Senate Democrats Yield to Obama, Retreat on Burris

Finally, the Senate would almost certainly vote on whether to seat Burris, Reid said.

Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris leaves Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, after he was turned away when he appeared to take his seat. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

(AP)

The process still could take several weeks, Senate officials predicted.

Not everyone was encouraged by the situation.

White, the Illinois secretary of state, compared Reid's actions to "strapping me in a wheelchair and pushing (me) down four flights of stairs."

"I have skid marks," White told The Chicago Tribune.

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