After long legal battle, Minnesota senator Norm Coleman has finally accepted that Al Franken won his Senate seat back in November 2008.

Understatement of the year from Coleman, via USA Today:

“I congratulate Al Franken” on his victory, Coleman said at a news conference outside his home in St. Paul. “Sure Iwanted to win. I thought we had a better case. But the court has spoken.”

Yeah, we never would have guessed that with you hanging on to absentee ballots like a chad in Florida, homeslice. This is an epic FML for Senate Republicans, as Franken’s seat gives Democrats the sixty-seat edge needed to block Republicans from delaying Democrat legislation. Stuart Smalley that, Bill O’Reilly!

The earliest Senator-elect Franken can claim his seat will be next week due to the July 4th holiday. In a statement, President Barack Obama pieced together some meaningless soundbites stated:

“I look forward to working with Senator-Elect Franken to build a new foundation for growth and prosperity by lowering health care costs and investing in the kind of clean energy jobs and industries that will help America lead in the 21st century.”