More potential for seat-blocking in the Senate, this time by the GOP

I wrote in a prior post about the possiblity that Blago appointee Roland Burris’ may have to be physically restrained from entering the Senate next Tuesday, but there’s also another potential for seat blocking, with some GOP Senators vowing a filibuster over any attempts by Democrats to seat Al Franken:

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) threatened Friday to filibuster any attempt to seat Democratic Minnesota Senate candidate Al Franken next week.

The newly minted National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman said he had not whipped votes in the GOP caucus, but added that he could not imagine any members defecting and seating Franken without a certificate of election.

Franken will not have that certificate as long as the election is challenged in the courts — a likely scenario, with Sen. Norm Coleman’s (R-Minn.) legal team already attacking the credibility of the recount process.

“This is a very, very serious matter” Cornyn said. “I can assure you that there will be no way that people on our side of the aisle will agree to seat any senator without a valid certificate.”

Some have suggested that Franken could be seated provisionally, which would allow for any court challenges to play out and potentially change the outcome.

But since Minnesota state law won’t provide Franken a certificate of election with an election contest pending, seating Franken could be a risky and difficult proposition.

Franken leads the race by 49 votes with all challenged ballots resolved, but Coleman’s campaign is attempting to include about 650 improperly rejected absentee ballots from areas friendly to the incumbent.

That would be on top of about 1,350 improperly rejected absentees already designated by recount officials.

Beyond that, Coleman is expected to take up a legal challenge to the result.

No word yet on whether or not Franken will show up next Tuesday as Congress returns to work, but he’s just the type to try and push his way around. Both Burris and Franken being blocked from walking into Senate chambers. Wouldn’t that be a picture worth a thousand words?

Pass the popcorn, please. Things in the Senate are about to get verrry interesting.