Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Late last night, we found out that Mark Begich has moved into the lead against Ted Stevens in the Alaska Senate race -- by 814 votes. There are still some votes to be counted, but this is looking good. If Begich wins, the felon is gone, which is great. But, it also means we can avoid the immediate prospect of Senator Sarah Palin.

In Minnesota, sounds like it's going to get ugly. NBC's Lee Cowan just did a piece on the recount. As you might expect, the GOPers don't want the thorough recount mandated by law. They're basically lying and spinning wildly. Minnesota takes pride in its fair elections, but the GOP is trying to destroy that brand. (Note to NBC: John Lott is not an "election expert." He is a right wing hack.)

Also, for all the Senate Democrats who are anxiously watching the Minnesota recount, here's a fun fact to remember: Joe Lieberman provide support to Norm Coleman's campaign. Not that anything like that will matter to the august members of the Senate Democratic caucus. They're above politics.

Anyway, let's get started....