Kyl On Burris

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AP:

Democratic leaders plan to grant few if any privileges next week to Roland Burris, the man picked by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, even if he arrives on Capitol Hill with the right credentials. Senate officials involved in the tangle of legal and logistical planning said Friday that a Democrat will object to Burris being duly sworn with the rest of his class, and propose that his credentials be reviewed for a period of time by the Rules Committee.

The only way Burris will be allowed on the floor is if he possesses a certification of appointment signed personally by his embattled patron, Blagojevich, and Ill. Secretary of State Jesse White. Burris would then be treated as a senator-elect, which by tradition means he’ll be allowed on the Senate floor without voting or speaking privileges - and he wouldn’t be granted a desk, according to these officials. They demanded anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

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Whatever the drama, Burris will not be seated when the new Senate convenes on Tuesday, Democrats have said all week.

Republicans have been wary about commenting, pleased to see Democrats mucking through a political mess of their own party’s making.

Bur Republican Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona said Friday that he wants to review state and federal law before opining on whether Burris should be seated. Still, he questioned whether the legal status of the patron is enough reason to block the appointee.

“The Senate has to be very careful of setting a precedent that just because it doesn’t like the governor that appointed (Burris) we therefore refuse to seat a qualified appointee,” Kyl said in a telephone interview.