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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jlallen who wrote (9736)	12/1/1999 10:09:00 PM
From: DMaA	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

You have never seen a full time socialist/democrat rag until you've seen the MPLS red star and sickle. Little Pauly Wellstone - who at this moment is out on the anarchist side of the barricades in Seattle - 10 years ago promised if elected he would NEVER seek more than 2 terms. Well he now has said that a promise means nothing to him. Another schmuck who's gotten used to the power and the perks? No, according to the daily worker it's evidence he's grown - WARNING!!! IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, READ NO FURTHER: Editorial: Wellstone's vow/ Growth can lead to change of mind As a rule, one should not invite politicians to break promises. Enough are broken with no encouragement whatsoever. Credibility is a quality to be applauded among those in positions of public trust. But just as laudable is growth in knowledge and understanding of public service. Sometimes growth leads to a change of mind. When that happens, old promises must be revisited and revised. Last weekend, Sen. Paul Wellstone gingerly hinted that he might revise his 1990 promise to seek and serve only two terms in the U.S. Senate. By Monday, his office characterized his remarks as "speculation." Minnesotans might better conclude that their senior senator was exhibiting growth. Wellstone apparently has come to appreciate something he could not have fully understood as a greenhorn candidate in 1990: In the Senate, seniority and effectiveness are inseparable. They increase in tandem. Two-term seniority is not something a senator from a not-so-large Midwestern state should yield lightly, without testing its value in a good re-election fight. Seniority amplifies a senator's voice, and, by extension, enlarges the interests of a state that might otherwise be overlooked in the geopolitical calculus of congressional leaders. Win or lose, Wellstone would serve voters well by standing again for election to the Senate. Wellstone has been in Congress' upper body for nine years. In that time, he has advanced from dismissible freshman to mention this fall on Congressional Quarterly's list of 50 most effective members. His "liberal voice of conscience," hailed by CQ, is often heard on the losing side of debate in the Republican-controlled Senate. But with increasing seniority, his voice is heard. And if Democrats reclaim a Senate majority in 2000, seniority will put Wellstone in line for a committee chairmanship, a position from which he can do much more than talk. Wellstone's comments to the Mesabi Daily News indicate that he would relish that opportunity. His health seems good, despite a bad back. At age 55, he is too young to retire. His enthusiasm for public service still runs so high that he suggested he might run for governor instead of the Senate in 2002, apparently for the sake of keeping his two-terms-and-out promise. Before going that far, the senator should ask himself whether it is a promise that is better set aside, in light of his increasing potential for influence in the Senate. An old oath should not outweigh today's best judgment about where and how he might do the most good. Neither should it be the sole reason to deprive Minnesota voters the option of electing a senior senator in 2002. It's an option they might decline, but it is still one they should have. Attention investors: The Minneapolis Star Tribune is a McClatchay Company's property (NYSE-MNI) . Keep in mind the quality of their product if you're looking for a media investment.