On CNN last night some talking head or other described Norm Coleman as the "long-serving Senator from Minnesota." Coleman was elected in 2002—so he's served just a single six-year term. And it's looking more and more like that's going to be Norm's only term. Al Franken is now up by more than 200 votes after absentee ballots were counted today.

Franken's lead now stands at 225 votes after gaining 176 votes more than Coleman in Saturday's review of the formerly sealed absentee ballots. Franken started the day with a 49-vote advantage.

The 933 absentee ballots were among those rejected by poll workers but later found to be excluded in error. The campaigns eventually agreed they should be added to the recount.
Unless Coleman wins a pending court petition that seeks to add hundreds more ballots to the recount, the counting is done and the Canvassing Board can sign off on the result on Monday or Tuesday. The result cannot be certified for at least one more week under state law.

Way to go, Al.

Adding up eight years:

62, president's age.

2, number of children, twin daughters Jenna and Barbara.

2, the number of Supreme Court justices appointed by Bush.

2, number of wars started during the Bush presidency _ in Iraq and Afghanistan.

$1.47, the price of a gallon of regular gas in the week of Jan 22, 2001.

$4.11, the highest price for a gallon of regular gas during Bush's presidency, in the week of July 7, 2008.

$230 billion, the approximate size of the federal budget surplus for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2000.

$4.11, the highest price for a gallon of regular gas during Bush's presidency, in the week of July 7, 2008.

$230 billion, the approximate size of the federal budget surplus for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2000.

$454.8 billion, the size of the federal budget deficit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2008.

10,581.90, the Dow Jones industrial average at market opening on Jan. 22, 2001.

9,034.69, the Dow Jones industrial average at market closing on Jan. 2, 2009.

2,759.10, the opening of the NASDAQ composite index on Jan. 22, 2001.

1,632.21, the closing of the NASDAQ composite index on on Jan. 2, 2009.

And now for my favorite Bushism:

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defense spending bill.

Even more famous than Sarah Palin!

You guessed it.

In two weeks starts the trial that will most likely bring to an end many of her hopes and freedoms. Not from here to infinity, but from here to fifty.