Al Franken is getting a refund. After incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) was underchanged for an ad characterized by Franken as, “criticizing me for criticizing a Senate resolution that criticized MoveOn.org for taking out an ad in the New York Times criticizing Gen. David Petraeus,” the paper decided to even the billing score.

…the Star Tribune, a Minneapolis newspaper, is refunding about $12,000 to Al Franken, a Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate, after undercharging Sen. Norm Coleman, for a full-page advertisement spawned by the one in the Times…

The Star Tribune said it charged Coleman, R-Minn., around $20,000 for Tuesday’s ad, which criticized Franken for not condemning the MoveOn.org ad. Two months ago, according to the newspaper, it charged Franken around $32,000 for a full-page ad in the paper criticizing Coleman’s record on the Iraq war.

Star Tribune spokesman Ben Taylor said Wednesday that a new sales representative had incorrectly quoted the Coleman campaign the local retail rate, rather than the rate charged to national advertisers.

Coleman’s ad accused Franken, who has entertained troops in Iraq four times as part of the U.S.O. tour, of undermining the troops by supporting an end to the Iraq occupation.

Meanwhile, the Pelosi-led House passed an idiotic resolution mirroring the Reid-led Senate’s earlier idiotic resolution condemning MoveOn’s Petraeus ad. I think Franken has it right.

As I go around the state, I don’t hear a whole lot about ads in the New York Times. What I do hear is that Minnesotans want this war to end, and that if this president won’t end it, they want the Senate to force him to end it…

Bush and his allies in Washington have blocked increases to veterans’ benefits, refused to be held accountable for the mistakes that ruined our military’s efforts in Iraq, and dodged every effort to bring our troops home…

As a satirist, I find the whole thing ridiculous. But as a Minnesotan who wants to bring the troops home, I also find it sad.