Sen. Wellstone will be missed

Last Friday as I sat in Terrace Court eating my lunch and attempting to do The New York Times crossword puzzle, I glanced at the television screen and saw Senator Paul Wellstone's picture appear. At first I was confused. It was at the height of the Maryland shootings coverage and I couldn't figure out what the senator from Minnesota had to do with them. When I took a closer look, however, I found the dates 1944-2002 under his name and picture. My body went numb.

Walking back to my table, and then back to my dorm room, I remembered meeting Senator Wellstone two summers ago and the impact he had on me, as well as the group of students I was with. I was attending the Junior Statesmen of America Summer School at Georgetown University and one day a focus of our speaker program was a lecture given by Senator Wellstone. The room was full of Republicans, Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives, yet the senator had a deep impact on everyone. Senator Wellstone was different; he was not a wealthy, Ivy-educated attorney, but rather a political science professor from Minnesota who decided to run for Senate 13 years ago to truly make a difference. In the politics of today, he was one liberal who clung to his views, however progressive they were. One may not have agreed with his views, but there are few who could not doubt his resolve in sticking to them.

He was the ideal politician, one whom we rarely see these days. He was honest, courageous, perseverant, genuine and a normal guy. He fought for the common man -- the average Joe, saying that he would be a senator for "the little fellas not the Rockefellers." He never sacrificed his principles for political advantage. Senator Wellstone was one of a few Senators to vote down the war in Iraq; when asked if his stance would hurt him politically he said, "What would really hurt is if I was giving speeches and I didn't even believe what I was saying. Probably what would hurt is if people thought I was doing something just for political reasons."

Over the past few days I have watched Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and others and have heard descriptions of the senator as "a fearless public servant and tireless advocate for justice" and a person who "used the power of his office for good." Hearing praise about Senator Wellstone, however, has made me disappointed in the American political system and the rest of our elected officials. Although he was a special man, why aren't others described in the same way? Perhaps, while remembering a great man, the United States can remember what made him great.

Senator Wellstone's death has not just been in the news because of the man he was, but because of the political scenario that has emerged since his death. Senator Wellstone died on Friday while seeking his third term, something he was being criticized for, but something he thought was right. Since his death, the Democrats lost the majority in the Senate. This now puts the Minnesota Democratic Party in a precarious situation, similar to the position the Missouri Democrats were in three years ago, following the death of then Governor Mel Carnahan. In fact, the deaths of the two Senators are eerily similar: both died in plane crashes while on the Senate campaign trail and both were in the company of family members.

Although Carnahan died just four days before the election, and it was impossible to find another candidate, Jean, his wife, agreed that if he won the election she would serve. Senator Wellstone's death, meanwhile, fell 11 days before the election and the Democrats have until Oct. 31 to pick a replacement; Senator Wellstone's name is still on all absentee ballots. On Tuesday, Mr. Wellstone's son Mark asked former Vice President Walter Mondale to take his father's place on the ticket. It is hard to imagine finding a more appropriate replacement to honor Senator Wellstone.

On Friday, Oct. 25, 2002, the United States Senate lost a great man and a great leader. Let us remember what made Senator Wellstone so special, and perhaps incorporate a little of that into ourselves.