It now seems clear that we won’t know the outcome of the Minnesota Senate race until next year, but Senator Norm Coleman has come forward with some observations which seem downright fatalistic.

“I feel fairly confident. In the end, the good Lord’s going to decide,” Coleman told the local Fox affiliate. “The numbers look good to us. Certainly there’s uncertainty. I’m not worried about it. I’ve done everything I can do. I’m not really agonizing about the outcome.”

Coleman went on: “Life goes on, regardless of what your job is. I certainly love what I do. If I can keep doing it, I’ll be thrilled, and if not, I’m sure we’ll do something else.”

While the big story of 2008 for political historians will doubtless be the historic election of Barack Obama, for me the real tremors in the Earth will likely remain the various stories in the Senate. In New York we’re looking more and more like we’ll be replacing a carpetbagger who had no resume with an heiress holding an equally empty list of credentials. Alaskans marched off to the polls and very nearly sent a man back to the upper chamber who had just been convicted of multiple felonies. We watched a race in North Carolina which devolved into a mud-slinging war over who loved Jesus more. But in my mind’s eye, perhaps no race will define this year more than the Minneapolis Massacre.

Let me first cut some of you off at the pass and assure you that I understand the electoral process in our country. Anyone who meets the baseline constitutional and legal requirements can run for public office and only the voters can decide who is truly “qualified” for those positions. If we come up with a clean count and the former Saturday Night Live comic manages to hold on to his roughly two score lead in the vote tally next month, then he is the winner and is entitled to the seat. But that doesn’t stop me from scratching my head and asking, “Really? Senator Al Franken? I mean… really?”

Such a comical (to some) and frequently foul mouthed figure, an author of books full of unveiled insults, raw invective and blatant partisan hyperbole, may now be strolling the halls of the United States Senate. He would be the one taking the floor and speaking on behalf of millions of citizens on the issues of the day and casting 1% of the votes on legislation which will shape the legislative soul of the nation. Again, if that is what the voters of Minnesota decide, then it is the “right” thing to do, but… really? Senator Al Franken?

Perhaps I’ve just grown too old, or possibly I’m clinging to false memories or Hollywood depictions of a better day which never really existed. But I tend to think of Congress as a place where Roberts Rules of Order, dignity and decorum are not just the trappings of pretension, but a definition of the quality and habits of those conducting the solemn work of holding the Union together. We’ve all been treated to comical film clips of legislative bodies from South America and Asia where the representatives break out into screaming matches and fist fights. It is only humorous to watch these scenes because they are so opposite from what we expect here at home.

I realize we can’t legislate gravitas into our requirements for office, but at one time it seemed to be a given which didn’t need to lean on formal rules. It was simply assumed. Has that era come to an end? Do we no longer consider a serious nature and sober mind to be requirements for these positions? Seriously, Minnesota… Senator Al Franken?