Emotional Franken finally gets sworn in

WASHINGTON - Al Franken was sworn in Tuesday as Minnesota's second U.S. senator. No joke.

In a ceremony that started a few minutes late -- and 246 days after the election -- the former Saturday Night Live comedian joined the Senate with a simple "I do."

Flanked by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Vice President Walter Mondale, Franken received a standing ovation from family members, supporters and others in the public galleries. Vice President Joe Biden offered his congratulations, and a packed Senate gallery that included Franken's wife, Franni, erupted into hugs and applause.

"You don't see Norwegians with tears in their eyes," said Minnesota's former U.S. Attorney David Lillehaug, one of Franken's recount lawyers. "Today was mine."

Delivering the first public joke of his Senate career, Franken attended a Minnesota reception after the swearing-in and talked about the emotional support he received from Franni.

"I choke up every once in a while and the press has had to find ways to say choke up -- because I don't actually cry, I just choke up, right?" Franken said, prompting laughter from the crowded room. "So they've had to find synonyms for just short of crying -- you know, 'his throat full of emotion,' something like that."

His wife offered some back-story after the reception, attended by Minnesota lobbyists, campaign workers, and new staffers. "He's an old softy," she said. "He's Mr. Pussycat."

Despite Franken's studied seriousness leading up to his swearing-in, he was heard erupting in ebullient laughter several times on the Senate floor. As Franken mingled and backslapped, Klobuchar, a fellow Democrat, tugged him back to the well of the Senate to sign the official register.

Moments later, Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer affixed an official Senate pin to Franken's charcoal gray suit. The new member then proceeded to the Old Senate Chamber for a ceremonial swearing-in before cameras.

Into the partisan fray

Franken's first non-ceremonial event was a Democratic caucus lunch, where he was greeted as his party's 60th Senate vote with three or four more standing ovations.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Franken spoke at the lunch about how he "worked so hard to get here to serve" and that he said he was both "humbled and excited" to be in the Senate.

Tuesday evening, Franken told an AFL-CIO gathering that he is a co-sponsor of so-called card check legislation that would make it easier for unions to organize workers.

Klobuchar, introducing Franken to the Senate, noted that the state had gone 183 days with only one senator while the election recount was contested in the courts. "Al Franken is ready for this job, and it is time to get to work," she said. "There is a desk waiting for you in the United States Senate."

Franken was greeted on the Senate floor by all five Minnesota Democrats in the U.S. House. A number of Republican senators also approached him, including Dick Lugar of Indiana and John Ensign of Nevada.

"I wish him luck," said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "A lot of eyes are on him. It's up to him what kind of a path he wants to chart in the Senate."

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky laid down a marker: "I would say our Democratic friends now have their long-sought 60 votes. The American people will fully understand that they own the government, the executive branch, the House, the Senate, and we're waiting to see the results of their programs."

Democrats countered with appeals for bipartisanship - and a relentless emphasis of Franken's serious side.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters that Franken should not be defined only by his career in comedy.

"There's some people who view Al Franken in a very narrow context," Durbin said. "And it's understandable. His public persona for many years was on television and radio and writing books. But there's a lot more to this person and I think the people of Minnesota saw it."

New Jersey Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg said that Republicans still have a "significant amount of resentment" about the situation, but will be able to work with Franken -- who he said would one day "be in the line of the great senators" from Minnesota.

Reflecting on Franken's past, Lautenberg said, "Everyone knows he was a great humorist, and at times we could use a little humor around here. But essentially he's a very thoughtful person."

Outside the office, Minnetonka resident Jennifer Berman and her three kids, on a Washington sightseeing visit, waited for a glimpse of the comedian-turned-senator. "I can see people's hesitation at first - former comedian and a long history - but I really do see great potential in him and I really think he's here because he wants to be here and he's going to [be dedicated] fully to representing the great state of Minnesota and doing the best job that he can."

Mondale, a former U.S. senator from Minnesota who ran against Coleman after Sen. Paul Wellstone's death in 2002, also took time to reflect.

"I feel really good about it," said Mondale, who served in the Senate before becoming vice president. "I spent a lot of my life here and this is a very precious institution, in terms of what it can do, and Minnesota now has two of the right people here."

Klobuchar emphasized that Franken will have no trouble living down his comedic past. "I know the national media thought they were going to see some kind of riot act when he came out here," she said. "But that's not what he's going to do."

Mondale, the state's elder statesman, said he had few words of advice for Franken: "I just said, 'Be yourself.'"