Almanac: At the Capitol

We in the press aren't exactly sure how to describe why Al Franken had a big rally at the Capitol today. It seemed to be what we call a "pre-act" — that is reacting to an event before it happens. The event he's pre-acting to is Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign kick-off tomorrow. Much of the speech was devoted to Coleman. The "re-launch" aspect seems to be him almost re-starting his campaign with Ciresi out of the way.

It was a half-an-hour address that felt a lot like a convention acceptance speech. It was a well-crafted and keenly delivered speech. The moment the cameras loved was his closing comments when Franken got choked up, held back the tears saying: "Paul Wellstone said, 'The future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard.' I am so passionate about what we can achieve together. Are you ready to work hard alongside me?"

Speaking of "pre-acting," Republican Party Chair Ron Carey was ready with a pre-act pointing out Franken's problems paying workers compensation and now disability benefits to staffers. Carey thought it was ironic Franken was "standing with working men and women ... when he doesn't take care of people who work for him."