He's a Heartbeat Away From Junior Senator

Durbin says no, Reid open to talking, and Burris a no-show

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris dominated the Sunday morning tongue-wagging, though the would-be senator himself was a no-show, reports the Hill. Elsewhere, mixed messages on whether to seat him:

• Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said on This Week that the Senate has no plans to seat Roland Burris. Burris was scheduled to appear alongside his state's senior senator.
• Meanwhile, top Senate Dem Harry Reid told Meet the Press that while the body has the power to block Burris, "there’s always room to negotiate."

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris made it official this afternoon: He won't run for a full term next year, the Chicago Tribune reports. “I love serving the people of Illinois,” the current holder of President Obama's old Senate seat said. But “political races have become far too expensive in this country. And in making this decision, I was called to choose between spending my time raising funds or spending my time raising issues for my state.” More»

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris won't run for re-election to his Senate seat, both Chicago papers are reporting. The Illinois senator intends to stay in office through the end of his term in January 2011 but figures he can't raise enough money to mount a re-election campaign. In fact, he's raised a measly $20,000 so far, notes the Sun-Times. Burris is expected to make an official announcement tomorrow. More»

Evidence on Blago contacts insufficient

(NEWSER) - Sen. Roland Burris will not be charged with perjury for neglecting to tell an Illinois House impeachment panel about additional discussions he had with associates of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the State Journal-Register reports. While Burris did omit conversations about the Senate appointment with members of Blagojevich’s inner circle, they were “brief” and described by the individuals as “in passing,” prosecutor John Schmidt said. More»

(NEWSER) - FBI recordings of a conversation between Sen. Roland Burris and the brother of disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich can be released to the Senate Ethics Committee, a judge ruled today. The committee is investigating Burris’ appointment by the now-impeached governor, made after Blagojevich was indicted, the Hill reports. The taped conversation occurred before the impeachment and the appointment. More»