First, we all owe Norm Coleman our thanks for sparing us six years of Walter Mondale and six months of Al Franken in the U.S. Senate. He was mostly a good Senator, always strong on defense, and points for that. And points for conceding gracefully now, something Al Franken never would have done.

But let's face it, he made a few too many liberal votes for his and our own good. That's been his style, to reach across the aisle to moderate Democrats, only they no longer exist. He gained nothing while losing the confidence of enough Republicans to cost him the election. Has he learned his lesson, like Pawlenty apparently did this term?

I don't know. I think most of those liberal votes were political calculations, not principled stands. I will therefore be wary of any return to a firmly Conservative domestic policy. As such, it would be easy to declare his political career over. He failed to generate much heat in his run for Governor in 1998. One could argue that Wellstone Memorial is what put him over the top in the Senate race of 2002. His 2010 prospects for Governor or Senator (vs Klobuchar) look no better. But I think he's got one strike left.

That would be the Fourth Congressional District that includes St. Paul, his old Mayoral stomping grounds. Incumbent Betty McCollum would normally be safe, but she could also get caught up in President Obama's wake of economic destruction. The right candidate could have a chance. Well-known in St. Paul as a former Mayor, Norm Coleman might be that candidate. His liberal dalliances may actually prove valuable here among voters ready for a change but not ready for a Conservative.

The irony has been that Coleman has defeated traditional, dogmatic DFL candidates like Walter Mondale and Skip Humphrey. It's populist road apples like Jesse Ventura and Al Franken that make him look clueless. That won't be the case here in the Fourth District assuming McCollum seeks re-election.

So run, Norm, run, where you're needed, where you're known, and where you can win. It'd be good for St. Paul.

Cross-posted and comments welcome at Speed Gibson.