Perspective

Today Norm Coleman announced that he would contest Al Franken's apparent victory in their Senate contest, taking the matter to court. Coleman's announcement, which had been expected given the fighting words of his attorneys over the last few weeks, does not seem to gibe well with his words on election night. That night, despite holding a tiny lead -- incidentally, of fewer votes than the 225 votes Franken apparently won by at the end of the recount -- Coleman called on Franken to concede defeat.

Perspective is a funny thing, isn't it?

That being said, I understand Coleman's feelings today. While I have said in the past, and continue to believe that Coleman has had a charmed political life -- he would have lost in 2002 had Paul Wellstone not died days before the election, and had Dean Barkley not run a third party challenge this year, the race with Franken likely would not even had been close -- losing a race by less than one-hundredth of one percent is a tough pill to swallow. To prepare your whole life and all of your professional actions to one day serve in Congress, and run a campaign day and night for two years, only to lose by a couple hundred votes out of three million is likely an awful experience. For that reason, I can't fault Coleman for having a hard time letting go and I won't criticize him too much.