Why are we not surprised?
The count in Minnesota's Senate Race gives Weasel Coleman a 475 vote "lead" At the moment
That's 475 out of 2 Million 8 Hundred 60 Thousand (2,860,000) total votes.
The rules for an automatic recount are clear in Minnesota
If the margin is less than one half of one percent of all votes cast there is an automatic recount
The difference in the race right now is two one-hundredths of one-percent
There is a nice blog on the subject at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune
HANGING CHADS MINNESOTA STYLE
There are several ways a ballot could be miscounted
Any candidate coming within such a slim margin of error deserves a recount.
That is why the law was written. But Weasel Coleman isn't too concerned about the rule of law. That is why his sleazy past has him clinging by his fingernails to his seat in the Senate. Even so Coleman has declared victory:
Republican Sen. Norm Coleman declared victory for a second term from Minnesota, even as the state this afternoon explained how it intends to recount nearly 3 million votes cast in his battle with Democrat Al Franken.
Coleman added that Franken should abandon any pursuit of a recount, saying that "the prospect of overturning [the necessary] votes is extremely, extremely, extremely remote." Franken could request that there not be a recount, but there is no hint that he would make such a move.
Coleman, whose lead in the unofficial state tally stood at 475 votes as of 4 p.m. today, said from his headquarters in St. Paul that he is "humbled and grateful for the victory that the voters gave us last night."
In a video on Fox featured on TPM
Coleman claims there is too much at stake for a recount.
Too much at stake like his pathetic political life maybe.
Hang in there Al. You have the support and prayers of millions who hope the recount shows that Minnesotan's have elected you to the US Senate.
There is too much at stake for you to quit.
UPDATE Ahead of a recount, the lawyers are circling
The Republican and DFL parties are building their teams of lawyers in advance of the Senate recount. Former U.S. Attorney David Lillehaug, the Franken campaign’s local counsel, said the campaign has been talking to a variety of attorneys "around town and in Washington." On the Republican side, Doug Kelley, a former assistant U.S. attorney, said he has been consulted.