Former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris isn’t getting much love from President-elect Barack Obama or members of Congress these days, but scores of African-American clergy are lining up to support the controversial appointment of embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

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On Sunday, about 60 ministers were called together by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), who has been critical of his fellow Democrats in Congress for rejecting Burris. Calling the lily-White U.S. Senate the “last bastion of plantation politics,” Rush has praised the credentials of Burris, an African American, and he has made it clear that he believes that only a Black man should fill Obama’s seat.   If Burris’ appointment stands, he will be the only Black in the Senate.

“There have been three Black senators in 150 or so years," Rush told Laura Washington of the Chicago Tribune. "The racial deck in America has been stacked against us." 

Truth is, neither Obama nor Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has actually criticized Burris. In fact, they have lauded him as highly qualified. But they have been highly critical of the process that landed him in the Senate. Blagojevich, who is being investigated for allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat, automatically casts a shadow on anyone he names, they say.