A (Strange) New Year Begins

By Ben Pershing
If you thought 2008 featured some strange and unexpected news stories, how about this for 2009: Rod Blagojevich showing up on the Senate floor to demand that the chamber seat his appointee, Roland Burris.

No, it's not likely, but it is technically possible -- yes, Blagojevich has Senate floor privileges -- and would be a fittingly surreal way to usher in the new year. The embattled governor's decision to appoint Burris to the seat, knowing that the Senate has no desire to admit him to the chamber, has given rise to any number of strange scenarios. Maybe Burris will get an office and a staff, but won't be allowed to vote. Maybe the whole thing will go to the Supreme Court (they're always good at putting controversies to rest, right?).

Perhaps the court could kill two Senate birds with one stone and step in to decide Franken v. Coleman now, too. The judicial wrangling over this contest began a while ago, with the latest step coming on New Year's Eve, when Coleman asked the state Supreme Court to stop the review of previously rejected absentee ballots. And while court challenges could prolong this saga for a while, a winner should actually be named next week.

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