The Blue State

MN-Sen: Coleman runs from his base

Fighting to be reelected in 2008, with celebrity Democratic candidate Al Franken breathing down his neck, Senator Norm Coleman is pulling out all the stops to make Minnesota voters forget that there is an 'R' next to his name.  On Sunday, he criticized conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh for calling US soldiers that come back and oppose the war "lazy":

“Limbaugh’s suggestion that those who have served their country andexpress their opinions are ‘phony soldiers’ is wrong. There needs to bea level of civility and honest debate in this country about issues asimportant as this. Labeling an active duty General a traitor, orcalling a soldier a phony for having a different opinion does not riseto the level of discourse we hold ourselves to in this country.”

If Norm Coleman wants to raise the issue of civility, maybe he should explain why he accused John Murtha of "undermining the morale of our troops" just because Murtha had the audacity to take a stand against Bush's war policy -- a policy that Coleman now all of a sudden opposes.

That, right there, is the definition of political calculation.

Franken challenges Coleman on the war

Minnesota Senate candidate Al Franken held a huge fundraiser in Moorhead late last night, kicking off his 2008 effort to defeat incumbent Republican Norm Coleman.  He took issue with Coleman's consistent support of the President's policy in Iraq:

Franken, who opposes the war in Iraq, said Coleman had a chance tosupport bringing military servicemen home, but didn’t. He believesColeman’s vulnerability on the war could affect voters’ decisions nextyear.

Colemansaid earlier this month he rejects a specific withdrawal date fromIraq, but added that troops need to be removed from heavy combat nextyear.

“I’m going to hold him accountable,” Franken said of Coleman.

Even after a long night, Franken heads back on the campaign trail today.  From 4 PM to 8 PM this evening, he will appear at Eagen Central Park picnic shelter, where he will be joined by two local Minnesota legislators.

A few celebrities have contributed to Franken's campaign.  Rosie O'Donnell, for example, has donated $2,300.

Coleman Asks, Franken Answers

...in two completely unrelated articles.  But the information is there.

In a piece from the International Herald Tribune discussing the weight Republicans carry into the next Congressional elections, Senator Norm Coleman (R) of Minnesota is quoted as saying,

"Minnesotans have a deep concern about the war," Coleman said. "The question is, 'What's the path out?' "

Good question.  members of Congress have every right to ask that question and even more of a right to get an answer.  Unfortunately for Coleman, the answer comes in the form of a clear and concise plan as written by his new challenger, Al Franken (D) on his website, AlFranken.com:

We should enact the recommendations of the Baker-HamiltonCommission. Specifically, we should put pressure on the Malikigovernment by making our presence in Iraq conditional upon itswillingness and ability to meet certain benchmarks, including:

• devising a fair plan to share oil revenues among ethnic groups in Iraq
• starting a reconciliation process to defuse sectarian tensions
• addressing the disastrous de-Baathification and putting Sunnis back to work
• engaging sectarian death squads and tearing them out of Iraqi security forces, root and branch

We should also be re-deploying our troops out of the civil war thathas engulfed Baghdad. They can be re-deployed to surrounding bases, toother parts of the country, to Kuwait and Qatar, and especially toAfghanistan, where our mission is in danger of failure. At the sametime, we should be convening a regional conference including Iran,Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and Egypt to come up with along-term plan for Iraq and ensure that a regional conflict does notarise. And we should consider the Biden-Gelb plan for a soft partitionof the country. While we can’t impose that kind of a loose federationon the Iraqi people, it’s worth noting that one seems to be developingalready. Tens of thousands of Iraqis a month are relocating out ofmixed sectarian neighborhoods.

Let's hope Minnesotans elect the candidate with the right answers, not the right questions.

(Video) Al Franken officially announces Senate run

Today, Al Franken -- radio talk-show host, author and co-creator of Saturday Night live -- formally announced his 2008 run for the U.S. Senate seat in the state of Minnesota.  The seat is currently held by Republican Norm Coleman, who defeated Paul Wellstone back in 2002.

Here is a video of Franken's announcement, which like just about every candidate these days was done online:

Al Franken's Senate campaign web site is up and going.

The GOP already has started digging up dirt on him.