"They Didn't Ask Me"

This is the novel excuse Sen. Roland Burris offered for conveniently forgetting to tell anyone that he had been hit up for campaign donations for former Gov. Blago:

They never asked.

That appears to be Sen. Roland Burris' rationale for omitting key details last month about conversations he had with aides to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich that preceded his surprise appointment to the U.S. Senate.

State Republicans are calling for Burris to step down in light of revelations that he amended his testimony to the Illinois impeachment committee that weighed whether to oust Blagojevich.

Burris, who had been appointed by the governor in the waning days of his term to fill the seat vacated by President Obama, was a star witness in the probe into alleged pay-to-play activities.

The senator filed an affidavit with the panel on Feb. 5 noting that Blagojevich's brother, Rob Blagojevich, solicited him for donations to the governor's campaign before he was appointed, a point Burris never mentioned during his Jan. 8 testimony.

But does the omission amount to perjury?

It may not be perjury, but it definitely was intentional. Burris knew if he told that part of the story the Senate leadership probably would have refused to seat him. He's trying to play games, but the real loser will be his re-election chances in 2010. I doubt if his own party will support him, let along anyone else in Illinois.