House, Senate convene for 111th Congress

AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/6/09 | Andrew Taylor - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON – The House and Senate have convened for a new Congress that will immediately confront the country's struggling economy.

...

The opening of the new Congress came on the same day that Senate officials denied a seat to Roland Burris because of a dispute over his appointment by Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY-uh-vich).

[NormsRevenge]

Party On!

[NormsRevenge]

Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer (L) escorts senate appointee Roland Burris, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's choice to fill the vacant seat of President-elect Barack Obama, out of the building after a brief visit at the Capitol, January 6, 2009. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

[Ingtar]

Did they also refuse to seat the clown?

[Russ]

I hope Bush vetoes any and every piece of legislation they pass in the next two weeks.

[OB1kNOb]

Did they also refuse to seat the clown?

You just described the entire Senate. Which one?

[fieldmarshaldj]

"his appointment by Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY-uh-vich) (show-ME-duh-mun-NAY)."

[Ingtar]

The Clown of Clowns, the newly cheated in place from Minnesota...

[an amused spectator]

Blagojevich signed TWO orders for replacement of politicians in his state of Illinois:

One for Roland Burris, a legitimate use of Blagojevich's appointment power.

The second was for Rahm Emanuel - authorization of a special election for Emanuel's now-open seat.

Illinois' Secretary of State signed one order, but not the other. Most inconvenient political associates of The Obama, The One, The Messiah end up under the bus.

Not Roland Burris - he ended up at the BACK of the bus...

;-)

[BillyBoy]

Sadly, the capitol hill police barred photographers from taking photos of Burris being physically barred from entering the Senate office, but they did manage to get some photos of him being escorted down the hallway of the capitol building and leaving capitol hill in the rain.

Wearing an overcoat against the rain on a cloudy and drizzly day, the man attempting to sign in as the new junior senator from Illinois was met by Terrance Gainer, the Senate sergeant at arms, wearing a raincoat. Gainer was director of the Illinois state police when Burris was attorney general. Gainer escorted Burris out of the private rejection. (Pictured at left in photo below by Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

Illinois Senate appointee Roland Burris leaves the Capitol in the rain after being turned away when he arrived to take his seat. (AP Photo by Charles Dharapak)

The rejected Roland Burris was escorted outside the Capitol surrounded by media - stopped by the arrival of the motorcade of the vice president-elect, Joe Biden. It was raining outside. "We've been dripped on before,'' Burris said, while waiting (photo below by Charles Dharapak / AP).

[fieldmarshaldj]

Harry Reid... Keeping the U.S. Senate Negro-Free Since November 16, 2008.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Maybe he accepted obama because Obama was only half-black.

[Impy]

Pelosi voted Pelosi again.

[Impy]

The poor man was sent out to freeze while Reid and his white friends are toasty warm inside. What a travesty. :-D Did they even offer him a warm cup of coffee from their snooty Senate cafeteria?