[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Pages 28388-28397]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING SENATOR PAUL WELLSTONE

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, someone asked me once how I would describe 
my politics. I told them: I believe in the Gospels of Saint Paul. Paul 
Douglas. Paul Simon. And Paul Wellstone.
  They were, in my opinion, three of the best public servants I have 
known. I had the privilege to know each of them and be inspired by 
them. Not a week goes by that I do not draw on some lesson or some 
truth they taught me.
  Today, I find myself thinking especially of Paul Wellstone. It was 5 
years ago today that Paul and his wife Sheila died in a plane crash in 
heavy fog in the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. The information 
reached us in Chicago a few hours later. I was asked to comment on 
local television station. I am sure that the emotion in my voice 
betrayed my real feelings about this great man, and Sheila.
  Also lost in the crash were Paul and Sheila's daughter Marcia; their 
friends and campaign workers, Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic and Mary 
McEvoy; and the plane's pilots, Richard Conroy and Michael Guess.
  To understand who Paul Wellstone was and what he meant to so many 
people, listen to this story from John Nichols, the Washington 
correspondent for ``The Nation.''
  Two hours after the plane crash, he had just finished delivering a 
keynote speech to about 150 family farm activists in a small town in 
Wisconsin when the conference organizer whispered the news to him. 
These were people who knew Paul Wellstone as the college professor who 
was willing to march with them--and even to be arrested with them--to 
protest family farm foreclosures. When he was elected to the Senate, 
they thought of Paul Wellstone as their Senator, whether or not they 
lived in Minnesota.
  When they learned that he had died, John Nichols wrote: ``Cries of 
``No!'' and ``My God! My God!'' filled the room, as grown men felt for 
tables to keep their balance, husbands and wives hugged one another and 
everyone began an unsuccessful struggle to choke back tears. The group 
gathered in a large circle. People wept in silence until, finally, a 
woman began to recite the Lord's Prayer for the son of Russian Jewish 
immigrants who had touched the lives and the hearts of solid Midwestern 
Catholic and Lutheran farmers who do not think of themselves as having 
many friends in Congress.
  ``He was our flagbearer,'' one woman said. ``There are plenty of 
people in Congress who vote right, but Paul did everything right. We 
didn't have to ask

