A handful of Senate seats still up for grabs

DESPITE the decisive victory of Barack Obama and the Democrats last Tuesday, a surprising amount of business remains unfinished. The Democrats made several gains in the 100-seat Senate, but the intentions of one incumbent and the victor in three seats remains to be determined, for a variety of unusual reasons.

In Minnesota a Republican facing electoral death is hanging on. Had Norm Coleman, a first-termer, faced an ordinary opponent he probably would have been swept away by the electoral tide. But his challenger was Al Franken, a former comedian, whose feelings about Republicans are summed up in his book, entitled “Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them)”. Mr Franken wrote some smutty jokes, and was found to have neglected to pay some old taxes, which hurt him in his squeaky-clean state. ...