What a debacle. But some background facts to keep in mind as you judge the politicos of the Great State of Illinois:

Bobby Rush, the IL congressman who compared keeping Burris out of the Senate to a lynching, is portraying this battle as all about keeping at least one black man in the Senate. Hah. Back in the Democratic primary of 2004, when Obama was running against Rich White Guy Blair Hull for a seat that had been African-American Carole Mosely Braun's (with a Republican interregnum), Rush supported the Rich White Guy. Before that, Rush beat Obama for Congress in the 2000 primary by basically saying he wasn't really "authentic" enough to represent the South Side ghetto Rush has run since his Black Panther and Chicago Alderman days. Rush also owes Blagojevich big time: Rush has a little side gig as a minister—go figure!—and Illinois has funded some of his community organizations to the tune of millions.

Burris is a hack, and has no chance to win statewide. He was the first black elected to state-wide office in Illinois, true, but that was back in the day of widespread straight-ticket voting, when vast numbers of voters just pulled the lever that said Democrat or Republican. Burris was an insider pol who got slated to a harmless/powerless office (quick: what does your comptroller do?) and that's the only reason he got elected. In every primary he's run in—for Senator, Governor and Mayor of Chicago—he's had his ass handed to him. I'm hoping the Senate does the same here.

There's no telling how this will end, but one prediction: if the Senate Dems make a deal to seat Burris if he promises not to run in 2010, they will regret it: he will agree, be seated, and then just before primary season in late 2009 or early 2010, he'll change his mind and say the Lord told him to run again.