"To project a more senatorial air, Franken is trying hard to watch what he says, and his staff has placed him in a kind of protective custody: journalists are not allowed to ride along, as is standard campaign practice, lest they overhear and report an undignified remark."

And in an election cycle where the slowing economy is a major part of the Democratic message, it never is good to have a candidate who didn't pay back taxes -- even if it was an accidental oversight. There's little doubt that this will be a major part of the Republican messaging when the race starts heating up.