I noted
last week Smilin' Norm's drift toward the center on a few issues. We applaud the votes, but suspect the motives. Last week, the Kansas City Star noted the change in the normally reliable Coleman. This week, it's the
Redwood Falls Gazette:
What's up with Norm?
For the first two years of his term, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman was a poster child for G.W. In fact, he was dubbed a Bush Boy from the get-go. He voted pretty much along party lines. Now there seems to be a few changes in the way Norm is carrying out his job. I like what I'm seeing, but by no means do I trust the man any further than I can throw him. ...
Norm has begun to stray from party line votes and represent the interests of the people...
Coleman's an opportunist with ambition. You can't win a Republican primary without getting votes from the UN-fearing, gay-hating, Schiavo-protesting right. You can't win a national election without winning votes from the center. Coleman is hedging his bets. Playing the independent on a few minor issues makes him more of a national player.
My full Smilin' Norm update is here. Partial archives are in my diary. Full archives are here