Probably gonna be a Senator Smalley

Well it's almost over, with the counting of about 5,000 ballots left, Norm Coleman is now behind by 52 votes and the Star Tribune is predicting that Al Franken will be Minnesota's next Senator by a margin of 89 votes.(Eat it Nate Silver) So Al will be able to declare victory and start pimp strutting around St. Paul any day now, right? No, this thing will drag on into 2009, possibly 2014, while more challenges continue.

With Republican incumbent Norm Coleman's lead shrinking to just two votes, the state board examining disputed ballots in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race is close to wrapping up its decisions on challenges.

However a key court ruling has practically guaranteed that the recount will drag into the new year.
...
But the final outcome of the recount will also depend on some 5,000 withdrawn challenges that have not yet been allocated to the candidates. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said those wouldn't be allocated until next week at the earliest.

So the road goes ever on. Frankly at this point I think Norm will concede for a quick $75,000 funneled into his wife's account. The man doesn't have time to focus on a recount, he has to concentrate on a trial now.

Probable congrats to Senator Franken, Democrats now will control 59 seats.