The Second to Last Laugh

As shown by this post, it really is rather amazing the way in which Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) managed to completely out-maneuver Senate Democrats even while in the depths of career-destroying scandal. The vote by the CBC urging that Roland Burris be seated will be the final nail in the coffin. And the upshot is that this process became about as embarrassing, drawn out, and politically damaging to national Democrats as possible.

Blagojevich won't have the last laugh, because while the Democratic Party will recover, he'll be spending some quality time in prison. But still -- well played, soon-to-be-ex-governor.

Blago's Choice

Rod Blagojevich has announced his appointment for Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat: former Illinois AG Roland Burris. Kagro X has a good run-down of the various issues in play here, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's insinuation that he might not be seated. Burris, as far as I can tell, is a clean politician (both generally and specifically with regards to this controversy), but of course, he's tainted by the mere fact that he's associated with Blagojevich. The appointment also puts Democrats in a tight spot, as they may be faced with trying to deny seating to the man who would be the sole Black Senator in the entire body (for some reason, I imagine Republicans will find this significantly less awkward).