Roland Burris retrospective
In this March 4, 2002, file photo, Roland Burris, a Democratic candidate for Illinois governor, answers a question at his Chicago campaign headquarters. Burris, 71, not shy about touting his accomplishments, has edged closer Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, to gaining President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, some regard as a tainted prize, an appointment from embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
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Roland Burris, candidate for Governor talks with the Daily Herald Editorial Board on March 1, 2002.
Bill Zars | Staff Photographer
Roland Burris, candidate for Governor talks with the Daily Herald Editorial Board on March 1, 2002.
Bill Zars | Staff Photographer
Senator Roland Burris speaks to the Chicago media at O'Hare International Airport.
Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer
Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., is follow by members of the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009, after officially being sworn in on the Senate floor.
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Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009.
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(left to right) Corinne Wood, Patrick O'Malley and Jim Ryan listen as Roland Burris gives his opening statement at the 2002 Suburban O'Hare Commission Illinois Governors Candidates forum.
Mark Black | Staff Photographer
Senate Sgt. at Arms Terrance Gainer, left, escorts Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris into the Secretary of the Senate's Office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009.
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Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris, left, talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009.
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Roland Burris, candidate for Governor talks with the Daily Herald Editorial Board on March 1, 2002.
Bill Zars | Staff Photographer
Roland Burris has make-up applied before appearing on the CBS television show Face the Nation in Chicago, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009. The Senate's second-in-command, Sen. Dick Durbin, said Sunday that he is moving away from resisting former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor and hopes a resolution to the disagreement will be reached soon.
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Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris holds a news conference at Chicago's Midway airport Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, before leaving for Washington for a high-stakes showdown on Capitol Hill about whether he'll succeed President-elect Barack Obama in Congress. Burris was appointed last week by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
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Roland Burris, candidate for Governor talks with the Daily Herald Editorial Board on March 1, 2002.
Bill Zars | Staff Photographer
A list of accomplishments of Roland Burris are seen Thursday, Jan. 9, 2009, carved on a mausoleum waiting for him in a South Side cemetery in Chicago. It could soon include "U.S. Senator," although that last entry might need an asterisk. Burris, 71, is not shy about touting his decades of accomplishments or advancing his name, but his appointment by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat is saddled with political baggage.
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In this Monday, Feb. 16, 2009 picture, Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., foreground right, leaves hand-in-hand with Rev. Willie Barrow after a news conference at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago.
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Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris leaves the U.S. Capitol, seen rear, in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, after he was turned away when he appeared to take his seat.
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Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris, right, escorted by Senate Sergeant of Arms Terrance Gainer, left, arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009.
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Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris, right, escorted by Senate Sergeant of Arms Terry Gainer, left, leaves Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009.
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The tombstone of Senator Roland Burris at the Oak Woods Cemetery on the south side of Chicago.
Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich introduces Roland Burris as his choice to occupy the Illinois Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.
Daniel White | Staff Photographer
Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., listens to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates testify during a Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009. Sen. Roland Burris admitted in a document released Saturday that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother asked him for campaign fundraising help before the governor appointed Burris to the Senate. The disclosure is at odds with Burris' testimony in January when an Illinois House impeachment committee specifically asked if he had ever spoken to Robert Blagojevich or other aides to the now-deposed governor about the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.
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Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., listens to a conversation during a public policy luncheon before The City Club of Chicago in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009.
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Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich introduced Roland Burris, right, to occupy the Illinois Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Here, Bobby Rush affirms the Burris appointment
Daniel White | Staff Photographer
Little City Foundation in Palatine hosts a 2002 Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Forum with several candidates, including (left to right) Roland Burris and Corinne Wood.
Mark Black | Staff Photographer
Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill. arrives at his home to find a letter delivered by Rep. candidate for the 5th district Jon Stewart in Chicago, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009.
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Roland Burris prays at the New Covenant Baptist Church during a rally in Chicago, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. Burris is leaving for Washington D.C. on Monday, after Il. Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed him to fill President elect Barack Obama's Senate seat.
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Roland Burris right, and wife Berlean, second from right, along with U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush (D)-Ill, second from left, attend the New Covenant Baptist Church during a rally in Chicago, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. Burris is leaving for Washington D.C. on Monday, after Il. Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed him to fill President elect Barack Obama's Senate seat.
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Senator Roland Burris speaks to the Chicago media at O'Hare International Airport.
Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer
U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris is seated after being sworn in to testify during the Illinois House Impeachment Committee hearing at the Illinois State Capitol Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Springfield, Ill.
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The tombstone of Senator Roland Burris at the Oak Woods Cemetery on the south side of Chicago.
Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer
Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris, center, meets with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., right, and Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., left, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
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Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., arrives to for a public policy luncheon before The City Club of Chicago in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009.
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Senator Roland Burris, D-Ill. speaks during a press conference in Chicago, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009. Burris fielded questions about a major omission from the testimony he made in January to a state House committee investigating former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment.
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U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris, left, listens to his attorney Timothy Wright III while testifying during the Illinois House Impeachment Committee hearing at the Illinois State Capitol Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Springfield, Ill.
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Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), speaks during a press conference outside the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Monday, Feb. 16, 2009.
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Senator Roland Burris speaks to the Chicago media at O'Hare International Airport.
Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer
Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris, center pointing, heads for his plane after holding a news conference at Chicago's Midway airport Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, before leaving for Washington for a high-stakes showdown on Capitol Hill about whether he'll succeed President-elect Barack Obama in Congress. Burris was appointed last week by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris holds a news conference at Chicago's Midway airport Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, before leaving for Washington for a high-stakes showdown on Capitol Hill about whether he'll succeed President-elect Barack Obama in Congress. Burris was appointed last week by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., accompanied by his wife Berlean takes part in a mock swearing-in ceremony administered by Vice President Dick Cheney on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009, after an official swearing-in on the floor of the Senate.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The tombstone of Senator Roland Burris at the Oak Woods Cemetery on the south side of Chicago.
Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer
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