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him, we didn't have to lobby him, he understood. It was like having one 
of us in Congress.''
  That was how Paul Wellstone wanted it. He once said: People have to 
believe you are on their side, that someone in the Senate is listening. 
If there is someone in Congress, maybe just one person, it gives them a 
sense that change is possible.
  Paul Wellstone was, by some standards, one of the unlikeliest 
Senators ever. His first election, in 1990, remains one of the great 
upset victories in Minnesota history. He was a college professor taking 
on an incumbent Senator. His campaign had very little money.
  He bought his first three suits--for $100 apiece--during that 
campaign, and crisscrossed Minnesota in an old green school bus that 
always seemed to be breaking down.
  No matter. What he lacked in money and consultants, he more than made 
up for in ideas and passion and hustle. ``Politics,'' he said, ``is 
what we create by what we do, what we hope for, and what we dare to 
imagine.''
  Minnesotans believed him, and sent him to the U.S. Senate--the only 
challenger to defeat an incumbent Senator that year.
  Even with his new suits, Paul Wellstone stood out in the Senate. 
During his first weeks here, one reporter wrote that he ``projects an 
image of barely in-control energy and enthusiasm.'' Another reporter 
described how ``he has a habit of going pie-eyed with excitement and 
pumping the air with his hands.''
  I remember him in the back row here. He used to like to get a long 
cord on his microphone and range all over that area, just walking and 
talking and waving his arms with that kind of stumbling gait that was 
part of the back injury that had haunted him most of his adult life. 
When he got going, people were listening, always.
  When Paul Wellstone was in junior high, his mother--a Ukrainian 
immigrant--worked in the cafeteria of his school--a fact that 
embarrassed her son greatly. Later in life, whenever he visited a 
school, he always introduced himself to the cafeteria workers.
  He did the same thing in the Senate. He seemed to know every security 
guard, kitchen worker, and elevator operator in this Capitol Building 
by name.
  But this is what was different about Paul Wellstone: He didn't just 
talk to cafeteria workers; he voted as a Senator with them in mind. As 
he said, ``Some people are here to fight for the Rockefellers. I'm here 
to fight for the little fellers.'' I am sure Jay Rockefeller didn't 
take offense.
  Paul Wellstone fought for family farmers on the edge of foreclosure, 
for workers facing layoffs, for older people trying to decide which 
prescription to fill this month. He and Sheila--his indispensable 
partner for 39 years--fought for women and children threatened by 
violence.
  He fought for teachers and coal miners. For veterans. For people 
suffering the sting of discrimination and denial because of race, 
gender, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability.
  He fought for immigrant parents who work at less-than-minimum-wage 
jobs. He listened to them, and looked them in the eye. And when he did, 
he used to say, he saw his own parents.
  He fought for ``good education, good health care, and good jobs.'' He 
demanded fairness for those to whom life had been unfair. He gave 
people hope and courage.
  It didn't matter to him if he was on the wrong end of a 99-to-1 vote. 
He voted his conscience. I was in the Senate one day when we had a vote 
on a defense-related issue. I had decided that I was going to vote 
against an amendment about to be called by one of the Senators on the 
other side of the aisle. As is custom in the Senate, they roll through 
the rollcall and recount who voted how. When they listed the names in 
the negative, mine was the only name they mentioned and I realized I 
was by myself, and I said, ``Where's Wellstone?'' And darned if he 
didn't walk through the door and vote ``no'' with me. That's the kind 
of person he was. He wasn't afraid to be the only one or the only one 
of two Senators voting on an issue.
  Now, Paul Wellstone was a wrestler not just with issues but 
literally--he was a champion wrestler in high school. In the Senate--
even with that bad back and hobbled by M.S.--he remained incredibly 
strong. He held the push-up record at the Capitol police gym: 91 in 1 
minute. But it was his strength of character, even more than his 
strength of body, that was truly extraordinary.
  I remember the night the Senate voted on the Iraq war resolution. Mr. 
President, there were 23 of us who voted against the Iraq war 
resolution. Three of us remained on the floor afterwards--three of us 
who had voted no. The Chamber was clear; it was late at night. I recall 
walking up to Paul Wellstone, who was in a tight election contest back 
in Minnesota, and saying to him: Paul, I hope this doesn't cost you the 
election. And he said to me: It's OK if it does. This is what I believe 
and this is who I am. The people of Minnesota would not expect anything 
less.
  That was it. A handful of words, summarizing who he was and what he 
believed in and what he thought politics was all about. That was the 
last conversation that I had with Paul Wellstone before he lost his 
life in that plane crash 5 years ago today.
  Much was lost in that crash. But much survives. To keep their 
parents' work alive, Paul and Sheila's sons, Mark and David, have 
started a progressive advocacy organization called Wellstone Action. 
Perfect. In the last 4 years, more than 14,300 people have attended 
``Camp Wellstone'' workshops in nearly every state, where they have 
learned to how to make politics relevant and effective. And here I am 
going to give a plug: if you want to know more about their good work, 
go to their Web site: www.wellstone.org. Take a look.
  The Senate is fortunate to still have the service of talented, 
passionate men and women who learned from Paul Wellstone himself. I 
count myself lucky as one of those lucky ones.
  One thing I will close with: One of Paul Wellstone's real passions 
was this issue of discrimination against the mentally ill. It touched 
his life and his family and he knew it personally and was determined to 
make sure those suffering from mental illness had a fair shake for 
health insurance and medical services. He did not get the job done by 
the time he left us in the Senate, but that battle was carried on 
valiantly by Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Pete Domenici, who passed 
the legislation. I hope that the House will pass a similar bill soon so 
we can honor Paul Wellstone and do something important.
  Paul Wellstone was full of hope. A reporter who knew him well 
recalled a conversation they had after the 1994 elections, when 
Democrats lost control of both Houses of Congress for the first time in 
decades.
  This is what he wrote:

       Wellstone was upset but not down. ``We don't have time for 
     despair,'' he said. ``The fight doesn't change. It just gets 
     harder. But it's the same fight.''

  I wish Paul Wellstone were here today. Of all of the thousands of men 
and women I have served with in the House and Senate he and Congressman 
Mike Synar of Oklahoma are two that I always wish were around for a 
phone call, for a word of advice--just to sit with for a few moments 
and hear their brand of politics.
  If Paul Wellstone were here today I know what he would tell us: Don't 
give up. Don't despair. There are so many people counting on you. 
You've got to keep fighting. So let's do more than just honor and miss 
our friend today. Let's vow to stick together, pick up the fallen 
standard and continue his work.
  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I want to rise to take the floor for a 
few moments to reflect and to pause to think about the life and legacy 
of former Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife Sheila.
  It was 5 years ago today that we suffered the terrible tragedy of 
Senator Wellstone's death, tragedy for my State, for the entire Nation.
  Senator Wellstone and I had been engaged in a very hard-fought and 
vigorous election contest. We were about

[[Page 28390]]

