Burris finds comfort on familiar turf in Illinois

[April 09, 2009]  GRANITE CITY (AP) -- Flashing his easy smile and wearing a power suit, U.S. Sen. Roland Burris signed autographs and shook hands after helping break ground for a new high school. He had just toured an Air Force base and was headed to his hometown, where a warm greeting and a key to the city were waiting for him.

Questions have dogged the Illinois Democrat since he was appointed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich in late December, three weeks after the governor was arrested on corruption charges. But they seemed distant during a three-day swing this week through southern Illinois.

It was clear the 71-year-old learned from an earlier "listening tour" of the state, during which he stumbled answering reporters' questions about his appointment, shifting his story multiple times and then abruptly canceling appearances amid news that the Senate had begun an ethics investigation.

After that tour, Burris limited his public appearances and rebuffed the media. He hired a veteran media consultant and this time made sure to carefully control his exposure, giving reporters just five minutes to ask questions at several stops.

Burris also chose familiar and friendly venues including his hometown of Centralia, his alma mater of Southern Illinois University and a veterans hospital. The warm welcome he received from modest audiences was a contrast to his reception on Capitol Hill, where he still struggles for acceptance.

"Clearly there's a wariness. There is a sense that he's political sorbet just between courses here and he's not going to be someone who in all likelihood is going to be sent back to the United States Senate based on the choice of the electorate," said U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a Republican from Chicago's suburbs.

During this week's tour, Burris danced around questions about whether he'd seek election to a full term next year despite continued calls for him to step down.

"I was appointed United States senator by a sitting governor. It's legitimate, and that's the extent of it," he said.

In Centralia, the former Illinois attorney general told an adoring crowd that "I'm not going anywhere."

After meeting privately Wednesday with laid-off steelworkers to discuss trade issues, Burris waved off reporters' questions about whether he fit in on Capitol Hill or sensed any aloofness from his colleagues.

"We're dealing with all these major problems," said Burris, who says he has already sponsored several bills and works well with fellow Democrats. "It's not about how senators are treating me, it's not about the coolness or anything else ... I've got problems down here that my constituents are suffering with."

Still, the scrutiny hasn't eased. Burris' Senate seat, previously held by President Barack Obama, figures greatly into the federal indictment against Blagojevich, who was booted from office in January and is accused of trying to sell or swap the Senate appointment.

Burris has come under fire for changing his story about the circumstances surrounding his appointment. He initially said he hadn't contacted a key Blagojevich adviser about the seat but later released an affidavit saying he had spoken to several advisers, including the governor's brother. And in off-the-cuff comments to reporters during his first listening tour, he acknowledged trying, unsuccessfully, to raise money for Blagojevich.

The Sangamon County's state's attorney is reviewing Burris' sworn testimony before Blagojevich's state House impeachment panel to determine if criminal charges are warranted. Burris this week pledged to "fully cooperate."

[Associated Press; By JIM SUHR]

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