Staff hires for eventual Senate office for Franken

TPM:

Al Franken has made a bold move to seize the mantle of victory in his disputed Senate race, with his campaign announcing a staff hire for his eventual Senate office.

Franken has hired Alana Petersen, who has worked for the past five years for Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), to be his state director. Franken said in a statement:

"I want Minnesotans to be able to rely on me for assistance with the federal government. Whether it's a Social Security check, a small business loan, or help for a returning veteran, my office will be there for the people of our state, following the examples set by Sen. Klobuchar, our fine Congressional delegation, and those who came before us. That's the Minnesota way, and nobody is better at it than Alana. Drawing on her wealth of experience and her ability to reach out to every constituency in Minnesota, when I have the privilege of being certified, she'll work with me to ensure that we hit the ground running on Day One."

Bad news for Norm. Paper ask Norm to bail. This time, it's the Bemidji Pioneer:

Sen. Coleman's appeals were necessary and a legal part of the process. But at some point, incessant appeals serve no more than to obstruct the process than to guarantee justice. It's not unlike the Death Row inmate who exhausts all his appeals, taking years, and reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. And how many cases does the high court acquit?...The public perception at this point appears not to be one of letting Sen. Coleman fully seek redress of his legal grievances, but rather one of obstructing the Democrat-controlled Senate to prevent it from reaching that magic number of 60 votes. Adding Mr. Franken would mean 59 Democrat votes in the Senate. To continue to obstruct doesn't bode well for Minnesota, nor for Sen. Coleman's career, should he continue in politics.

Similar calls have come from at least two other papers that endorsed Coleman in 2008: The Albert Lea Tribune and the Worthington Daily Globe.