10 days from the election. I think everybody in our State reflects on 
where they were at the moment they heard the news. We were both, 
Senator Wellstone and myself, on the way to a debate in Duluth, MN. I 
was up in Grand Rapids flying in on a King Air plane, the same type of 
plane Senator Wellstone was flying when it went down and caused his 
death and the death of his wife Sheila, their daughter Marcia, and five 
others.
  We were about to get in our plane, probably about 25 miles, somewhere 
in the same area as the Senator. We heard the news with a great sense 
of disbelief, we knelt down and said our prayers for the Senator, for 
his wife, for the others who died.
  The news was met by disbelief, shock, and sadness. In the hours that 
followed, it was as if the entire State of Minnesota had stopped. For 
so many Minnesotans, regardless of where you stood politically or 
whether you agreed with Senator Wellstone's politics, you admired him 
and his unwavering commitment to the things he cared about most. He was 
so passionate about what he believed.
  That admiration is evidenced in folks such as Mary Oberg, who lives 
not far from me in St. Paul. I was looking at a piece on Public Radio 
today. She was not far from being in St. Paul. In a news story I read, 
she said she did not necessarily support all of Paul's views, but she 
liked the fact that there is still a memorial bench in her 
neighborhood, in my neighborhood, that honors Senator Wellstone to this 
day.
  It shows respect, Mary said. And that is what is lacking in the world 
today, is a lack of respect for others. This is a magnificent 
institution. I see my colleague from West Virginia is here. He has been 
here a long time, has a great sense of history--I try to visit with him 
as often as I can--a great sense of collegiality.
  In a world that has become so divisive and so partisan, so angry, 
whether in this Chamber or in the House Chamber, Senator Wellstone 
reflected in the passion for his belief that politics was not a death 
sport, it was something which you could agree to disagree and still 
shake a hand and ask: How are you doing? And move on. The kind of 
respect that Mary Oberg reflected on was that hallmark of Senator 
Wellstone himself.
  His passion, enthusiasm, and energy for public service is something 
that inspires me, as it inspired so many folks that have followed his 
footsteps into public service. Nowhere was that passion more clear than 
in his unyielding support for those individuals who suffered the 
ravages of mental illness. Since he arrived in the Senate, he worked 
day in and day out to pass mental health parity legislation; put an end 
to the discrimination against people with mental illness and chemical 
addiction.
  Paul was also willing to put aside politics on this important issue. 
He worked hand in hand with another champion for mental health issues, 
Senator Pete Domenici, another individual who has been around here for 
many years and was and is so passionate about that issue.
  Working together, Senators Domenici and Wellstone helped millions of 
Americans overcome the stigma surrounding mental health disorders. 
Millions of Americans were able to seek treatment and gain hope through 
their powerful commitment to this issue.
  I cannot imagine a better way to honor Paul's legacy than sending a 
strong mental health parity bill to the President of the United States 
and have him sign it into law.
  I also want to comment about a unique living memorial to the 
Wellstones, and that is the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for 
Community which opened its doors a year ago. It is truly a Paul and 
Sheila Wellstone kind of place. It stands literally where the East 
meets the West. Since Paul came from the East, as I did, he probably 
felt very much at home in our ethnic neighborhoods, filled with middle-
class working families.
  It was constructed, in large measure, with $10 million generously 
provided by this Chamber. The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center is a 
100,000 square foot facility with meeting places for a variety of 
cultural, social, and civic activities for people of all backgrounds. 
It also serves as an education and training center.
  The west side is kind of like our Ellis Island. It is the place 
where, in the Midwest, immigrant groups came in in the old days. It was 
the Jews and Lebanese; today it is the Hmong and the Somalis.
  A community center is a poor substitute for the real thing, Paul and 
Sheila themselves, but it is worth doing, providing a safe place where 
kids can learn and play, families can receive training and support, 
community members can be organized to fight injustice and partake in 
the American dream.
  These and so many other issues that Paul cared about transcended 
partisan politics and ideology. The greatest legacy to Senator 
Wellstone is to stay rooted in his belief that Government has an 
obligation to do what it can do, which is to help those who need help 
the most.
  Five years later, I certainly have a greater understanding and 
appreciation for the challenges that Senator Wellstone faced and others 
that came before him of serving in a Congress that is too often 
governed by partisanship rather than a culture and a commitment to 
getting things done.
  I have made a commitment to follow in that tradition of working hard 
and being a vocal advocate for our great State. This anniversary should 
be an occasion to celebrate the Wellstones' lives and to remember the 
commitment Paul and his family made and continue to make using public 
service to improve the lives of all people.
  On this anniversary of their death, I hope everyone can continue to 
hold Paul, Sheila, their family, and the others who died in their 
terrible crash, hold them close in your hearts, hold them in your 
prayers, as my family and I will.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, it is hard to believe that it was 5 years 
ago today we lost our dear friend and colleague--Paul Wellstone.
  On a cold Minnesota morning, his life, along with his wife, daughter, 
three staff members, and two pilots, was cut tragically short. It was a 
day that is burned into our memories, a day we will never forget.
  Paul was a good man. He was a man who truly loved being a Senator. It 
wasn't the power and prestige that he loved, it was his ability to 
serve the people, to help those in need--especially those who otherwise 
wouldn't have had a voice.
  He was a fighter. He fought for the underprivileged. For the 
downtrodden. For those who otherwise had been forgotten. He fought for 
the underdog--the little guy. And most of all he fought for what he 
believed in to be right and true.
  Paul loved life and lived each day to the fullest. He always had a 
kind word and a smile to whom ever he came across. And he came to work 
determined to make our country and world a better place.
  The Senate has changed a lot since Paul's death. The halls are a 
little quieter. There is a little less fire and brimstone on the Senate 
floor. Paul was known for going to the floor and giving an impassioned 
speech about how we had to provide better health care coverage for the 
mentally ill, assistance for domestic violence victims, better benefits 
for our veterans, or education for our children.
  While Paul was a hard-working, dedicated public servant, he was also 
a family man who loved his wife, children, and grandchildren very much. 
His best friend and companion in his life was his wife Sheila. She 
inspired him, was his constant companion, and she calmed him. Their 
love was one of a kind. In many ways it is fitting they left this Earth 
together.
  While Paul is not here, his spirit lives on. He inspired all of us to 
be better people. And his memory lives on. Paul's work is continued 
through his two sons Mark and David, Wellstone Action, and through his 
staff--many of whom can still be seen in the halls today.
  Like many of my colleagues in Congress, I miss my Paul. So let us 
remember him today and honor all of the

