Things are getting remarkably weird in Minnesota.

OK, so this is Norm Coleman's (R-MN) latest anti-Al Franken ad

And this is the source of that footage (both h/t Americablog)

Nice. I guess trashing Wellstone's friends and family for remembering him worked out well enough for Coleman last time he thought he'd try it again.

In the mean time, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is running their own, in its own way equally bizarre, anti-Al Franken ad in Minnesota. Join me, won't you?

OK, I'll confess. I'm a little confused. Norm Coleman was elected because George W. Bush poured money into his state, and because Paul Wellstone died. Coleman st00d bravely behind his lock-step support of his increasingly unpopular party right up to the point where it became clear that loyalty would hurt him, and then (looking at the polls) he told his local public radio station that he would have skipped the Republican Convention if he hadn't lobbied to hard to bring it to his state (he also objected to the Palin pick). He and his wife (BLO & GO entrepreneur and amateur lingerie model Laurie) have some legal issues.

So whose celebrity endorsement is going to turn it around for Norm Coleman?

Well, there's Robert Davi, a guy who's best known for playing criminals and terrorists (which, obviously, says nothing about his real-life character, but it's got to be unhelpful with the audience they're clearly trying to speak to here)

Stephen "the Baldwin who's best known for being related to Alex, except for the hanging outside a porn store in Nyack with a camera thing and the Pauly Shore movie" Baldwin, who wants to "slap Obama around" (although if Obama wins, he's bailing)

A woman who became a minor celebrity standing on her head in a leotard who was last seen playing Andrew Dice Clay's girlfriend in a socially responsible film called Casual Sex (quote: "I don't want a political label, but Obama bears traits that resemble the anti-Christ and I'm scared to death that un-educated people will ignorantly vote him into office.")

The guy who played America's favorite ignorant socially-retarded bar rat

And Pat "dood. You're kidding, right? Pat Boone? In a bathing suit?" Boone.

The beauty part of this, for a New Yorker, anyway, is that with Coleman's best shot at re-election in mind, Coleman's campaign and the NRSC chose to highlight his political credibility and popular appeal by featuring this gold-plated cast of political heavy hitters instead of the Giuliani endorsement.

You know, except for the part where it's like watching gangrene crawl up your arm, I'm really enjoying this political cycle.

I can has election? Please?