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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (55468)	10/29/2002 1:11:27 PM
From: Ilaine	Respond to of 281500

Said "it"? Said what? Did "it"? Did what?

To: JohnM who wrote (55468)	10/29/2002 5:38:41 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 281500

Wellstone's secret A BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL 10/29/2002 PAUL WELLSTONE had a secret. It was demonstrated just this month when he was the only Democratic senator facing a tight reelection challenge to vote against President Bush's Iraq war resolution. Polls indicate most Minnesotans support the president on Iraq, and the vote was widely described as a courageous act of principle. But soon after the vote Wellstone's reelection prospects improved, rather than being hurt. ''Probably what would have hurt,'' he told a reporter, ''is if people thought I was doing something just for political reasons.'' This was his secret: integrity sells. Most often, people respect a leader who votes his or her conscience, even if they disagree. Such thoughts - and countless memories - will be recounted everywhere today, especially by the thousands expected for a memorial service for Wellstone, killed in a plane crash on Friday. In his two terms, Wellstone has been one of the most colorful senators, often willing to vote alone or with one or two others on difficult issues. He embodied an unusual blend of brashness and humility. In December 1998, when making a short-lived exploration of a presidential run, he met with the Globe editorial board for an invigorating hour's tour of the nation's imperfect politics. A few weeks later, after abandoning the run, Wellstone called to apologize, hoping he hadn't taken our time under false pretenses. It took some convincing to assure him that the time had been very well spent. With Wellstone's death, liberals have lost a great champion, but his legacy goes far beyond ideology. His value to the Senate and the country lay in his energy, his candor, his modesty, and his understanding of how everyday people connect with their political leaders. Voters aren't apathetic, Wellstone said last year; they have deep concerns, but they don't feel today's politics is addressing them. Now it is just one week until election day. All across the country, the air is thick with political pitches pegged tightly to issues and initiatives and even phrases that polls say generate high favorability among the voters. But people don't want to elect phrases to high office. They want leaders who feel passionately about changing the direction the country is moving, and about addressing problems that beset real people. Wellstone's secret was not tightly held. He did his best to say - he was rarely short for words - and to demonstrate that a hard-working commitment to principled goals, even some that are unpopular, could be successful at the ballot box. The greatest possible tribute to Paul Wellstone would be if more of the political people who mourn him today would take his lesson and act on it - so that it is a secret no more. © Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company. ___________________________ boston.com