The AP gives us the following:
Simmering tensions in the Alabama Senate boiled over Thursday when a Republican lawmaker punched a Democratic colleague in the head before they were pulled apart.
Republican Sen. Charles Bishop said Democratic Sen. Lowell Barron called him a "son of a [expletive]." [Are we really so dainty these days we can't read the word "bitch" in the AP? Yikes.]
"I responded to his comment with my right hand," Bishop said. Alabama Public Television tape captured the punch.
Barron denied saying that to Bishop. He said the Jasper senator used an expletive to him and he was trying to get away when he was hit by Bishop on the side of the head near an ear. He said he had not decided if he would file charges.
"I would like to finish today in a productive manner. I will evaluate the situation tomorrow on what I may do," Barron said.
After the punch, Barron went into a closed-door meeting with other Democrats. Sen. Vivian Figures went into the meeting carrying first aid supplies, but she said he was not hurt.
Bishop said he regretted throwing the punch because "that's not the way grown men solve their problems," but added that he would not immediately apologize to Barron.
The fight came on the final day of the 2007 regular session of the Legislature. Republican senators were using delaying tactics to force the Democratic leadership to bring up an election reform bill to ban transfers between political action committees.
Barron is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, which sets the chamber's work agenda, and Republicans were angry that he had not put the election reform bill in a position to come up for debate.
Fisticuffs for a state election reform bill? Really? Maybe it is true what they say and things really do get vicious because the stakes are so low.
Bishop should be a man and apologize already.
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