Illinois Governor Blagojevich to Fill Obama's Senate Seat Today with the Appointment of Roland Burris

According to Monica Davey, in a story filed at 12:30pm ET in the New York Times: "Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois will name Roland Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, at a 3p.m. ET press conference in Chicago, to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the United States Senate, someone with knowledge of the governor’s plans confirmed on Tuesday." Details on Mr Burris, a 71 year old Democrat, describe him as "a longtime political player in this state, who has run for governor before, including mounting a primary challenge against Mr. Blagojevich. Mr. Obama backed him over Mr. Blagojevich in that race." The appointment of Mr Burris was not expected by the Chicago Tribune or the Chicago Sun Times and certainly stirs the pot for plenty of local and national media attention. The New York Times further reports: "Mr. Blagojevich, who faces federal corruption charges including allegations that he tried to sell Mr. Obama’s former senate seat for a high-paying job or money, had not been expected to try to fill the seat. As recently as ten days ago, his lawyer, Edward Genson, said he would not attempt to make an appointment, since Senate leaders had indicated they would not accept anyone whom the beleaguered Mr. Blagojevich had appointed."