You’ve got to admire the chutzpah and pure political chessmanship of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s appointing Roland Burris to Barack Obama’s senate seat. He puts the entire United States Senate to a test of good citizenship.

First, full disclosure: Though we never had a close personal relationship, I have been a friend and frequent ally of Burris since the mid-1960s when we first worked together on civil rights and independent political campaigns.

Nevertheless, he would not be on my short list for the seat. My first choice was Jesse Jackson Jr.—whom I have known since he was in utero.

I condemned Blago for being the only member of the Illinois Democratic delegation to vote for Bush’s war in Iraq, but voted for him for governor in 2002 against a far-right Republican who helped railroad the innocent Rolando Cruz halfway to the execution chamber. (I was recently reminded that as attorney general Burris promoted that execution as well.)

I gave up on Blago completely when I realized the extent of his relationship to the odious Tony Rezko, long before the latter’s indictment.

Having said that, here’s what the appointment does for Blago:

It puts a well-credentialed African American with no hint of financial misdoings in the seat, making Burris the senate’s only black and building Blago’s street cred in a major constituency.

It’s clear the seat was not “purchased,” because all the money Burris donated through the years is mere chump change to the governor. The procedure was legal and constitutional, despite the miasmic stench surrounding the appointer.

It further helps Blago in the jury pool. There’s bound to be a few African Americans in his jury wherever he is tried—and jury nullification becomes a possibility.

Let’s please remember Blago has neither been impeached nor indicted as yet. Pat Fitzgerald recently asked for three more months to prepare an indictment, while the impeachment committee bumbles along with no clear idea how to define an impeachable offense. The General Assembly is a collective lunkhead, but the real problem is vague constitutional language. (That’s one reason I favored a constitutional convention.)

There is, however, current talk of a quickie impeachment to cover their backsides.

Some of our most outspoken civil libertarians, outraged at the indecency of this governor, are quick to overlook something called “presumption of innocence.”

The U.S. Senate seems of the same mind: forget indictment, trial and sentencing. Go straight to summary execution without passing “go.” (Personally I wouldn’t care if they sent Blago directly to Abu Grahib, but in the words of Richard Nixon, “That would be wrong.”)

What we have against the man is a host of serious, credible allegations—made by very serious alligators. Nevertheless, in this country every slimeball—even with bad hair—gets his or her day in court.

Are you listening, Harry Reid?

So how can the senate in its wisdom deny Burris the seat?

Let’s forget race—which remains more than a subliminal issue.

Burris is a buttoned-down, vest-wearing—many think boring—negatively charismatic individual.

Three terms as comptroller? Most people don’t even know how to pronounce the word.

On the other hand, on almost all the issues—Rolando Cruz excepted—I’ve found him consistently on the progressive side. If seated, his voting record would likely match Obama’s or Dick Durbin’s. Think about that, Sen. Reid, before you deny him a seat or stall him out, waiting for Blago to be removed from office months from now.

Why would Burris want the job under these circumstances?

He always wanted to be a senator and this is an easy route. His ravenous ambition is matched only by what many perceive to be a gargantuan ego. But of course none of the other 99 senators exhibit those characteristics, do they?

If seated, his vote will be sought as vigorously and count the same as any other, though there will always be that Blago-shaped cloud over his head, reminding us how he got there. But it will all be worth it to him, having fulfilled a life-long dream.

I expect he would run for a full term in 2010 and I expect he would lose the primary election. But that’s off in the future and we’re dealing with the here and now.

So the United States Senate must now construct a monstrous case of guilt by association. Association with an unindicted, unimpeached (at the moment), “presumed innocent” governor—granted that he’s about as popular as Ahmadinejad in Tel Aviv.

It may not be a lynching, as Bobby Rush charges—but it sure is un-American.

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Don Rose is a regular columnist for the Chicago Daily Observer