Senator Coleman Critical of Gonzales, Craig

Senator Norm Coleman has taken advantage of two events this week to demonstrate to his Minnesota constituency that he is a centrist, independent voice for the state. In both cases he was critical of fellow prominent Republicans in Washington, D.C.

On Monday, in response to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ resignation, Coleman issued a press release stating Gonzales “had lost the credibility needed to effectively run the Justice Department.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Coleman was extremely critical of fellow GOP Senator Larry Craig, who it was revealed this week plead guilty to disorderly conduct for propositioning an undercover police officer at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport:

“I am deeply disturbed about this conduct. It’s disgusting. … If I was making the decision I would tell him to resign. … It’s unbecoming a Senator. It’s unbecoming anybody. … I’m troubled by this one. … It casts disrepute onto the Senate as an institution. It undermines all those by the way who actually talk about values. … I can’t give him slack on this one.”