Al Franken can draw an almost perfect map of the United States freehand from memory while answering questions about health care and cracking jokes about the Red States. How impressive is that?

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Franken auctions off his drawings at the end of each fundraiser. Is this a sign of desperation or genius?

[The idea] stems from a bar bet Franken made some years ago in which he claimed to be able to name all fifty states. When he got to the end, the count was only 49, and there was no way to remember which state he had accidentally skipped. So he decided to learn how to draw a map of all 48 states so he could keep track. Source: Greg Laden

I guess that's better than the Beer Pong for Chastity fundraiser I came up with.

If you're not familiar with Franken's politics, here are some classic Franken quotes to help you catch up:

"[G. W. Bush's] pro-air pollution Clear Skies Initiative is designed to clear the skies of birds." - The Truth (with jokes)



"No Child Left Behind is the most ironically named act, piece of legislation since the 1942 Japanese Family Leave Act." - in response to the 2004 SOTU address

"During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole was present at a ceremony that included each living ex-president. Looking at a tableau of Ford, Carter and Nixon, Dole said, 'There they are: Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Evil.'" - Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot

"If you put the two Bushs together in their over seven years of their two presidencies, not one new job has been created. Numbers do not lie. If you extrapolated from that, if the Bushs had run this country from its very beginning to the current time, not one American would have ever worked. We'd be hunter-gatherers." - in response to the 2004 SOTU address

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."

- (as Stuart Smalley)

Source: Al Franken Sense