BIDEN SWORN IN TODAY -- AS U.S. SENATOR!

Yet Delaware Governor Named His Replacement in November

Special to the Readers of Milwaukeeworld.com

By Michael Horne

And The Milwaukee World Hound Dog Team

Vice President Dick Cheney issued the oath of office to Joseph Biden, Jr. at the opening ceremonies of the 111th Congress today, Tuesday, January 6th, 2009.
"Wait!" you say, "isn't that jumping the gun?"
Cheney, you see, swore in Biden as a Senator, not as Vice President. Biden won reelection to the Senate in November, the same day he won election as Vice President.
Biden, a Democrat, is expected to resign his seat sometime later this month to join the presidential administration of former Senator Barack Obama where he will serve as Vice President, replacing Cheney at last.
But Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner named Biden's long time associate Ted Kaufman as his replacement in November, with the expectation he would take his seat "in early to mid-January."
Why he hasn't taken it today, is something I can't figure; there appears to be no controversy related to the appointment, and Biden's not doing him any favor by sticking around for another two weeks, seniority-wise. In fact, Biden issued a statement suporting the governor's decision in the day of the appointment. Michael Bennet, named as new senator in Colorado to replace Ken Salazar, was seated today.
So why is Biden sticking around for a lousy fortnight?

Perhaps Obama wants to have an inside guy in the Senate during these first organizational days.
I called Biden's Senate office to see what gives, and they had no immediate response to my inquiry.

Thirty-two senators, both newly elected, and returning ones like Biden, took their oaths at noon, eastern time in alphabetical order in groups of four.
Missing, along with Kaufman, were democrats Roland W. Burris, chosen by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to replace Obama, and Al Franken, who apparently won a narrow victory in Minnesota to replace Republican Senator Norm Coleman.
Burris showed up in Washington where he was rebuffed in his attempt to present his credentials. Burris made a brief statement in a press conference covered by CSPAN [link]. He was joined by his attorney, Timothy W. Wright III, who works with Burris in the Chicago office of the Milwaukee-based law firm Gonzalez, Saggio and Harlan. Wright said Burris was indeed the Junior Senator from the State of Illinois and that he and his client would continue with their efforts to convince the senate leadership of the same.