Senate Republicans to Norm Coleman: Drop Dead

For all their Gandalf-versus-the-Balrog declarations that former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) “will resume his seat,” Senate Republicans have all but admitted that Al Franken will be joining the Senate soon. From CQ Politics:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have reached a tentative agreement that would give Democrats a three-seat advantage on most committees during the 111th Congress. [...]

The major sticking point of the lengthy and sometimes difficult ratio negotiations — whether to count the still-unresolved Minnesota Senate election as a Democratic pickup — appears to have been resolved in Democrats’ favor.

[Sen. Debbie] Stabenow (D-Mich.) said the ratios she disclosed Tuesday assume Democrats will enjoy an effective 59-41 edge in the Senate as a whole, a margin the party would achieve only if they win Minnesota.

Would the Republicans have folded if they thought Coleman was going to win?

Of course not.