Amidst the gathering storm of demands for the resignation of Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois, by a variety of Illinois and national politicians, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post, Burris is holding his ground for now. I don't blame him.
It is clear that Burris may have lied or possibly just misspoke when asked by the Illinois impeachment committee about contacts with Blagojevich staffers. The difference between lying or not probably hinges on the exact phrasing of the questions, and that in turn will depend on the transcript of those proceedings. Many press reports suggest that Illinois impeachment panel asked about contacts with Blagojevich staffers in the context of the Senate seat. If so, his "no" answer seems accurate and reasonable to me because from reports available, the request to raise money came separately from discussion of the seat.
Second, no offense to Burris, but he doesn't strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer. He might not have considered it necessary to mention contacts that took place outside the framework of the Senate-seat issue, and his subsequent confusion, as he recalls more contacts every day, could also be chalked up to ineptitude.
Third, in my mind, being asked to raise campaign funds (in any context) is not at all equivalent to being asked to buy the seat. Wouldn't Blagojevich naturally ask other Democrats to help raise funds for him? It seems unlikely that Burris the only one of whom he made such a request.
I don't say that Burris may NOT be a corrupt liar who should resign; it may well turn out that way; but without better answers to some of these questions, it is premature to call for resignation now.
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