Sen. Burriss a Player in Health Care Reform

Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, to Obama's former Senate seat in January. Blagojevich had already been indicted for charges related to trying to "auction off" President Barack Obama's Senate seat, among other crimes. This relationship between the two cast a pall over Burriss.

Reluctantly, the Senate eventually accepted Burriss, who stated that he would not run for re-election in 2012, as well as that he did not try to raise money for Rod Blagojevich. Unfortunately, it later turned out that Burriss had lied, or at the very least, misstated that point, and that he unsuccessfully tried to raise money for Blagojevich.

Still, despite calls by some for Burriss to resign, he has refused. With his new statements that he would not support any bill without a public option, he has placed himself in the enviable position of a deal-breaker on health care reform.

The most recent bill to emerge from the Senate, the one from the Senate finance committee and back by Max Baucus, has no public option. Olympia Snowe broke with the GOP and voted for that bill.

With more than one bill in the Senate, it's unclear if the final bill will or will not have a public option. Many say that in order to keep insurance companies honest, a public option is necessary. The only bill, however, that fits Burriss' criteria, is the one from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.