Burris to 2010 or $50 Million to Play Progressive? -Burris.

I like Lisa Madigan. The Illinois Attorney General is smart, well-spoken, good-humored and a tough as nails.

But, I like her Sphinx of a Father, Speaker Mike Madigan - the only adult and the only public servant in the long battle with Emil (ComEd & Anyone Else) Jones and Rod (It's Golden) Blagojevich.

Jones and Blagojevich fought each other to the trough at every opportunity. Speaker Madigan quietly took steps to save Illinois millions of dollars.

Today, Madigan's Spokesman Steve Brown offers the best reason to leave Roland Burris where he is in the U.S. Senate. The ineffective instrument of Blagojevich's punishment of the citizens of Illinois, Burris allowed his vanity to sell off what, if any, dignity he had left. Every person, every voter in Illinois gets Burris. We also get the voices for Special Election.

Jan Schakowsky wants the Senate probably more than Burris and would prove as thigh tinglingly inspirational.

SEIU wants . . .the end of the American middle class.

Hogs at the trough want greater snout room.

Special Election in Illinois will let those dreams come true.

Lisa Madigan is an astute lawyer under political pressure. Mike Madigan is a public servant. Mike Madigan has it right.

Steve Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), raised concerns about a special election's price tag but had not seen the attorney general's opinion.

"I don't know the opinion paves the way for anything," said Brown, whose boss is the attorney general's father. "You have an appointment process in place for 130 years, and no one has really complained about it. The reality is it's $50 million. Does anyone suggest where we find that money? That's really the critical question.

Yep, we can live with Burris.