It’s not Michael Steele, it’s not Newt Gingrich, it’s not Rush LImbaugh, it’s Norm Kong-Coleman, the Republican running for Senate in one of the most tangled Minnesota election counts ever.

Mr. Coleman is running against the comedian and radio talk show host, Mr. Al Zilla-Franken… and well, here, you read…. from the Washington Post, keeping in mind, and kicking aside that Mr. Coleman lost a foray today–

—what makes Coleman the most powerful Republican perhaps in all of history, is that by his continuing legal challenges on the final vote count in Minnesota– ad infinitum– for another year minimum, say for instance all the way to the state Supreme Court…

—he alone amongst all the other chest-beating folks out there, whether Demmies or Repubbies, makes it so the Senate Dems cannot, read, write or do ‘rithmetic, that is, cannot, pass anything of deep value to themselves, without being filibustered into oblivion… for the Dems have been via Coleman’s appeals, for the last 5.5 months, deprived of the Dem’s 59th seat (assuming Franken’s lead holds) that would have prevented such Republican filibusters.

—Whilst many are busy with who is, or isnt, the leader of the Republican party, here’s Mr. Coleman, quietly taking on the power bigger than most action figures in fantasy or sci-fi.

—In other words, that he wins or not, doesnt matter any more in a larger poly-sci sense. That he keeps appealing the outcome of the final vote tally, that’s the real grabbing down of an empire.

— Look for Mr. Coleman to appeal and appeal until there is nothing and no one left to appeal to. He’s got far more power as an ‘requester’ and a clarifier, re-clarifier and re-re-reclarifier, than any person could ever have or be, even if seated in the Senate. Senate seat? Small potatoes compared to sitting in the catbird seat.

— Mr. Coleman literally has the ability to climb to the top of the opposition’s most shining building on the hill, and wave around whatever the Demmies find most precious, while one and two-seater cloth and coathanger aeroplanes fly by trying to pick him off…

–but, for a long while he has been and will likely continue to capture and hold the Demmies’ Fay Wray hostage. Without any easy capitulation.

Former Sen. Norm Coleman suffered a setback in his election challenge today. AP Photo by Jean Pieri.

A three-judge state panel convened to review an election contest brought by former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman (R) in his race against entertainer Al Franken (D) has dealt the Republican a serious setback in its ruling this afternoon.

The panel will allow the consideration of only 400 wrongly rejected absentee ballots to be reviewed and possibly counted — making it very difficult for Coleman to make up the 225-vote deficit he currently carries. (Here’s the full ruling.)

“We feel pretty good about where we stand,” said Marc Elias, a lawyer for Franken’s campaign, on a conference call conducted moments ago. “This court has spoken clearly about the legal standards are” for the inclusion of ballots.

Ben Ginsberg, the lead attorney for Coleman, referred to the ruling as an “April Fools Day” judgment (one day early) and stated that the decision “gives us no choice but to appeal that order to Minnesota Supreme Court.”

Ginsberg said it would be a “long shot” for Coleman to make up the necessary ground on Franken with just 400 ballots being included.

The ballots will be opened, sorted and potentially counted by the Minnesota Secretary of State on April 7. It remains unclear how many of the 400 votes will actually be counted. It’s also unknown whether Coleman will appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court, which is within his rights.