The real Roland Burris? Please stand up

Whether Roland Burris is ultimately shown to have lied, deceived or simply failed to be as upfront as we'd have liked, you have to give him one thing: he has moxie.

Weeks after his rather brazen appearance in Washington, D.C., as he attempted - successfully - to sell himself as Illinois' new senator he is now fiercely defending himself against allegations he lied to lawmakers during former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial.

"You know the real Roland," he said this week as he pleaded with us not to rush to judgment amid allegations he perjured himself.

Well, no, we don't. Is it the Roland Burris who told Illinois legislators that he had no contact with anyone related to former Gov. Blagojevich and his alleged scheme to sell that same senate seat? Or the Roland Burris who later said that, as a matter of fact, he actually did have such contact? The Burris who said he had no link to raising funds for the tainted governor or the Burris who, well after the fact, now says he did try to do such fundraising? No, we're not sure we know him at all.

What we do know is he's returned Illinois to the late-night laugh line at a time when we can ill afford any distractions much less humiliation. We face the greatest economic challenge of our time - and we just don't have tolerance for any more political nonsense. We need a voice in Washington, D.C., that can speak loudly, credibly and with no question of motive.

We'll leave it to the ethics investigation and prosecutors to determine if Burris actually violated any ethics or laws and believe he is innocent unless proven guilty of those allegations. He is, however, clearly guilty of violating the basics of good governance - which requires an elected leader to communicate clearly and honestly with other legislators and with those who elect them. A refusal to speak with the press providing the public with information smacks of petulance and immaturity and Illinois residents deserve better.

We'll leave it to history and those who truly know him to determine the real Roland Burris. We certainly do not feel we know who that is. What we do know is we have real troubles in the suburbs and throughout Illinois, and we need a real voice in Washington, D.C., to advocate for us. We have a real need to see real action. And we really don't have time for any elected lawmaker to throw a snit, no matter how difficult the questions.

Whether Roland Burris broke a law or just our confidence is something that will take time to determine. Our problem is we don't have time. We need both our Illinois senators focused on fixing the economy, representing Illinois' needs in Washington where the challenge is not to worry about more inane Illinois politics but about finding solutions to our escalating woes.

If Roland Burris is really about working for the people of Illinois and is as honorable as he claims, he'll know we can't afford a distraction at this time. He either needs to quickly adequately explain the discrepancies ... or resign.