Correction
This story incorrectly reported that U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe's earlier "clown comment" came up during a chance meeting Tuesday with incoming Sen. Al Franken,D-Minn. It has been corrected.

WASHINGTON — One week after calling him "the clown from Minnesota," Sen. Jim Inhofe shared a hug Tuesday with Al Franken, the newly minted senator from the North Star State.

That didn't stop Inhofe from saying Franken "kind of looked like a clown."

"It was a chance meeting but we immediately recognized each other because I have said a few things about him,'' the Oklahoma Republican said.

"But it was really funny when we met. For some reason, we both were laughing as if this scene is going to have a happy ending.''

Apparently it did.

Inhofe said he and Franken "physically embraced'' in front of a number of people not long before the Minnesota Democrat took the oath of office on the Senate floor.

"He introduced me to his wife, who couldn't have been nicer,'' Inhofe said.

"We laughed about how opposites (attract). I even said, 'I was sorry you won, but we are here together now.' "

Last week in an interview with the Tulsa World, Inhofe had referred to Franken as "the clown from Minnesota'' as he discussed the fate of efforts to pass legislation on global warming.

Franken had just been declared the winner in the long-running legal battle over election results in Minnesota.

Inhofe added he was not being disrespectful.

"I don't know the guy, but for a living he is a clown,'' he said last week. "That's what he does for a living.''

Franken is a former cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live.

On Tuesday, Inhofe again insisted his comments last week were not meant to be derogatory.

He said the "clown comment" did not come up during the chance meeting.

"But believe me, he knew. He kind of looked like a clown when I was talking to him,'' Inhofe said.

Franken's office did not return a call seeking a comment.

On "The Bill Press Show" last week, Franken was asked about Inhofe's comments.

"I don't know how Sen. Inhofe regards clowns, but it might be an incredible compliment,'' Franken said.

"But I look forward to seeing him.''

He mentioned American Indian issues as one area that Inhofe and he might work on together.

"Oklahoma is a state that has a large native population,'' said Franken, who will serve on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

Inhofe said Tuesday that issue came up Tuesday.