Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has climbed down from his initial refusal to allow the seating of Roland Burris to succeed President-elect Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illionis.

Burris was appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich despite warnings and pleas from Democrats in that state and in Washington, D.C.  that he not name anybody, pending resolution of charges by U.S. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that he sought to sell the appointment for personal gain.