Politico has an exhaustive, heavily linked post documenting all the back-and-forth between Begich and Franken, with pdfs of both men’s letters (Begich cited his familial-political roots on Minnesota’s Iron Range), including a dot-to-dot puzzle that Begich sent along as a guide:

Franken traces the source of his talent to another kind of puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle from his youth:

First of all, let me be clear that I am very well aware that Alaska and Hawaii are states. It’s just that when I was a child, my parents gave me a wood puzzle-map of the United States, which then included only the forty-eight contiguous states.

It wasn’t until years later, sometime in the early to middle sixties, I believe, that Hawaii and Alaska became full-fledged members of the union. Please know that I have assigned a staffer to get me the hard data on this.

Anyway, the point is, I learned only the forty-eight states on the wooden puzzle given to me by my hard-working parents. To include Alaska and Hawaii, while certainly common-sensical, would, I am afraid, dishonor the memory of both my mom and dad.

However, since you are a colleague that is a sacrifice I’m only too happy to make.

Below is the YouTube of Franken drawing the (lower 48) states in three-and-a-half minutes, at a April 28, 2007, DFL fundraiser in Rochester, just two months into what became a two-and-a-half year struggle to reach the U.S. Senate. In the course of drawing the map, Franken keeps up a running commentary:

You know why Minnesota is so windy? The Dakotas blow and Wisconsin sucks. … Here’s where my wife’s from: Maine. No, it’s not the northernmost state. Don’t be ridiculous. We [Minnesota] were until– By the way, I will not draw Alaska and Hawaii. I refuse to. … I don’t know about you but I’m incredibly impressed. … Watch it speed up as we go out West where the states have too many electoral votes for [their] population.

On a personal note (and maybe I should send an actual personal note as Begich did), I’d like to ask Franken to include a dot for Mount Steller, in the Aleutian Islands — from which, as Begich says of Little Diomede Island, you can see Russia.

UPDATE: In response to an email inquiry, Diana at africaisnotacountry.com writes: 

No, the recent news about Palin’s lack of geographical knowledge has not affected our sales. Although people seem to think that our shirts were created in response to her gaffe. They were not.