Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich introduced today former state Atty. Gen. Roland Burris as his appointee to Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. About an hour before the introductory press conference, Senate Democrats isssued a statement threatening to not seat the governor's selection, no matter who it is, though Blagojevich maintained that Burris would and should be seated.

"I'm absolutely confident and certain that the United States Senate is going to seat a man of Roland Burris's unquestioned integrity, extensive experience and his long history of public service," Blagojevich said. "This is about Roland Burris as a United States Senator, not about the governor who makes the appointment."

Senate Democratic leaders said the opposite in the released statement explaining their stance: "But this is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat."

Blagojevich stated that he would have supported a bill by the Legislature to hold a special election to fill the seat, but in absence of that he was required by law to appoint someone. "To not fill the vacancy would be to deprive the people of Illinois two United States Senators, to deprive the people of Illinois of their appropriate voice and votes in the United States Senate," the governor said.

The press conference took an unexpected turn when Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) stepped to the microphone in support of Blagojevich's choice of Burris to fill Obama's seat. Rush all but dared the Senate to not seat Burris, who is black.

"This is a matter of national importance," Rush said. "There are no African Americans in the Senate, and I don't think anyone -- any U.S. Senator -- who's sitting in the Senate right now want to go on record to deny one African American from being seated in the U.S. Senate. I don't think they want to go on record doing that."