Former Senator Norm Coleman's lawyer has raised the possibility that Coleman won't file a legal contest:
Asked whether Coleman would sue, Coleman recount lawyer Fritz Knaak said: "He doesn't have to make that decision yet. I have no reason at this time ... to believe we aren't going to be contesting this thing if we're down at the end of the day."
"The only thing that could waver or change that would be a call from Norm Coleman saying, 'I don't think so,' and I don't see that coming," Knaak said.
One the one hand, Knaak is still signaling Coleman's predilection to litigation. On the other hand, this is the first time that Coleman's camp has publicly raised the possibility of conceding.
The reason? Even they know the numbers won't change by much:
"It's conceivable, I'm not saying probable or likely, but conceivable that in a ... [court] contest, we could see these numbers change by hundreds on both sides," he said. "Everything is on the table and it's a different game."
It's time for Coleman to give up, and this seems like the first signal that he might just do the right thing. But if I were a betting man, I wouldn't exactly bet on it.
© Jed Lewison