Senate Democrats retreat on Burris due to pressure from Obama

Under pressure from the president elect Barack Obama himself, the Senate Democrats hastily retreated on the accused Roland Burris as the successor to the Obama. According to Obama and the critics such a standoff was shedding negativity on the future administration. 

Even though no formal agreement had been made regarding swearing in Burris as the successor he could be seen posing for photos at the capital along with Senate leaders. A forty five minute meeting followed up at the end of which supportive words were put forward for the nomination.

According to Democratic officials Obama held talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in order to look for a way to put an end to the dispute immediately. Obama said during the conversation that if Burris had the legal standing the legal standing to be seated albeit the controversy that surrounds him then it should be done sooner than later.

The disputes arose when some of Burris’s supporters had apparently made some racial remarks. Following Obama’s departure from the Senate, the former Illinois attorney general would be the only black member of the Senate.
Burris said during a discussion between him and Reid along with Dick Durbin that “My whole interest in this experience is to be prepared to lead Illinois, very shortly I will have the opportunity to do that.” These statements were not disputed by Reid nor Durbin. The problem was that they believed that the Democrats would not be willing to seat a senator who was nominated by a governor that is being accused of selling the seat. Obama agreed with their decision.

Obama said speaking to the press that Burris was fond of him and that the two would be looking forward to work with each other. Reid and Durbin then made public statements regarding the dispute “First of all, understand we don’t have a problem with him as an individual,” He praised him by calling him an extremely nice person but went on to say “At this stage, the process is working out.” Durbin added “I’ve known him for such a long time. We are friends and on a first-name basis.”

The latest developments and the tone that has been set amongst the Senate officials suggest that the former state attorney general will eventually get the chance to be seated. This is however conditional to whether Burris is able to clear his name of the dispute regarding how he got to the position that he is in.