Franken commits  another gaffe while  presiding over Senate

By Christina Wilkie - 09/29/10 05:56 PM ET

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is still getting the hang of presiding over the Senate.

Franken, the most famous member of the Senate freshman class, has logged dozens of hours as presiding officer of the chamber, a duty often given to new senators to help them learn arcane procedural rules.

Franken suffered another embarrassing moment Wednesday morning when he mistakenly recognized Tom Udall as the “senator from Utah.”

Udall quickly corrected Franken by noting that he’s from New Mexico.

“Oh, God,” Franken boomed into his microphone. “I’m sorry.”

“The senator from New Mexico,” Franken said, putting extra emphasis on “New Mexico” to make up for his mistake.

The exchange was less awkward than the kerfuffle Franken sparked last month while presiding over the Senate.

Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) scolded Franken on the floor for allegedly mocking him.

Republican aides said Franken gesticulated and made faces from the chair while McConnell delivered a speech on then-Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.

Franken later sent a handwritten note to McConnell apologizing for the incident.