University of Minnesota professor Lawrence Jacobs, quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, on whether Norm Coleman's continued, extreme longshot legal challenges might damage his political future:
"The longer he stays in and fights, it diminishes his chances of running for governor, which seems like a real possibility," Jacobs said. "In some people's eyes there's just irritation that this has gone on. That's not necessarily fair. Norm Coleman's decision to enter the [trial] is entirely legitimate and appropriate."
Entirely legitimate? I agree that candidates generally have the right to exhaust their legal options in a recount. But Coleman is the guy who insisted that Minnesotans needed finality last November. Now it's March, and he thinks we've got all the time in the world. Watch Coleman on November 5, putting his hand over his heart and insisting that if he were behind, he would stepaside in order to let the crucial healing process begin:
--Jonathan Chait