“My good friend Secretary of State White says that, uh, he certainly would sign the document,” Burris said, adding that the only reason White told him he would not sign it now was because the case was in court. “The suit that we filed may have to cause him to hold it up.” Inadvertently transposing “then” and “now,” Burris added, “He said if he knew now what he knew then he wouldn’t have done what he did.”
White spokesman Dave Druker confirmed White and Burris had “a cordial conversation” Wednesday but denied White is having second thoughts about his decision.
“I don’t want to contradict Mr. Burris,” Druker said. “But I think Secretary of State White feels very strongly that he did the right thing. I think he feels badly that his friend Roland Burris was [the one Blagojevich appointed] but Burris was never the issue. It was always the governor. He feels very strongly that this governor should not be appointing anybody. If the [Illinois] Supreme Court tells him to sign it, he will do it in a moment.”
If he does make it to the Senate, he has the annoying rhetoric of my good friend down. He’s got that going for him at least.