It's been 225 days since the November 4th election, when Minnesotans first went to the polls to select their representative in the United States Senate.  It's been another 165 days since January 3rd rolled around, when all of the other 2008 winners were sworn into office.  But still, almost six months into the new year, residents of the Land of 10,000 Lakes await the seating of their second Senator.  Despite setback after setback and an all-but-closed window of opportunity for victory, former Republican Senator Norm Coleman presses on in a Quixotic quest to keep his Democratic challenger, former commedian Al Franken, from taking his seat in the US Senate.

It's becoming challenging to find any credible source that'd still willing to go on record saying that Coleman has any shot at victory.  After the Board of Elections called the contest for Franken, Coleman took his fight to the courts for an extremely elongated, but so far highly unsuccessful litigation process.  Coleman lost at the trial level in state court, but appealed to the appellate court, where he once again was defeated.  He then took his fight to the Minnesota Supreme Court.  Coleman's lawyers have pledged to take their case all the way to the US Supreme Court, no matter how much time or money it takes.

In the meantime, the national GOP has been pouring money into Coleman's legal coffers, and its easy to see why: every day that Republicans can keep Al Franken out of the Senate is another day that Republicans can deny Democrats the 60 votes needed to push key legislation unfettered through the Senate.  That became especially important when Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter switched parties, giving Democrats 59 total votes.  With Franken, a Democratic coalition could tackle major initiatives for the new Obama White House, from health care reform to other broad, sweeping plans for the economy and infrastructure that have become the subject of viscious partisan battles in recent years.

What's intriguing is that for a brief moment during the recount process when Coleman was still ahead, the beleagured Senator publicly urged Franken not to burden the voters of Minnesota with a lengthy recount process.  And yet, here we are, nearly six months later, with nothing but a continued fight to show for the vat amount of time and money spent on this contest.  What's evenmore interesting is that when the Coleman-Franken showdown is compared to another famous recount process- the Bush-Gore melee of 2000- it was Republicans who were publicly condemning  Democrat Al Gore's efforts to have the courts weigh in on his election to the presidency.

The process has been frought with hypocrisy from the beginning, but perhaps more dishearteningly, the people of Minnesota have become ensnared in a political wrestling match, with Republicans unwilling to release them as long as they can take advantage of the situation in a partisan stalling tactic.

Franken's inevitable seating in the Senate is rapidly approaching, though it seems it has been for quite ime.  Analysts began declaring Coleman's hopes to be dead as early as February.  But either Coleman hasn't gotten the news, or the GOP has- and it just doesn't care.

by the citizens of Minnesota against Coleman for denying/obstructing/etc. their representation and most of all being a pathetic loser. Bankrupt this morally bankrupt guy and tell him to sit down and shut up.

pretty much everyone agrees with that. And the people of MN, who missed having a second senator for a little while, will survive, and all will be well in the world. Some people seem to live and die by the daily updates on this situation, but IMO 6 months w/o one senator is not worthy of such incredible angst.

This delay is bad for Minnesota, bad for democracy, bad for the Democrats' agenda in the Senate, bad for the Republicans' already rotten reputation, bad for Al Franken's digestion and bad for Norm Coleman's future in politics. There's only one person this whole mess is good news for.

John McCain.

Let's see were into our third week after oral arguments. Coleman presented an entirely speculative case with no evidence to back up his charges and the MNSC sits scratching its head. What's the hold up?

Perhaps a partisan is acting out on the court. You know, the handy dandy Pawlenty chosen Coleman supporter who perhaps sees merit in such a case due to the fact that Coleman is a Republican and so is he.

We'll just have to wait and see.

It's damn frustrating, however, and a real insult to Franken, I might add.

Whether anybody does or doesn't have a shot at victory simply has absolutely nothing to do with whether he is or isn't RIGHT!
Could we possibly have somebody talking about whether there is or isn't a chance that anybody whose absentee ballot was rejected should have, ethically speaking, had it accepted instead??

"Coleman lost at the trial level in state court, but appealed to the appellate court, where he once again was defeated. He then took his fight to the Minnesota Supreme Court."

Wrong! Coleman filed an election contest that was tried by a three-judge panel. By a unanimous judgment, he lost at this initial level, whereupon he "took his fight to the Minnesota Supreme Court."

There was no intermediate appeal to an appellate court in this case. Pursuant to Minnesota statutes, decisions of an election contest court are appealable as a matter of right directly to the state supreme court.

god you're an asshole

YES Gore's selective recount shenanigans were in bad faith and shameful... But what happened in the 2000 presidential election had the effect of redefining the game of close elections, turning it into farcical charade of courts and lawyers. Democrats are reaping what they sowed.

but Norm Coleman is interfering with the process and the other Republicans are helping him.

Wasn't it the Dems in 2000 saying "Every vote must be counted"?

I'm not sure where the greatest hypocracy lies since the Dems have actively tried to supress the absentee ballots with "technical" issues.

Back in 2000, it was "We must try to determine the intent of the voter, even if the ballot is filled out incorrectly".

Now it's "throw out the ballots because they were filled out incorrectly".

It's all a bunch of B.S. anyway. Our freedom is going down the toilet either way - as is our currency, our economy, and any respect we had in the world.

....was rejected, for cause: not received within the proper time frame, no registration, etc.

You seem to conveniently forget that these ballots have been gone over and over and over again by canvassing boards and the courts.

Your candidate had ample time and opportunity to prove his case. And didn't bother to.