Franken on top in recount, but lawsuit looms

Minn. board certifies results showing Democrat winning Senate race

MINNEAPOLIS - A Minnesota board on Monday certified results showing Democrat Al Franken winning the state's U.S. Senate recount over Republican Norm Coleman, whose lawyer promised a legal challenge that probably will keep the race in limbo for months.

The Canvassing Board's declaration started a seven-day clock for Coleman, the incumbent, to file a lawsuit protesting the result. His attorney Tony Trimble said the challenge will be filed within 24 hours. The challenge will keep Franken from getting the election certificate he needs to take the seat in Washington.

"We had hoped that the canvassing board would refrain from reporting out with unanimity a recount total today. That did not happen," said Trimble during a conference call with reporters Monday.

Franken, a former "Saturday Night Live" personality, ended the recount up by 225 votes, an astonishingly thin margin in a race where more than 2.9 million votes were cast.

"After 62 days of careful and painstaking hand-inspection of nearly 3 million ballots, after hours and hours of hard work by election officials and volunteers around the state, I am proud to stand before you as the next senator from Minnesota," Franken said Monday in brief remarks to reporters outside his downtown condominium.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28495674/

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

{ Not that it matters I guess as he certainly won't be taking his seat in Washington any day soon. Coleman and the Republican Party will fight the decision in every way they can and if the roles were reversed Franken and the Democrats would do the same thing. The reasons are that if both Franken and Burris were sworn in, the Democrats' majority in the normally 100-member Senate would swell to 59 - their biggest margin in 30 years and just one short of the needed 60 votes to stop Republican procedural roadblocks.

This battle of numbers will decide if the Republicans are an effective opposition or a banished barking dog in the basement on a leash. Will it be government by royal declaration or a government of healthy debate?

Whomever has the power....uses it. The powerful generally do not pay much attention to differing voices or views. It seems to be human nature. Perhaps it is what we need at this particular time. A strong government pushing ahead with it's agenda with determination and conviction? On the other hand isn't that similar to what we have had for the last eight years.......and look where that got us.

"Checks and balances". The founding fathers were on to something there.

It doesn't always seem to work though. If Obama and the democrats can manage to get ultimate control over the machinery of government will they rule wisely? Will they listen to the opposition? Should they? Bush/Cheney never listened to anyone with a different view. Is it payback time? Can we actually expect the powerful to rule wisely? What do you think?}