Burris drama in the Senate

On Monday, all the hullabaloo on Capitol Hill surrounded Barack Obama, who spent his first full workday in Washington as president-elect.

Today, all the drama revolved around the man who wants to replace Obama in the US Senate.

Roland Burris, the former attorney general of Illinois, was turned away this morning because he was appointed by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who faces federal corruption charges that include trying to barter the seat. The secretary of the Senate rejected a certificate because it lacked the signature of the Illinois secretary of state, who has refused to sign it because of Blagojevich's legal problems.

After being told by the secretary of the Senate that his credentials were rejected and he would not be seated, Burris held a brief news conference outside the Capitol, saying he would consult with his attorneys.

"I am not seeking to have any kind of confrontation," said Burris, who again called himself the junior senator from Illinois.

His lawyer said the actions were illegal and he will consider options, including going to federal court to force the Senate to accept him.

Behind-the-scenes, Burris and his lawyers are negotiating with Democratic leaders in the Senate, who face a dicey situation barring Burris from their all-white body. Burris was the first African American elected statewide in Illinois.

The rejection means that, for the moment, Illinois and Minnesota --, where Democrat Al Franken's victory in a recount is being challenged by Republican incumbent Norm Coleman -- do not have both their senators representing them.

The Associated Press reports that members of the Congressional Black Caucus said today that Burris should be seated on legal grounds.

"A lot of people want to talk about race or the governor and his problems, but the bottom line is you have a sitting governor who has certain legal rights and authorities and he's made an appointment," said Representative Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat. "This is an issue that goes beyond race."

UPDATE: The AP also says that Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, has broken ranks with other Democratic leaders and says that Burris should be seated.

In a new poll released today, 51 percent agreed with Senate Democratic leaders that Burris should be blocked, while 27 percent said he should be allowed to take his seat.

The USA Today/Gallup survey also found that nearly 60 percent of Americans are following the Burris case, and that 52 percent believe a special election should be held to fill the seat.

The survey was conducted Monday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.