A handful of incumbents who lost Congressional races last fall have yet to land full-time jobs. Chris Shays is weighing job prospects, Nick Lampson is looking to start a nonprofit, and Thelma Drake is "just slowing it down" for a while.
Navy Admiral Studies Prison Conditions at U.S. Detention Facility
ABC News' Luis Martinez reports: The U.S. Navy's number two admiral said Monday that the detention facility at Guantanamo meets the standards of humane treatment, but additional steps are needed to increase "socialization" of the men imprisoned there. In a...
Burris: Even the elevators are against him
by James Oliphant and Mike Dorning
Poor Roland Burris.
The guy just can't buy a break right now.
The embattled senator just emerged from his hour-long meeting with Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate Majority Whip and the senior senator from Burris' state of Illinois. Durbin wanted to hear Burris' explanation of his ties to disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich for himself.
At the end of the session, Burris tried to sneak out through the side door in Durbin's third-floor office in the Capitol. Unfortunately for him, Chicago reporters who have covered Durbin know about the door, which leads almost directly to an elevator.
The meant that when a young aide emerged from Durbin's office and hit the "down" button, some in the press corps staking out the meeting knew what was up. Burris emerged and was quickly cornered by a handful of reporters in front of the elevator.
Burris said he had a "good discussion" with Durbin, but would not elaborate.
Then for a few long moments, he stood there, alone, and said nothing, perhaps setting some kind of record for the longest a senator has ever stood in the Capitol without saying anything.
Burris looked plaintively at the indicator light above the golden elevator doors. The car was still two floors below. You could almost hear him crying "Come on!"
More questions. He finally said he was "under orders" not to talk about the meeting.
"Under orders from who, sir?" someone asked.
"My lawyer," Burris said.
"Under orders not to talk about whether you will run in 2010?"
The elevator doors parted, but Burris' exit path was blocked. A Capitol worker was hauling a palette of debris. The junior senator finally jumped inside, maneuvering his body past the cart and the worker. The young aide slid inside as well, off to (relative) safety.
No word on whether the worker believes Burris should resign. Or the page operating the elevator.
(An aside to aspiring press aides: First, you hit the button to call the elevator, then you wait for the car to come and the doors to open before you have your politician emerge.)
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