Two recent stories from Chris Cillizza spell trouble for Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman. First off, in the second quarter of 2008, funnyman and former collegiate wrestler Al Franken outraised Coleman by $400,000. With his name recognition and deep pockets it appears certain that Franken will be the Democratic challenger for Coleman's seat.

Second, as the Senate prepares to debate a new bill proposing the withdrawal of our soldiers from Iraq, Coleman, along with three other GOP senators, will find himself the subject of a spate of unflattering ads sponsored by the DSCC. All four of the senators -- Susan Collins, John Sununu, Mich McConnell and Coleman -- are up for re-election, and considered vulnerable on this issue. Then again, what politician who has stood in lock-step with the president all this time is not vulnerable considering that new surveys suggest that 70% of Americans now want a pullout by April.

Vulnerable Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman is crossing his fingers about two things. One is that Al Franken is very serious about running for the senate in Minnesota, and two that he actually gets the nomination.

The first part appears to be a done deal:

Comedian Al Franken said yesterday that he will run for the Senate in Minnesota, giving Democrats the possibility of a celebrity candidate to face Sen. Norm Coleman, considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans in 2008.

"Minnesotans have a right to be skeptical about whether I'm ready for this challenge, and to wonder how seriously I would take the responsibility that I'm asking you to give me," Franken said in a video on his Web site. "I want you to know: Nothing means more to me than making government work better for the working families of this state, and over the next 20 months, I look forward to proving to you that I take these issues seriously," he said.

Realizing that the U.S. Congress needs a little humor, Al Franken is set to announce that he will run for the United States Senate seat now held by Norm Coleman.

Sen. Coleman is one of the most vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election in 2008, but I am not sure that Franken is the right person to unseat him. Coleman ran for governor several years ago but lost to Jesse Ventura. Coleman has also belonged to both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Franken has a political PAC, and last year raised over $1 million. He spread it around to some successful Democratic nominees in other states. They will probably come to Minnesota to help him out.

Even if he loses, there should be a lot of laughs in this campaign.

These are from the LA TImes:

MO Talent(R) +3
RCP Average: Talent +1

Very welcome news for Talent as yesterday's MD poll had him 3 points down. I expect a Talent win here.

OH Brown(D) +8
RCP Average: Brown +9

The good polls have been very consistent with a DeWine deficit at 8 points. National spending in this race is down, and it's clear now that while the GOP hasn't given up, DeWine isn't a priority anymore. They don't really need him at this point. It's still safe to assume he has a gob of cash and will use it. I'm looking for this to tighten, but DeWine is sailing upwind.

TN Corker(R) +5
RCP Average: Corker +3

Last four polls with a small but steady Corker lead. This is the biggest lead yet.

NJ Menendez (D) +4
RCP Average: Menendez +4

Kean is tantalizingly close here, but remember all those reports about Bush winning NJ in 2004? He didn't. NJ will go Dem again, no matter how corrupt Menendez is.

VA Webb(D) +3
RCP Average: Allen +1.5

This is the only one to go against recent averages and it's a big suprise and will be welcome news to Democrats. To get the senate, they need this one and Corker or Talent. All three are looking very tough for the Dems to crack.

For a good look at the overall picture, head over to electoral-vote.com

Two Items. The first:

According to Minnesota Public Radio, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee "has cancelled two weeks of ad time on behalf of Amy Klobuchar. They still have time scheduled for the last two weeks of the campaign. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is not scheduled to run tv ads on behalf of Republican Mark Kennedy at this time."

The latest polls have Klobuchar way ahead of Kennedy and it appears the race is no longer competitive.

Over the weekend, CQ Politics changed its rating of the race from No Clear Favorite to Democrat Favored.

Mark Kennedy was supposed to be competitive. Guess not. That money is going to be moving to help McCaskill unseat Senator Talent, Brown to unseat Senator DeWine, or Senator Menendez in New Jersey, who looks to be in trouble from challenger Tom Kean.

Cleveland.com reports that the Republican Governors Association is quitting on Blackwell and focusing on six other states.

About the six states – Iowa, Maine, Oregon, Illinois, Arkansas, and Michigan – Romney writes: "All of them are states where a strong Republican '72 Hour' get-out-the-vote effort can make the difference between winning and losing."

Of these states, only one, Michigan, has a somewhat competitive Senate race. It looks to me like the RGA is coordinating with the NRCC. I'm sure he'd love the help, but Blackwell will get help by being in a state where there will be a huge GOTV effort on behalf of DeWine, and special attention on Congressional districts OH-1, OH-15, and OH-18