Does Norm really think he can win against the funny?

There are already indications that the 2008 election will be remarkable for the number of outside groups weighing in with major ad buys supporting or attacking candidates

Hm, but since as your own reporting notes this appears to be run by Republican consultants and operatives, is this really most accurately described as an example of an "outside group"? It seems like an "outside group" would be someone more like the American Federation of Teachers.

There has to be enough dirt to bury Norman. He's too much of a skirt-chaser to have remained out of sight on that one.

And before anyone says "Let's keep the tone up..." I say this: After the campaign he ran before and after Paul Wellstone died, I want him personally destroyed, mulling Third World exile.

compared to coleman? come on.

Coleman is also the person who tried to get George Galloway into legal trouble by calling him to the Senate to answer charges of corruption. Watch the video of the hearing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3VHAco8y18

Notice what a slimy, sneaky, and utterly bullshit Coleman's charge is.

Well, well, well. I traced American Future Fund to our old friends at Holtzmann Vogel. The Iowa registration lists the incorporator as Jessica Young at 98 Alexandria Pike, Ste 53, Warrenton, VA which is the Holtzmann Vogel address.

Alex N. Vogel, of course, is a very well-known Republican operative last written about here in connection with the American Center For Voting Rights and the Free Enterprise Coalition. Mark "Thor" Hearne was one of Vogel's associates at the ACVR.

Jill Holtzman Vogel, another Republican operative and Alex Vogel's wife, won a VA state senate seat last year. 25% of the $1.7 million raised by Holtzman Vogel came from businessman, David Rensin.

The Vogels are very good at raising money from secret sources.

Slimy Norman.

Oh yeah, he's very independent.

If you define independent as "having ones head buried inside George W. Bush's rectum."

I like Al. I enjoyed him on the radio, even though he talked too much and interrupted his guests. He still demonstrated a good heart and a considerate soul. I hope he can perform in debates with Coleman, but I worry because I heard he didn't do all that well in the Dem debates. He should know his stuff, as he interviewed practically all authorities on major issues while he was on the air. And let's give him credit for being in on the ground floor with Air America when there was no one, and I mean literally no one, taking on the right wing in the media. Norm is a true chameleon; he'll do and say anything to get attention and stay in office. I met him as a prosecutor and he was obvious even then. One time he interrupted a whole room full of lawyers and their wives just so he could direct their attention to a news item where he expected to be on camera. He only switched to Republican because he knew he needed to side step his boss, Skip Humphrey, to run for governor. Now there's gratitude for you. Now the Pentagon is 200 billion dollars over charged (by Cheney's buddies no doubt) and Norm didn't conduct one damned hearing while it was going on. He should be horsewhipped with that. Ghostrider 20

Norm Coleman has been nothing but a water carrier for Bush/Cheney. If Al's "acerbic tongue" is used to cut him to shreds, most Minnesotans will love it.

Articles like this and the concerns in the comments that follow are precisely what gets me very cynical about all the wanton optimism being expressed by democrats these days.

Seriously, this kind of political subterfuge from republican dirty tricksters is not only going to become much more prominent but should be anticipated and with the FEC the neutered body that it is, and Bush's stooges still in charge of the machinations of the justice department and prosecutors I'm really not sure how anyone can have too much hope. The MSM is no different than it was four years ago, and will just facilitate controversy when these groups come out with blatantly incendiary and false charges as they most certainly have in the works. Who is going to be watching out for when that 527 attack ad comes out that will scream bullshit of BO being directly in bed with Farrakhan or the Weather Underground and Faux and the MSM start their high gear hyper histrionics?

Can anyone think of anyone from the left capable of wading in the slime with these guys and keeping them on the defensive these days? No. The only one that dirty on the left is the ice queen herself and there's no reason to think she'll be inclined to engage with them after losing the nomination, since it's highly doubtful that BO will make her his VP choice with her massive negatives, nor any reason to think she'd accept even if offered.

Are there any shadowy operators on the left any more? Dick Morris has gone permanently over to the dark side. Rove will certainly be going to his play book as a fully engaged consultant behind the scenes. If BO is really as smart a politician as he seems to be a person, maybe he can pull off a major coup and draft Mark McKinnon onto his campaign staff. But unless that happens, who is going to be his attack dog or act as his shadowy operatives so he can remain above the fray and maintain being 'presidential'?!? JFK had his brother Bobby wade in the dirt and mud for him while he was able to float above the fray.

Who does BO have that will be operating anything close to the the black-ops network of a Holtzmann/Vogel/Resin's shadowy groups out there? To see this stuff lurking, it's hard to remain positive.

Yes, but Al has devoted countless time to our troops entertainment wise for years, he is SO well informed and smart, and maybe if you knew Coleman like you do Franken, you wouldn't care for him either.