Roland Burris, We Hardly Knew Ye

He seems almost elf-like, this Blago-appointed senator from Illinois.  Teeny-tiny, when his towering attorney stands next to him at the microphones.  Small in stature and even smaller in commanding respect.  Like so many in Washington these days, Senator Burris is in over his head.  Less than one month into his senate tenure, Mr. Burris needs his tall lawyer because he failed to disclose conversations with and about ex-governor Rod Blagojevich when he testified before the Illinois House about his appointment by Blago to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Obama.  However, wiretaps don’t lie.  They can be difficult to decipher, but the parties are identifiable, and Mr. Burris testified that he had no contact with the former governor (now doing a game-show publicity tour).  Senator Burris filed some amendments to his testimony, and, well, it turns out he forgot to mention conversations with Blago’s brother, Blago’s chief of staff, and two of Blago’s advisers. This story further diminishes this small man.  Worse, he seems clueless, “I’ve always conducted myself with honor and integrity,” and  “If you report this correctly, there is no story.”  He added that if the House members wanted more information they should have asked using specific names.  Ah, the classic defense of those who withhold material information, “I didn’t tell you because you didn’t ask the right question.”

Senator Harry Reid had this powerful outrage, “Clearly, it would have been better if Senator Burris had provided this information when he first testified.”  Even the Chicago Tribune has called for his resignation, concluding that he has lost the right to the benefit of the doubt and that the state eneds to move past its ethical cloud.  This is not an ethical cloud. This is a Bermuda Triangle. With such a stunning lack of moral clarity in its leaders, Illinois may never find its way to its edges, let alone leave it. 

About mmjdiary

Professor Marianne Jennings is an emeritus professor of legal and ethical studies from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, retiring in 2011 after 35 years of teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics and the legal environment of business. During her tenure at ASU, she served as director of the Joan and David Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics from 1995-1999. In 2006, she was appointed faculty director for the W.P. Carey Executive MBA Program. She has done consulting work for businesses and professional groups including AICPA, Boeing, Dial Corporation, Edward Jones, Mattel, Motorola, CFA Institute, Southern California Edison, the Institute of Internal Auditors, AIMR, DuPont, AES, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Motorola, Hy-Vee Foods, IBM, Bell Helicopter, Amgen, Raytheon, and VIAD. The sixth edition of her textbook, Case Studies in Business Ethics, was published in February 2011. The ninth edition of her textbook, Business: lts Legal, Ethical and Global Environment was published in January 2011. The 23rd edition of her book, Business Law: Principles and Cases, will be published in January 2013. The tenth edition of her book, Real Estate Law, will also be published in January 2013. Her book, A Business Tale: A Story of Ethics, Choices, Success, and a Very Large Rabbit, a fable about business ethics, was chosen by Library Journal in 2004 as its business book of the year. A Business Tale was also a finalist for two other literary awards for 2004. In 2000 her book on corporate governance was published by the New York Times MBA Pocket Series. Her book on long-term success, Building a Business Through Good Times and Bad: Lessons from Fifteen Companies, Each With a Century of Dividends, was published in October 2002 and has been used by Booz, Allen, Hamilton for its work on business longevity. Her latest book, The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse was published by St. Martin’s Press in July 2006 and has been a finalist for two book awards. Her weekly columns are syndicated around the country, and her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Reader's Digest. A collection of her essays, Nobody Fixes Real Carrot Sticks Anymore, first published in 1994 is still being published. She has been a commentator on business issues on All Things Considered for National Public Radio. She has served on four boards of directors, including Arizona Public Service (1987-2000), Zealous Capital Corporation, and the Center for Children with Chronic Illness and Disability at the University of Minnesota. She was appointed to the board of advisors for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators in 2004 and served on the board of trustees for Think Arizona, a public policy think tank. She has appeared on CNBC, CBS This Morning, the Today Show, and CBS Evening News. In 2010 she was named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Business Ethics by Trust Across America. Her books have been translated into four different languages. She received the British Emerald award for authoring one of their top 50 articles in management publications, chosen from over 15,000 articles. Personal: Married since 1976 to Terry H. Jennings, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Deputy County Attorney; five children: Sarah, Sam, and John, and the late Claire and Hannah Jennings.
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