8:55 AM ... I awake to the news that Sen. Coleman is declaring victory in Minnesota with an eight hundred or so vote margin. Franken is not conceding, though. If that's how this turns out that's a severe bummer. Franken would be such a great person to have in the senate and Coleman is just such an execrable figure. The only faint silver lining to a Coleman victory would be for him to have to face certain unfolding legal difficulties while still in the public spotlight. We'll have to see how this one turns out.