberman, Saxby Chambliss, Mitch McConnell, David Vitter, Jim Inhofe, Tom Coburn, and Jim DeMint -- well, I'm sure the appallingly low standards of that august body could accommodate someone like Matthews. He may not be an ideological extremist, after all, but he'd fit right in with the old boys.

The Spineless Harry Reid
PoliGazette — ... For a brief moment it appeared as through Harry Reid was going to make a stand on principle, namely that he would not stand for corrupt Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich’s ill-advised appointment of one Roland Burris to the august body that is the U.S. Senate.  Now it appears that Reid will back down yet again, something that puts even the ultra-liberal ...

Barack Obama is/is not interfering with Reid’s seating/not seating Burris.
RedState: Conservative News and Community — ... If he gets seated then I’m gonna work with Roland Burris just like I work with all the other senators to make sure that the people of Illinois and the people of the country are served.” So far, this is just merely Obama flip-flopping from his statement of a week or so ago. Note, please, that he said that he was leaving this up to the Senate. Note that very precisely. The Chicago Tribune: Senate’s Democratic majority clears path for Roland Burris Pressure by ...

Obama, Reid, Burris and the Chicago Way
Sister Toldjah — ... a year and a half ago on how the city of Denver wanted to “clean up the streets” before the Dem convention by “hiding the homeless.” They even went so far as to pay for haircuts for some of them. In the end, the homeless weren’t seen on national TV screens across the country, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist. The same, of course, can be said for the Chicago Way. Here’s the Tribune piece Kass mentioned in his op/ed.

Senate's Democratic majority clears path for Roland Burris Pressure by President-elect Barack Obama
Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News — ... seated as quickly as possible," a senior Democratic official said Wednesday. Obama earlier had sided with Reid's opposition to the appointment. Reid held a 45-minute Capitol Hill meeting Wednesday with his top deputy in leadership, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, and Burris. Afterward, Reid called the Blagojevich appointee someone who was "candid and forthright" and "not trying to avoid any responsibility or trying to hide anything" about how the governor named him to the seat. Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-bu...