FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog

Israel attacks Hamas in the Gaza and the world attacks Israel.

So, what else is new?

Oh yeah, Obama who commanded a 3 to 1 American Jewish voter majority in the last Presidential election plays golf and punts.

20 more days folks and Obama will have to step up - if he is capable.

Happy New Year Flapsblog readers!

Would Harry Reid REALLY have the balls to block Roland Burris from taking his seat in the United States Senate chambers?

No, he wouldn’t and the Illinois Secretary of State will not be able to legally block Hot Rod’s appointment.

So, break out the champagne and celebrate with Roland Burris when he says: “I Am the Junior Senator from Illinois.”

Roland Burris suggested he would challenge an effort to block his appointment to the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, but said he’s confident that Senate Democrats will back down and allow him to take the job.

“We think they will come around and recognize that the appointment is legal and valid and I am the junior Senator from Illinois,” he said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal at his office here.

Flap wonders when Illinois voters will say they have had enough and initiate some election reforms like a voter initiated recall, referendum and/or initiative process like in California?

In the meantime, Illinois folks, including the Illinois GOP can bellow all they want about a special election but Burris is appointed and he is an Illinois Senator whether they like it or not.

Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s arguments that he and the Democrat Caucus will be able to block Hot Rod Blagojevich’s apointment of former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat are laughable.

Responding to arguments that the Senate can only rule on narrow issues of qualifications, and not refuse to seat a member based on some broader judgment, Harry Reid’s spokesman, Jim Manley, emails over the argument of the Democratic leadership:

In response to those who are asking how this is different from Powell v. McCormack, in which supreme court said House could not refuse to seat a member based on his alleged corruption and said only qualifications to be considered are those listed in the Constitution:

[W]e are not making a judgment about qualifications of appointee, but about whether appointment itself is tainted by fraud, which we believe we are entitled to do under Art. 1 s. 5.

This is like judging the integrity of an election, free from fraud or corruption. It’s the process that led to the [appointment], not the appointee’s fitness.

Hot Rod Blagojevich is NOT a convicted anything and has NOT EVEN been indicted. The Illinois Governor has ONLY been charged for crimes related to the Senate appointment. Flap doubts that there will be any quick impeachment of the sitting Governor based on non-indictment charges.

Now, Patrick Fitzgerald, the United States Attorney has requested a 90 day extension to bring forward an indictment.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has filed a motion seeking a 90-day extension to return of an indictment against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Federal prosecutors normally have 30 days to file an indictment against a defendant. That deadline would have been Jan. 7, and the extension would give prosecutors until April 7 instead.

Authorities arrested Blagojevich on Dec. 9 on corruption charges that accuse him of trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich has denied any wrongdoing.

So, what is to prevent Roland Burris, duly appointed by a lawfully elected Governor of Illinois from taking his seat in the United States Senate in January? Harry Reid?

Flap welcomes the images from the Senate Chamber as Reid orders the Senate Seargent of Arms to physically bar an African-American former Illinois Attorney General from taking a seat. Anyone think this will happen?

But, should Reid order Burris off the Senate floor, the United States Supreme Court will issue an immediate injunction ordering the Senate to accept the appointment.

Whatever the process, Hot Rod will not be easily or quickly impeached and Roland Burris will be a United States Senator from Illinois.

Congratulations Jan on your engagement. You know what they say about doing things the last day of the year that carry on throughout the next year and into the future.

Now, what about Obama, the First Golfer?

Previous:

The Day By Day Archive

Obama issues a statement condemning Hot Rod Blagojevich’s appointment of Roland Burris to his former Senate seat.

“Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it. I believe the best resolution would be for the Governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place. While Governor Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy,” said President-elect Obama.

But, so what?

Unless the United States Supreme Court rules otherwise, the appoinment will stand.

But Supreme Court precedent suggests “no”: The Court held in Powell v. McCormack (1969), that “in judging the qualifications of its members Congress is limited to the standing qualifications prescribed in the Constitution,” such as age and citizenship. Now perhaps the Senators are right and the Court was wrong, and perhaps today’s Court would overrule Powell. But at least at this point, Powell seems to make clear that under Article I, Section 5 the Senate may determine whether the Senator should be seated solely based on the objective qualifications that the Constitution prescribes, and not based on its judgment whether Gov. Blagojevich ought to be entitled to make the appointment.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the President-Elect will have NO SAY as to this appointment.

Flap looks forward to the moral indignation from the Democrats on this appointment as they on the other hand accept it.

Hypocrites all.

Blago won this round.

This is change Americans can believe in, right? “The One” was nebulous about Israel during his campaign and why not let President Bush clean up his own Middle East mess? You know the doctrine of having one President at a time.

But the enlightened European press may be losing patience with the “Messiah” who was to deliver miracles to a waiting public.

Barack Obama remained silent over the violence in Gaza as Israel today threatened to continue its attacks for weeks.

Instead, the President-elect is continuing his 12-day Christmas holiday in Hawaii and was seen enjoying a round of golf.

He joined a group of friends at a private club near his £6million rented, beach-front holiday home yesterday.

Meanwhile, 9,000 miles away in the Middle East, Israel today rejected any truce with Hamas and said it was ready for ‘long weeks of action’ in the Gaza Strip.

Obama will be President soon enough and will actually have to make decisions.

Flap is not optimistic that he can rise to the challenge. A good speech with a teleprompter does not a good President make.