On potted plants, etc.

von, at Obsidian Wings, really, really, really doesn't like Burris. Apparently Burris, as Attorney General, executed an innocent man...

Despite the recommendations of his top prosecutor. Despite the press reports -- which you, dear reader, should Google in detail. Despite the evidence. Despite, daresay, the truth.

There is no polite way to put this: Burris is a f_cking potted plant. At best. There are moments in your life when you can make a decision. It's rare and it can definitely sneak up on you. A mistake or two can surely be forgiven -- but some cannot.

And so von believes that Burris, due to his horrible, unforgivable (and I agree, it's pretty unforgivable) mistake should not be seated in the Senate.

Which strikes me as an emotional argument that holds nothing but emotional water. I could go searching for a legal precedent, something that shows that people with mistakes in their past are disqualified from receiving Senate appointments, but I doubt I'd find anything.

This sort of mistake is exactly the sort of thing that would get people (like me) to not vote for Roland Burris, but it's not a legal barrier to his appointment, which is really all that matters, isn't it? Not emotional response. Burris passes the basic litmus test. He's competent enough. He's been appointed by the scumbag governor of Illinois. In two years, the good people of Illinois can take matters once again into their own hands (unless we repeal the 17th amendment by then, which is just a little personal pipe dream) and vote the "potted plant" Senator out of office.

And good riddance. But until then, we need to be on the side of the law, however hard a pill it is to swallow.

Also at Obsidian Wings, publius is annoyed with Burris's arrival at the Senate , and the ensuing circus show:

It's one thing to accept an appointment and fight for it -- Senate seats ain't easy to come by. But it's quite another to actually show up on Day 1 and intentionally create a media frenzy and sideshow on a day that needs to be devoted to gathering momentum for a potentially historic legislative agenda. Instead of allowing the media to report on that, Burris's antics ensured that he'll be the story of the day.

Hey, I thought the move was smart. And besides, the media will still report on everything else. This was just a little publicity stunt by an obviously savvy politician.

And I don't much like Blago or Burris but I am going to keep saying that until someone shows me what law has been broken, what guilt has been proved, then I have no choice ethically but to back Burris's claim to the Senate.

So...