Getting to the point

So what does the 68-page opinion of the Elections Board (made up of Republicans, Democrats and Independents) say about Norm Coleman's arguments?

The panel was blunt in how it dismissed Coleman claims. A cornerstone of his case was the argument that the judges should count absentee ballots they had deemed illegal during the trial because similar ones had been accepted on Election Day and during the recount.

The panel wrote that Coleman's position would "lead to an absurd result. Following [Coleman's] argument to its conclusion, the court would be compelled to conclude that if one county mistakenly allowed felons to vote, then all counties would have to count the votes of felons."

Considering Norm has a passable chance of joining the ranks of felonious voter aspirants, I consider this argument more an act of beau geste on his part.