Almost a Year

In twelve short days, it will have been a year since Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife, his daughter, three members of his staff, and two pilots crashed into a northern Minnesota forest and died. While it seems strange to feel this way, I consider that day a pivotal one for me, a day when I staretd to reconsider my place in the world as it related to politics, family, and work.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I came across a chapter in Al Franken's new book (which is, by the way, stellar) that discusses Wellstone's death and the ensuing memorial. I don't want to get into a debate about that memorial, though I still shudder when I think about how thoroughly the media botched its coverage when it allowed a heartfelt speech to be spun into an act of naked political cunning. What I want to do is remind people of something Wellstone said, something I believe, and something that refutes the idea, expressed to me by many of late, that politics is just a game, not a meaningful exercise:

"Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It's about advancing the cause of peace and justice in our country and in our world. Politics is about doing well for people."