New Senate, House members sworn in
The controversies surrounding Illinois' Roland Burris and Minnesota's Al Franken provide an extra measure of drama. Some familiar faces are missing as the 111th Congress begins work.
Reporting from Washington — New members of the House and Senate were sworn in to open the 111th Congress today, but most of the drama revolved around seats left unfilled.
Roland Burris -- who says he is the lawfully appointed replacement for President-elect Barack Obama -- showed up at the Capitol but was turned away by Senate officials because his paperwork was incomplete.
The Illinois secretary of state had not signed the certificate of appointment for Burris, whom embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich named to the seat. The certificate is a Senate requirement for admittance.
Another Democrat waiting to take his place in the chamber, Al Franken of Minnesota, did not even come to Washington to claim his seat.
The Minnesota state canvassing board on Monday certified Franken's 225-vote victory over Republican Norm Coleman following an extended recount. But Coleman is challenging the results, and Senate leaders had said they would not seat Franken today.
Inside the chamber, Hillary Rodham Clinton -- who has yet to resign her seat in advance of taking as secretary of State -- was sworn in. So was Vice President-elect Joe Biden. He took the oath of office for his seventh term as a senator from Delaware, but will resign soon and be replaced by his longtime aide, Ted Kaufman.
Others who returned to the Senate today were Republican presidential candidate John McCain of Arizona and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who earned the wrath of Democrats for his support of McCain.
Traditionally, those being sworn in are escorted to the presiding officer's desk by sitting and former senators. Sen. Richard J. Durbin, the assistant majority leader, currently is the only senator from Illinois.(Now that Obama is moving to the White House.) So he was presented by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the chamber's liberal leader who is suffering from brain cancer.
Kennedy's niece, Caroline Kennedy, is a leading contender to fill Clinton's Senate seat.
The Massachusetts senator's presence was a reminder that the chamber is going through profound generational turnover. While stalwarts such as Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) remain, longtime Republican veterans such as Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, Fred Thompson of Tennessee, Virginia's John W. Warner and Alaska's Ted Stevens have departed.
Democrats will hold a commanding majority in the Senate once the seats in Illinois, Minnesota and New York are settled -- potentially controlling 59 of the chamber's 100 seats.
In contrast to the formality of the Senate's opening ceremony, the House floor teemed with activity: Lawmakers greeted one another with hugs, and children and grandchildren joined them for the festivities.
Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-El Monte), Obama's choice for Labor secretary, sat on the aisle receiving a steady stream of well-wishers. Sitting in the front row was Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.). It was a place of honor for the longest-serving member of the House, who last month was deposed as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills).
joliphant@tribune.com
Janet Hook of our Washington bureau contributed to this report
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