Roland Burris will likely get his Senate seat this week, but his argument that he didn’t have many ties to Governor Rod Blagojevich looks less likely to survive.  The Chicago Tribune reports today that Burris developed opposition research for Blagojevich’s re-election campaign in 2006, making him much closer to the now-impeached governor than Burris wanted to admit:

Just days after Gov. Rod Blagojevich accepted his party’s nod for re-election in 2006, a letter arrived at state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka’s office seeking thousands of pages of documents Blagojevich could use as ammunition against her in their upcoming campaign.

The letter was signed by Roland Burris.

It was one of several requests Burris made to the treasurer’s office in 2006, a campaign practice known as opposition research in which candidates use public documents to question their opponents’ records.

Burris’ assistance for his fellow Democrat would typically draw little notice. But it comes to light as he is seeking to project his political independence from the scandal-plagued governor who appointed him to the U.S. Senate on Dec. 31.

Burris wants people to believe that he and Blagojevich have a rivalry rather than a friendship and political alliance, mostly to put some distance between himself and Blagojevich’s ethics woes and alleged criminal behavior.  That simply won’t fly, especially with this new reporting.  There is nothing inherently wrong in oppo research, but politicians don’t do it for their rivals — they do it for their allies.  Burris’ attempts to paint himself as anything but an ally only reveal his own dishonesty and slipperiness.

It makes little difference, however.  Blagojevich appointed Burris, and now with Jesse White agreeing to sign the certification, the Senate has no choice but to seat Burris:

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday it was likely that former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris would be seated as the state’s newest senator this week after a legal review of new paperwork regarding the Senate appointment.

The review Monday by Senate legal counsel marks the latest twist in the on-again, off-again seating of Burris, who was appointed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich three weeks after the now-impeached Illinois governor was arrested on federal corruption charges that include allegations he attempted to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. While it appeared the Senate was closer Sunday to seating Burris, there are potential hitches. …

Durbin said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that it was “point-blank” wrong to think the Senate would await Blagojevich’s removal to keep Burris from being seated.

“To wait until Gov. Blagojevich is removed could be a matter of weeks,” Durbin said. “I think Roland Burris’ future and fate will be decided before then.”

Unless the Senate gets evidence that Burris bought the appointment from Blagojevich, they have no standing to refuse his appointment.  White gave them a technicality for delay, but in the end the Illinois Secretary of State agreed to sign the certification the Senate requires.  They have no more excuses, and now must eat crow as Blagojevich successfully called Harry Reid’s massive bluff.

The Illinois legislature could have prevented this by requiring a special election to fill Senate terms following the death or resignation of an elected Senator.  They punted on the question, hoping to hold off the possibility that a Republican could take advantage of Democratic corruption and win the seat.  Michael Madigan, Illinois House speaker, offered this lame rationalization for their failure:

Though Blagojevich had said he would sign special election legislation, Madigan said the governor, whom he labeled “delusional,” couldn’t be trusted.

“I think that had a bill gone to the governor’s desk providing for a special election, Blagojevich would have vetoed the bill, made his appointment and then there’d be a matter of a motion to override in the legislature. But the appointment would have been made,” Madigan (D-Chicago) said on WGN-AM 720.

That certainly sounds … convenient.  Let’s not pressure the Governor to keep his word — let’s let him off the hook entirely.  Is that what Madigan wants Illinoisians to believe that the Democratic leadership in the legislature strategized?  Under those circumstances, the legislature had even more incentive to act, if for no other reason but to distance themselves from Blagojevich and to make his perfidy even more clear.

Illinois Democrats have given a pretty clear demonstration of why they can’t be trusted with power.  Will Illinois Republicans organize effectively to give voters a real choice in 2010?