I was saddened by the sudden passing of Georgia's senior Senator, Republican Paul Coverdell. He had accomplished a great deal in his much too short eight years in Washington D.C. and represented Georgians with tremendous class and tenacity. He will be sorely missed.

Now, Democrat Governor Roy Barnes gets to appoint someone to fill Coverdell's seat until a special election is held in November. In lieu of the fact that Coverdell was elected to the Senate two times (1992 and 1998) by Georgia's voters, one would think that Barnes would ignore his partisanship and appoint a Republican to the seat. Barnes has a perfect opportunity to be a statesman and do the honorable thing but my money and instincts tell me that he will appoint a Democrat to get a head start on the November election.

I would feel the same way if Barnes were a Republican and a Democrat seat became open due to a death. The governor should concede to the wishes of his state's voters.

Once again, Barnes will prove that Democrats always put their party before any other entity. They will pick their party over the wishes of their state's voters, over their national responsibilities, over anything and everything.

Barnes will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and honorable Democrats all have the same thing in common: They are ALL figments of our imagination.

Kevin D. Arnold

Fayetteville

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