As predicted, Sen. Norm Coleman appeared much calmer in his criticisms of Al Franken in the second debate. But still, Coleman seemed to stick to his guns, emphasizing his experience and his ability to walk the walk, instead of just talking. This was the theme of the night for Coleman, while Franken emphasized the failures of the Bush administration and his ability to fight for Minnesotans. The two still took shots at one another. But Franken and Barkley shared a theme of attacking Coleman several times for his record. Barkley stuck to the usual theme, mostly that both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for the current financial crisis. Barkley attacked both Franken and Coleman on their avoiding to address the budget deficit. The debate ended with cheers from the crowd, chanting “Coleman,” though Franken got several responses of laughter during the debate and applauding as well, and a Barkley supporter was asked to quiet down by one of the KARE 11 moderators. Check back at mndaily.com on Sunday for our response to the debate.