Like an asterisk on your face

A brief recap of the long, sordid tale of The Beard:While reporting on the fascinating Senate race in Alaska just last month, executive producer Bill Wolff did not shave. Was it out of laziness, exhaustion, or just trying to fit in with the rugged locals? We're not sure. All we know is what happened next. Bill decided he would not shave his ever-more hairy face until the race was decided, until we knew which of the three candidates-- Lisa Murkowski, Joe Miller or Scott McAdams-- was headed to Washington (or in Ms. Murkowski's case, back to Washington). Within a matter of days we had a full-fledged, legitimate beard on staff.Finally, Bill's (and his wife's) long national nightmare seemed over when NBC News declared Lisa Murkowski, the Republican-turned-write-in-candidate, the apparent winner. The "apparent" part is important, here, because as a staff we decided Bill could shave his beard, but not the mustache. The mustache would be an asterisk on his face until the election was finally certified. Let it be known, the Rachel Maddow Show takes elections and beards very seriously.And that is what launched a staff-wide email exchange about which famous mustachioed man Bill resembled most. Pictures of what we came up with after the jump. You can also see what happened to the mustache.