He seems almost elf-like, this Blago-appointed senator from Illinois. Teeny-tiny, when his towering attorney stands next to him at the microphones. Small in stature and even smaller in commanding respect. Like so many in Washington these days, Senator Burris is in over his head. Less than one month into his senate tenure, Mr. Burris needs his tall lawyer because he failed to disclose conversations with and about ex-governor Rod Blagojevich when he testified before the Illinois House about his appointment by Blago to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Obama. However, wiretaps don’t lie. They can be difficult to decipher, but the parties are identifiable, and Mr. Burris testified that he had no contact with the former governor (now doing a game-show publicity tour). Senator Burris filed some amendments to his testimony, and, well, it turns out he forgot to mention conversations with Blago’s brother, Blago’s chief of staff, and two of Blago’s advisers. This story further diminishes this small man.  Worse, he seems clueless, “I’ve always conducted myself with honor and integrity,” and “If you report this correctly, there is no story.” He added that if the House members wanted more information they should have asked using specific names. Ah, the classic defense of those who withhold material information, “I didn’t tell you because you didn’t ask the right question.”
Senator Harry Reid had this powerful outrage, “Clearly, it would have been better if Senator Burris had provided this information when he first testified.” Even the Chicago Tribune has called for his resignation, concluding that he has lost the right to the benefit of the doubt and that the state eneds to move past its ethical cloud. This is not an ethical cloud. This is a Bermuda Triangle. With such a stunning lack of moral clarity in its leaders, Illinois may never find its way to its edges, let alone leave it.Â