GOP Vows to Fight WWIII if Dems Try to Seat Franken

With the Minnesota court ruling on the Senate race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman just days away, GOP honchos are warning that if they lose this round, they plan to go all the way to the highest court, even if it leaves the state's voters without a senator for years. In the meantime, if Dems dare to try to seat Al Franken, says Texas Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, it will spark “World War III.”

Coleman’s lawyer predicts that the panel will side with Franken, but the state Supreme Court will rule in favor of Coleman. If it doesn't, and the GOP appeals, it's not clear whether Franken could get an election certificate declaring him the winner. Would a federal court appeal hold things up? Chuck Schumer, who heads the Senate Rules committee, says no. But Coryn disagrees, and GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty isn't saying what, if anything, he plans to do.
(More Senate stories.)