Burris as media darling

Most new U.S. senators are lucky to attract one reporter from their home state when they are sworn in. Roland Burris, appointed by the disgraced governor of Illinois, had swarms of them, jostling each other to get a picture of him.

Burris was intent upon asserting his right to be in the Senate regardless of the pall cast on the seat by Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is charged with trying to sell it.

Burris, who may hold the world indoor record for cable-TV interviews in a two-week period, was aiming for either a triumphant arrival at the chamber like Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" or, in the alternative, a scene. He got the latter: Brad and Angelina amid paparazzi, at best, a perp with burly guards pushing him through the gauntlet, at worst.

The result was never in doubt. As the new Congress convened yesterday for a ceremonial swearing in, Burris presented his credentials, unsigned by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, to the secretary of the Senate. In much less time than it took Burris to march into the building, the credentials were rejected for not being in order. In his 10,000th press conference afterward, Burris said with no trace of irony, "I am not seeking any type of confrontation."

Confrontation comprises much of Burris's strategy for claiming the prize the governor presented to him on Dec. 30 at a surprise press conference. Everyone said Blago couldn't make an appointment. His lawyer promised he wouldn't.

Spreading His Cheer

But with the swagger of his idol, Elvis, Blago did, taking the pile of steaming manure atop his head since his Dec. 9 arrest and spreading it over the entire Democratic establishment, from the president-elect he never liked to Senator Harry Reid, who is as determined not to be pushed around by Blago as Blago is to push him.

If Burris were a political realist, he might take one compromise in the works: to be seated immediately in exchange for a promise not to run in 2010. Yet the sly Blago chose a dreamer with visions of grandeur and, at 71, nothing to lose.

He has already built a mausoleum to himself with "trailblazer" etched on it, commemorating his service as the first black Illinois attorney general. Stymied in numerous attempts for higher office since, he now sees "Senator 2009 to" date unknown added to that stone. A man who says being the senator from Illinois was "ordained" by God isn't going to go gently into that good night.

Blago was also clever to choose a black man to replace the only African-American in the world's most-exclusive club, which doesn't have any.

'Groundhog Day'

Lost in the mists of many news cycles is the prior assertion by Democrats, including Barack Obama, that no appointment by the governor would be recognized. That will hardly be remembered if Burris, in his own version of "Groundhog Day," shows up on the Capitol steps every day only to be barred every day. Closing the door on Burris, who has done nothing wrong himself, isn't to "lynch" him, as Representative Bobby Rush put it in a cameo at Blago's press conference, but it's not a pretty sight.

Who will blink first? Burris's lawyer said he was headed to the courthouse, and the law is on his side. The Supreme Court has ruled that all an aspirant has to do is meet the constitutional age, residency and citizenship requirements to be legitimate. But time isn't on Burris's side.

The wheels of justice grind slowly. It may take months, if not a year or more, for his case to wend its way through the courts. Volunteering to forgo a campaign in 2010 that he's unlikely to win and to step aside if the current lieutenant governor chooses a new senator should Blago be impeached could get Burris seated now. This may be his best chance to etch "U.S. Senator" on his tombstone.

No Election, Please

Reid can keep refusing to certify, slow-walk a review through the Rules Committee, and hope the Illinois legislature speeds up its act and ousts the governor. What Democrats don't want is a special election. Now that Blago has so soiled his office, a Republican might take the seat.

The Blago-Burris drama was enough for Reid to back away from attempting to seat former "Saturday Night Live" comic Al Franken, although Franken was declared the winner on Jan. 5 by 225 votes after a two-month recount of 2.9 million votes.

Franken's win won't be certified until a court challenge by incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman is concluded. Coleman went off for a steak at the Capital Grille in Washington after the decision against him, like a man beefing up to fight.

Sweet Revenge

As the pageant was unfolding, Blago reiterated that his action was legal and appropriate. He's relishing this one- upmanship, however temporary, after sinking into disgrace after he and, at times, his wife were recorded profanely threatening to get back at anyone who didn't pay up or write good things about them or agree on a price for the Senate seat, according to tapes released by the U.S. attorney's office.

"I've got this thing, and it's (expletive) golden, and I'm just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing," Blago said, according to the U.S. attorney.

For someone with nothing left to lose, revenge isn't nothing, nor is tying up Washington in knots. For the moment, Blago is Frank Capra directing Jimmy Stewart. In that role, Burris is delivering an Oscar-worthy performance.

(Margaret Carlson, author of "Anyone Can Grow Up: How George Bush and I Made It to the White House" and former White House correspondent for Time magazine, is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.)