Al is in, but not the Al I want, yet

As expected, Al Franken, the political satirist and soon-to-be-ex Air America radio host, is going to challenge Norm Coleman, the incumbent Minnesota Republican Senator, for his seat in 2008.

If Franken wins, and I hope and expect he will, it will simply be fate playing out as it should have anyway.

Coleman was elected in 2002 for three reasons: 1. Because Karl Rove, Bush's Rasputin, urged him to run against the late Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone, 2. He won because Wellstone died in an October 2002 plane crash, and 3. Republicans politicized the Wellstone funeral, including the usual Fox News political pundits. Once the funeral was over, the Democrats ran Walter Mondale, who didn't have a hope against Norm Coleman and the Bush political machine, which was still a pretty potent force in 2002.

What I really like about Franken is his wit, and his intelligence. Republicans, and most notably Coleman, had best not underestimate him, because Franken will be prepared, funded and ready to fight.

As much as I can't wait to see Franken run, the Al I really want to enter the race is Al Gore. There's still time, Al, but more on him in a bit.