By expert estimation, Franken is himself six weeks away from being seated in the Senate. It’s a full month before the Minnesota Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the case of Norm Coleman vs. Al Franken. A ruling in Coleman’s appeal of their 2008 U.S. Senate election may take weeks more. After a statewide hand recount and a seven-week election-contest trial, Franken holds a 312-vote margin of victory over Coleman.

Here’s a clip including Franken’s free transition advice for Bush on Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” TV show. The discussion starts at the 7:00 mark, with the exchange between Franken and conservative Los Angeles radio host Al Rantel (paritally transcribed below) starting at the 8:00 mark.

RANTEL: A third of the time’s gone while this guy (Franken) and his friends try to steal the election from Bush.

FRANKEN: I will not let that stand. But go ahead, and then we’ll …

RANTEL: For Bush it’s harder than for Gore…

FRANKEN: His father has picked the cabinet.

RANTEL: That’s not true. For Gore, he’s got a Democratic bureaucracy already in place by Clinton. …

FRANKEN: OK, the point is you really can’t start a transition until you’ve been elected president.

RANTEL: Well, I think he has been elected president.

FRANKEN: I know you think that, but he hasn’t. And you guys would like everyone to think it.

RANTEL: What would you have said, if Gore would have been certified by Florida on Sunday night –

FRANKEN: By his campaign manager? By his campaign vice president?

RANTEL: No, by the counties that reported the numbers. What would you have said?

FRANKEN: I would have said: Recount the votes.

RANTEL: Oh, you would not have. If Gore had been elected you would say recount the votes?

FRANKEN: I would have taken up Bush on the statewide recount.

MAHER (interrupting): What about the lie that I was just talking about? The lie that you have to rush to appoint a cabinet when of course they don’t.

RANTEL: Well, everybody at this point has got to go through FBI background checks. If they’re cabinet members, they’ve got to be approved by the Congress, by the Senate –

MAHER: And that takes three months?

RANTEL: Well, it’s already almost December.

MAHER: Just admit it’s a lie. I’ll give you the office. It’s just a lie.

FRANKEN (to Maher, pointing to Rantel): He and I hate each other. But you’re wrong.