Ralph Klein said Tuesday he's offended by the way a Globe and Mail columnist described his 14-year tenure as Alberta premier.

The paper's Jeffrey Simpson recently wrote that the "bozo years'' are over in Alberta now that Klein is retiring as premier. Simpson used the term bozo five times in his Saturday column.

"Think of what Alberta could do with the right leadership in the post-bozo era . . .,'' Simpson wrote. "The efforts during the bozo years were halting and grossly inadequate.''

Klein says he's not surprised someone from a Toronto newspaper would write something negative about his government.

"Of course I'm offended, but it's to be expected for someone from Toronto to write crap like that,'' the premier told reporters. The Globe says Simpson is based in Ottawa, not Toronto.

Simpson's column reflects the fact that other parts of Canada are envious of Alberta because the province has a booming economy, plenty of jobs and a hefty budget surplus, said Klein.

Simpson also wrote that Alberta's Progressive Conservatives ran out of patience with Klein because he stifled debate within the governing party.

"Debate is stifled inside the always-governing (Tory) party and it was especially squelched during the bozo years,'' he wrote.

Klein got only lukewarm support from party members in a mandatory leadership review last spring, forcing him to move up his retirement date to the end of this year.

Simpson could not be reached for comment.