What does Blagojevich get out of Senate appointment?

Gov. Rod Blagojevich could have expected Tuesday's spectacle in Washington, D.C., as his U.S. Senate appointee was denied a seat representing Illinois in the upper chamber of Congress.

But some say the embattled two-term governor is getting exactly what he wants out of Roland Burris - a distraction from his ongoing impeachment and a thumb in the eye of party leaders who have long wanted him out of office.

"Anyone the governor would appoint, let's take out Mr. Burris and let's not deal with color, we will always ask the question that has to be answered: What is the governor getting out of this appointment?" said state Rep. Mary Flowers, a Chicago Democrat.

Since the governor made his defiant appointment last week, questions seem to have centered more on whether Burris should be seated than whether Blagojevich should stay on as the state's chief executive.

The appointment itself was used by Blagojevich as evidence he's following the law and doing his duties, even as an impeachment investigation the governor has dubbed a "political lynch mob" tries to make the case that he can no longer govern in the wake of his arrest on federal corruption charges.

Blagojevich even chastised lawmakers for failing to follow through on a promise to take his power to appoint a senator away and give it to voters via a special election, a move the governor says he would have supported.

Democratic leaders rejected the election to fill the remaining two years in Barack Obama's Senate seat, publicly citing the potential $30 million price tag and quietly grumbling the seat could end up in Republican hands.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat and Blagojevich's chief nemesis, is one of those accused of blocking the special election. He co-chaired Blagojevich's re-election two years ago, though his spokesman now downplays the role as "perfunctory."

Madigan's daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, has expressed an interest in running for the state's top post in 2010.

"Clearly, the Blagojevich Democrats of Illinois have no shame and could care less about the harm they are causing to our state," blasted Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna after Burris was denied his seat Tuesday. "Enough is enough - the people of Illinois have already had their Senate seat sold to the highest bidder, they don't need more backroom deals surrounding Governor Blagojevich's appointment. The people need a chance to vote."

And some criticized Burris for accepting the appointment. After all, at least one other politician, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago, declined the appointment after the governor's arrest.

"By accepting the appointment, you are supporting the governor," said Jay Stewart, director of the watchdog Better Government Association. "You are allowing him to exercise his authority and show up the rest of the world."

If nothing else, Blagojevich may be enjoying annoying the powers that be. "He is walking his last mile," says Roosevelt University political professor Paul Green. "So maybe now he gets a little enjoyment as he walks."

Nonetheless, moves to unseat the governor advance. Burris may appear before the House impeachment panel on Thursday to answer questions about his appointment. Federal prosecutors accuse Blagojevich of earlier trying to auction off the spot for a lucrative job or campaign cash.

A vote on impeachment could come as early as this week, sending the matter to the state Senate for a trial that could potentially conclude by early February.