From the forgotten corner to the catbird seat

Career Chicago-machine politician Senator Roland Burriss, D-Ill, apparently not being humiliated and ashamed enough to just sit quietly and keep his chair warm until his term is up in early 2011 after he was forced to admit that he did in fact attempt to raise money for disgraced ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich (presumably in a naked attempt to buy his Senatorial appointment), despite Burriss specifically denying that action while under oath, is now merrily gumming up the works for the man he replaced in that chamber, President Barack Obama:

"[Burriss] says he'll only vote for a bill to provide health care to millions more Americans as long as it allows the government to sell insurance in competition with private insurers."

The very same cleverly name-disguised "public option" (that really should be labeled "entirely-government-run-and-controlled option" for clarity) the President is currently finding out is becoming a major sticking point that's blocking the passage of his reform scheme, as a vast majority of the peasants he purports to govern want no part of such a socialistic government takeover of their health care.

"And [Burriss] says he won't compromise."

Oh, we're sure that position will be quite easy to change, as soon as the Democrats in the Senate realize that they're going to have to have his vote to reach the magic number of 60, and that they're going to be forced to offer Burriss pretty much anything he wishes in exchange for that all-important "yes" nod (most likely up to and including re-election financing and support, something that his own party was adamant about denying the disgraced politician to this point).

What's really amusing is that Burriss knows full well the leverage he now wields, and he is currently delighting in letting everyone in on how much fun he's having while doing so:

"'Yes. I'm a senator from Illinois representing 13 million people. I'm one of 100, and I speak on the floor, I preside over the Senate, I co-sponsor legislation,' he says. 'I'm very busy, I'm very challenged, and I have one problem.'

He grins.

'I enjoy what I'm doing.'"

In more ways than one, he seems to be not-so-subtly telling the Democrats, who now have to somehow find a legal way to bribe him into not causing any more trouble for them on this, the all-important issue that Obama has staked his entire Presidency on.

We would really enjoy the headache Burriss must be causing the Obama and the rest of the Democrats right about now, if the issue weren't so serious. We suppose they should have tried a little harder to keep hardball-playing Chicago thugs like Burriss out of both their caucus and our Federal government.

Oh, wait - Obama himself is also one of the merciless players who honed his attack skills in that town.

Never mind, then. This is just poetic justice at work.