Biden's right at home, Burris gets denied

In his final trip as a senator, Biden is going to Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan “to get a sort of baseline…It is very important that we have a sort of an independent baseline as to where things stand. There are an awful lot of reports that are being filed by [Gen. David] Petraeus and the State Department and the White House — and I am anxious to see them, as is the president-elect — but I also wanted to see first hand and to start off with a baseline.”

Biden seemed to love the familiar crush of reporters, swarming around him and tripping all over each other as they edged, rugby-style, down the hall.

Burris gets mobbed
Not so comfortable was Burris as he entered the Capitol mobbed by television camera crews and still photographers furiously backpedaling.

Looking frail and wary, Burris cowered inside a protective cordon of his lawyers and aides as they pushed back the shoving crews and reporters.

“Members of the media, my name is Roland Burris, junior senator from the state of Illinois,” Burris said later at his outdoor press conference. “I presented my credentials to the secretary of the Senate and was advised that my credentials were not in order.”

He added, “I am not seeking to have any type of confrontation. I will now consult with my attorneys and we will determine what our next step will be.”

Burris attorney Timothy Wright told reporters the options included filing a suit in federal district court in Washington and to continue negotiating with Senate leaders “to perhaps get them to reverse themselves.”

Wright and his fellow attorneys referred to Burris as “Sen. Burris” and “the senator.”

Fred Thompson returns
Meanwhile in the Senate chamber, the familiar ritual seen every two years played itself out as a packed gallery filled with family members and supporters looked down on the scene.

The president-elect wasn’t there, of course, but plenty of former presidential contenders and former senators were: ex-senators Howard Baker and Fred Thompson of Tennessee, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

Video   Burris barred Senate Jan. 6: Attorneys  for Roland Burris, Kurt Schmoke and Tim Wright discuss the controversy surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s selection to replace Barack Obama in the Senate. Hardball

Thompson, who had a short stint as a GOP presidential contender last year, walked over to Sen. John McCain’s desk and gave him a huge hug.

Lingering at the back of the chamber was former Majority Leader Tom Daschle — soon to be Obama’s secretary of Health and Human Services. He was there to see his friend Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., sworn in.

Fellow senators ribbed Biden, as he waited to take his oath, about the super-sized family Bible he had brought with him.

But by far the most starry-eyed of the freshman was Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.

“It’s an incredible life opportunity to join this group in the Senate. I was here as an intern when I was 19 for Sen. (Mark) Hatfield (in 1976). To be back in the chamber now filling his seat, it’s an incredible feeling, a journey I never expected to be able to take.”

Lobbyists on hand
Circulating near Merkley were lobbyists Steve Elmendorf — a reliable Capitol fixture on almost any given day — and former Senate Majority Leader, now lobbyist, Trent Lott.

Lott said he has dropped by to witness the swearing-in of a new House member, Gregg Harper, a Mississippi friend of his.

Lott showed off his custom-made tie to reporters — a design featuring rows and rows of Capitol domes and a “Lott-Breaux” label on the reverse side. Former Louisiana Democratic senator John Breaux is Lott's partner in their lobbying firm.

But Lott joked that he couldn’t give any ties to reporters or members of the Senate, due to ethics rules. “No gifts. Nothing!”

Lott, who started his career as a House member in 1973, said “You never forget that first swearing in and all the children on the floor of the House. I remember when I went to raise my hand to be sworn in, he was hanging on my arm and I could barely get my arm raised. He was causing trouble, as he is to this day.”

The “he” Lott referred to was his son, Chet, standing next to him. Chet, a clinging infant in 1973, is today, like his dad, a lobbyist.

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