As we wait for the Coleman response, if any, to Team Franken’s devastating counterfiling to the Coleman appeal of the Election Contest Court’s ruling that Al Franken won the 2008 Minnesota election for Paul Wellstone’s old Senate seat, here are some tidbits for you to digest.

Ever since December, reports have been floating around about the FBI’s interest in both the Nasser Kazeminy case and in Norm Coleman’s ties to it. Now, those reports have been given a bit more substance: A Minnesota person who has been interviewed by the FBI in regard to the case says that the FBI is indeed investigating allegations that former Senator Norm Coleman had clothing and other items, such as vacation trips for himself and his family, purchased on his behalf by Kazeminy.

For all the woofin’ being done by Michael Steele and others about how Norm’s going to be fighting to the bitter end to get back Paul Wellstone’s Senate seat, I strongly suspect that his mind is no longer on the contest and appeal. He’s already trying to figure out how he’s going to afford the next big legal challenge, the Kazeminy lawsuits, as refinancing his house is no longer an option in this crashed real-estate market. That’s why he’s asking the Federal Elections Commission to allow him to use campaign funds to pay his Kazeminy legal fees.

Once again, the Pioneer Press’ Rachel E. Stassen-Berger shows that she is one of the hardest-working journalists in town. She predicted last week, courtesy of her sources, that Al Franken would use his filing in response to the Coleman appeal to ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to make clear, once and for flippin’ all, that after the the Minnesota U.S. Senate race has made its way through the state courts system, the race is done and the Senate election certificate must be issued. And she was right.

I saw the billboard yesterday on my way past the airport: “What will Pawlenty choose? People of Minnesota — or — His national ambitions?” Well, if his veto of the compromise state budget bill is any indication, he’s definitely picking “National Ambitions” for $1000, Alex. Then again, he’s also known for making the big woofin’ noises whilst nervously hoping somebody else does the right thing for him.

Labor will no doubt be disappointed by these sacrifices to the bill, but if it means getting something passed, they will probably be happy to make these concessions which satisfy the demands of critics like Blanche Lincoln, Mark Pryor, Jim Webb, Michael Bennet, Mark Udall and Ben Nelson.

The RPM (Republican Party of Minnesota) folk are doing lots of woofin’ about how they’re going to fight to the bitter end over seating Senator Franken, but at the end of the day that’s all it is: Woofin’.

When he’s not being fiscally irresponsible in hopes of snagging a spot on the 2012 Republican presidential ticket, Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty is doing the mother of all rhetorical tap dances with regard to Al Franken’s election certificate. The Pioneer Press’ Rachel Stassen-Berger tries sorting it all out, but how can you sort out something like this gem that Smilin’ Tim spouted today?

Looks like the Obama White House is expecting Senator Franken to be seated once the Minnesota Supreme Court renders its final judgment in the recount case. Tim Pawlenty, are you listening?

Nothing much going on right now, aside from waiting for Franken’s team to respond to the sixty-plus pages of bumpersticker logic that was Norm Coleman’s brief. Oh, and I need to remember to donate to Joe Sestak’s primary campaign against Arlen Specter, when Sestak gets around to starting one.