Minnesota Senator, Norm Coleman, who replaced Sen. Paul Wellstone after his tragic death, seems to think pretty highly of himself. In the Congressional Mag, Roll Call (subscription required), Coleman is quoted as saying,
"To be very blunt and God watch over Paul's soul, I am a 99 percent improvement over Paul Wellstone. Just about on every issue."The San Francisco Chronicle writes about the incident, adding,
After the Roll Call story appeared Monday, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., called for Coleman to apologize, saying his remarks were inappropriate, disrespectful and "an unnecessary attack on a leader our state continues to mourn."I'm not sure how saying you are 99% better than someone on "Just about every issue" could be construed as merely saying you are better than Wellstone on the single issue of having a cozy relationship with the President. Wellstone got along just fine with former President Clinton, as do most within their own parties. If the only thing Coleman has to toot his horn about is getting along well with a fellow Republican, then he should shut up, step down, and the voters of Minnesota should find themselves a more useful Senator. Posted by Brian at April 8, 2003 01:00 PM | TrackBack
Wellstone's former spokesman, Jim Farrell, called Coleman's comment a "shameful, self-serving assertion."Coleman issued a statement Monday night, saying he should have made clear in his remarks that he was comparing his relationship to the Bush administration to Wellstone's. "I would never want to diminish the legacy or memory of Senator Paul Wellstone, and I will accept full responsibility for not having been more accurate in my comments," Coleman said.