Bill Nelson: “I say to the Senator that sadly Mr. McCollum, former Congressman, who ended up second in the Republican primary, a…”

“I say to the Senator that sadly Mr. McCollum, former Congressman, who ended up second in the Republican primary, a fellow I have known since high school and who has some very high principles, because he announced that he was in favor of the hate crimes bill, was labeled, as reported in the St. Petersburg Times, as ``the new darling of the homosexual extremists'' as a means of trying to cut him down in a Republican primary. This has absolutely gotten out of control and I am afraid we are going to see more of the same as we come into the general election. It is exasperating. It is not the American way. We have seen this time after time. My goodness, what do we have to expect in the Presidential race in the next 6 weeks? That is my response to the Senator.”