Senate to Seat Burris After All!...No, Wait...Just Kidding. Sen Feinstein Breaks with Dems Again!

The AP reported earlier this morning that Senate Democrats would seat Roland Burris.



However, it's now clear that no deal has been made and the AP was just kidding. Turns out, even Illinois Secretary of State says his signature is not required to Burris to be seated. Fox news reports:

Reid, who met in the morning with Burris and Illinois' senior senator, Dick Durbin, said in a press conference afterward that Secretary of State Jesse White's signature is needed in order to certify Burris' appointment to fill the seat.
"We've had a rule in effect since 1884 in the Senate that for a person to be appointed by the governor, you have to have a signature from the governor and the secretary of state," Reid told reporters during a news conference.
But White said Wednesday that his signature is not required for the Senate to confirm Burris.
"They could have seated him without my signature. My signature is not required," White told WGN-720AM.
"My signature is mostly ceremonial, rather than a point of law," he said.
The Burris drama took a new twist Wednesday morning when the Associated Press reported that Senate Democrats were ready to accept him to fill the vacant seat.
But a spokesman for Reid denied the report, telling FOX News, "There are various options on the table."

Even Obama is joining the backtracking party!

"This is a Senate matter. But I know Roland Burris, obviously; he's from my home state. I think he's a fine public servant. If he gets seated then I'm going to work with Roland Burris, just like I work with all the other senators," Obama said at a press conference at his transition headquarters.

Dianne Feinstein, a potential California 2010 Gubernatorial candidate, once again broke from party ranks. She wants to seat him.

"Does the governor have the power, under law, to make the appointment? And the answer is yes," Feinstein said, urging the Senate to settle the matter. "If you don't seat Mr. Burris, it has ramifications for gubernatorial appointments all over America. ... Mr. Burris is a senior, experienced politician."
The comments flew in the face of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's assertion that Burris should not be seated in part because the move would be tainted by the Blagojevich scandal. Feinstein's stance is the latest sign of intra-party tensions over the matter.

Looks like Blago wins!