Obama rejects Senate replacement

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, controversially charged with attempting to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder, has now picked the man he believes should take the seat - Roland Burris (pictured), Illinois's former attorney general. But the President-elect is urging Democratic senators to reject Blogojevich's choice - and has called on Blagojevich himself to resign.

Blagojevich continues to rejected calls for his resignation, denying any wrongdoing despite court-authorised wiretaps by the FBI of conversations in which he is alleged to have tried to sell Obama's seat. In one conversation, taped on the eve of the presidential election in November, Blagojevich apparently told one of Obama's advisors that a seat in the Senate was "a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing".

Burris, 71, was the first African-American to be elected to statewide office in Illinois when he won the 1978 election to be state comptroller, a job he held for three terms. In 1991 he became state attorney general for one term.

Although he was reasonably popular and uncontroversial in these jobs, he has failed in very attempt to be elected to the Senate, as Governor and as Chicago mayor.

Obama has said he has nothing against Roland Burris - he is "a good man and a fine public servant" - but has made it clear that no Democrat should accept an appointment made by Blagojevich.

FIRST POSTED DECEMBER 31, 2008