Is it more difficult to believe that arrested/impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich had the arrogance to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy that he is charged with trying to "sell" or that members of the U.S. Senate could not find a way under the Constitution and accepted administrative procedures to reject this tainted appointment?

Yes, we said "tainted" - an appropriate description for just about anything the governor does at this point, but particularly when his actions are directly related to the allegations that led to his arrest in December.

We can't answer the question we posed - other than to note that, at this point, almost nothing Blagojevich does surprises us anymore.

Give Secretary of State Jesse White credit for sticking to his guns and refusing to sign the appointment papers, even though it was not enough to block the appointment of Roland Burris by Blagojevich.

At least White didn't waffle like Sen. Dick Durbin, who said a month ago, "No appointment by this governor under these circumstances, could produce a credible replacement."

But Durbin and other Senate Democrats yielded to political expediency and a desire to put the Burris matter behind them before the inauguration, rather than enter a prolonged legal battle. It just shows how Blagojevich's ripple effect is creating waves at the national level, too.

Burris testified before the Illinois House impeachment committee that "there was nothing ¦ legal, personal or political exchanged for my appointment to this seat."

Indeed, there is no indication in the transcripts of FBI wiretaps released thus far that Burris was part of any quid pro quo negotiations for the appointment before Blagojevich's arrest.

Burris has a clean, though not exciting, record as a public servant in Illinois, having served as comptroller from 1979 to 1992 and as attorney general from 1991 to 1995.

His appointment might be considered a reasonable choice if it had been made by anyone else or under different circumstances - but it wasn't.

Burris has done little to distance himself from the governor, refusing to call for his resignation and repeating that "you're innocent in this legal system until you're proven guilty" - even though Blagojevich's presumed innocence in the criminal case is a separate matter from his ability to function as governor without further harming Illinois.

However, Burris is probably right when he says his calling for Blagojevich to resign "would have no effect."

Calls for Blagojevich to step down or step aside from the president-elect, lieutenant governor, Illinois attorney general, comptroller, treasurer and secretary of state - among others - have had no effect, either.

For the sake of Illinoisans already suffering from a dysfunctional governor, we hope Burris will perform his duties well as the state's junior senator until Illinois voters can make their own choice in November 2010.