Guest, whoever you are (and let me digress a moment, Guest, and recommend that you adopt a handle we can know you by, or better yet, become a member so your name or handle will be unique and no one will be able to impersonate you)--

Since you praise Norm Coleman so much, let me tell you what I remember of the first time I saw him on TV after the crash. His words were something like this: "I was shocked when I heard... I was up in a plane like that myself... I know how it feels... I said to my wife... I think... I want to... I will... I was... I... I... I..." until I wanted to shout, "THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU, NORM!" Granted, he got better in his subsequent appearances. Maybe someone told him how silly he sounded.

This was not the first time I was irritated by Coleman's manner of speech. He is an egotist, he tends to say whatever comes into his head, and he never uses one word when ten will do. I realize this has nothing to do with his principles, but I don't like them, either.

Coleman knows perfectly well (now that he's had time to reflect, and get advice from his staff) that anything he says now that sounds like a campaign speech, however brief, will backfire. So he is wisely refraining from campaigning. I think, out of fairness, Democrats ought to do the same. We ought to refrain from criticizing Coleman, at least in public. (My criticism doesn't count because this is just among friends, don't you know?) And we should refrain from talking about how wonderful Mondale is -- until the moratorium ends, which I think should be Wednesday.

It was between 8 and 9 p.m., Friday, on Twin Cities Public Television's " Almanac" show that I first heard anyone mention Mondale, and it was Minnesotans who mentioned him. You can watch the archived show yourself; just click on the link. I don't think there is any justification for saying outsiders are forcing anything on us.