Yesterday's Smokescreen

If you don’t agree with Norm Coleman on an issue today, don’t worry – sooner or later you will. Not because you’ve changed, but because ol’ Smokescreen has changed colors, once again.

And at his campaign announcement yesterday, ol’ Smokescreen threw the assembled crowd a curve ball – at times he sounded like a democrat! Norm's got spending plans for actual people; Norm says public work is honorable and Minnesotans respect public service - what kind of republican is that??? Lucky for Norm he's not getting challenged for endorsment; that's talk the base simply don't abide.

Claiming to be a voice of optimism in a cynical time, he claimed that labels don’t matter, results do. Even more outlandish was ol’ Smokescreen’s pronouncement that “We need uniters, not dividers.”

Amazing. Simply amazing, coming from the guy that was Bush’s attack chihuahua in 2004, a proud member of the GOP “Truth Squad.” Of course, that was then and this is now.

Now, he’s claiming he’s bi-partisan. His press kit contained a whole page of “bi-partisan examples.” Let’s look:

* I-35 bridge; after GOPers became the minority party.

* “Veterans Benefit Outreach Act” – Coleman co-authored it in May 2007

*Flood Relief, SE Minnesota – again, 2007

* Extending Oversight In Iraq, when Boy Blunder wanted to end it. Again, 2007

Now, let’s look at the Low Income Heating Assistance Program, where ol’ Smokescreen, just yesterday, tried to claim his work was “bi-partisan.” Here’s what his press release said, back in January, 2006:

“I am pleased that families in Minnesota will have access to an additional $4 million in funding to help heat their homes this winter,” said Coleman. “Given the high cost of energy, we need to do all that we can to ensure families are not left in the cold. I applaud the Bush Administration for recognizing the positive impact this funding will have on the quality of life in our communities.”

Last month, Coleman, along with Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) obtained a commitment from Senate leadership for a separate vote on an emergency supplemental bill to provide $2 billion in additional funding for LIHEAP, early this year.

link, here

Doesn’t sound real “bi-partisan” to me...of course, back in January 2006, republiCons were still planning on a “Permanent Republican Majority” – and when you’re permanently the majority, contemporary republiCon thought went, who needs bi-partisanship?

And let’s look at that claim Coleman made about Iraqi oversight. Back when ol’ Smokescreen was in the majority, and the Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the LAST place Coleman looked was Iraq. Actually, that’s not accurate, while ol’ Smokescreen wouldn’t look at corruption in Iraq by, say, Halliburton, he did look at Iraq with regards to the Oil For Food scandal. You know, French companies? Russian companies? Oh, and specifically, Norm looked at a British Member of Parliament, George Galloway, who proceeded to humiliate Norm (hence, the "ol’ Smokescreen" nickname), and who was never convicted of anything. That was when ol’ Smokescreen was in the majority. Now, that Norms in the minority, he’s in favor of oversight of Iraq?

The point I’m trying to make here, is that ol’ Smokescreen sure has changed his colors – several times.

In 2002, The Accidental Senator said: “I’m up for re-election in six years, judge me on what I did.”

And anyone looking objectively at Coleman’s record will see a smilin' guy with all the best intentions of Elizabeth Taylor at the wedding altar. And as many trips there, too.