Burris will likely get seat, after all

After repeatedly saying they wouldn't accept him and turning him away Tuesday, it now appears that Senate Democrats eventually plan to seat Roland Burris after all.

After Burris met privately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, Reid told reporters today that he hopes "sooner rather than later" the full Senate will vote on whether to accept Burris.

Before then, Reid said, there needs to be a ruling from the Illinois Supreme Court on whether the secretary of state must sign a certification of Burris's appointment to the seat. The secretary of the Senate refused Burris's credentials on Tuesday because it did not include that signature. The Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White, refused to sign because of Blagojevich's legal problems, but changed course today, saying his signature was only ceremonial, not required, and that he was being made the fall guy.

Reid also said Burris would not be seated until after his testimony on Thursday in Illinois about how he was appointed to the seat, vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who faces federal corruption charges, including trying to sell the seat.

(At US News & World Report's website, Michael Barone recaps the legal ins and outs of the situation.)

Reid said he and Burris met for 45 minutes and since he had "never met the man," it was "very enlightening," calling Burris "obviously very engaging, a very nice man,"

"This was a positive meeting and it moves us forward," Durbin said.

Burris, a former attorney general in Illinois, did not appear at the news conference.

At his own news conference later, Burris said he expects to soon be the junior senator from Illinois after he resubmits the paperwork to be accepted into the Senate once those two steps are completed.

Burris told reporters that the meeting went well, and that Senate leaders are interested in preserving the integrity of the body.

"They did not want to rush into anything," he said.

The opposition to him started collapsing this week after pressure from the Congressional Black Caucus and others, who pointed out that the Senate does not have any African Americans.

Reid, however, said there was no racial issue.

He also put the best face on the drama playing out on Capitol Hill, saying it provided transparency to the appointment.

Asked about the reports of Burris eventually being seated, Obama said, "That is a Senate matter."

But he added that he knows Burris, called him a "fine public servant," and said he will work with him like other senators.