Franken Picks Up 87 Votes; Frustration With Coleman Grows

The news keeps getting worse for Norm Coleman, with a counting of previously-rejected ballots on Tuesday only adding to his deficit and a growing number of Minnesota officials and even national Republicans warning against further legal appeals.

"I think it's time for him to give up this fight," prominent conservative, Ramesh Ponnuru wrote, rather succinctly, on the National Review's The Corner.

The former Senator moved from 225 votes to 312 votes behind Al Franken after a three-judge panel approved 351 ballots that had been erroneously rejected -- spurred by a Coleman lawsuit.

The state's lone acting Senator, Democrat Amy Klobuchar, has also begun to express her disappointment over the vacant seat. "I would love to know how Texas would like that," she said in response to NRSC chair (and Texas Senator) John Cornyn, who said Minnesota could go with one Senator for years.

clipped from: jerrythelibrarian.blogspot.com