[[Page 28391]]

work he did to make this country a better place for all of us.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, it is hard to believe that today marks 5 
years since an extraordinarily frigid and raining, tough day in October 
when we were stunned to hear the reports of the missing plane and then 
reports that it carried our friend, Senator Wellstone, his wife Sheila, 
and his daughter Marcia. I had just been with him in Minnesota hours 
earlier where his wife and he campaigned.
  It was one of the moments you never forget. I remember feeling the 
awful, vivid contrasts of a world transformed. October 25, our friend 
and colleague was gone--but October 24 he had been right there with us 
full of life. I was in the Twin Cities at Sam Kaplan's house at a 
Wellstone campaign event with Paul's wife, Sheila. Paul was campaigning 
on the other side of the State, but he called into the event, and I 
will never forget what it was like to hear that voice over the speaker 
phone--loud, clear, strong--Paul Wellstone, that voice full of passion 
and commitment.
  It was a sad and sickening feeling to hear the next day that both of 
them were gone.
  In the last 5 years, I can't tell you how many times how many of us, 
in tough fights and lonely stands, have wished we had Paul Wellstone in 
our corner here on the floor of the Senate.
  Paul and Sheila Wellstone were an extraordinary couple. They were the 
best people in politics and in life--the most caring, the most giving, 
the most sincere and genuine people I have ever met or will ever meet.
  Paul was the Pied Piper of modern politics--so many people heard him 
and wanted to follow him in his fight. Joyful, rumpled, the genuine 
article--we all admired Paul for his energy and his independence, his 
spirit and his zest for making people's lives better and inspiring 
others to do the same.
  It is impossible to measure the number of lives Paul touched. So many 
people who never even knew him are better off because of him. When I 
ran for President in 2004, at rope lines around the country, people 
would come up to me after rallies--people in wheelchairs, people with 
cancer, veterans, senior citizens, farmers--and they would place in my 
palm that familiar, cherished Wellstone button, or one of those green 
ribbons lovingly created after Paul passed away. These were talismans. 
Words didn't need to be spoken--you could see it in their eyes, you 
could see how much he meant--even 2 years later, he was still their 
champion, he was still their voice.
  Right in front of my eyes, in their faces, I could see the legacy of 
a man who lived Hubert Humphrey's credo: ``The moral test of government 
is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the 
children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those 
who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the 
handicapped.'' Paul's politics was a moral politics.
  To all the people who worked for him, who loved him, he was never 
Senator Wellstone, or ``the Senator''--he was just Paul, and Paul 
Wellstone wouldn't have had it any other way. He was the champion in 
the Senate for issues that some people didn't think were politically 
popular--the Hmong in Minnesota, Native Americans on the reservations, 
the poor, children, stopping drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife 
Reserve thousands of miles from his home. I still remember after our 
victory on that filibuster, the image of Paul walking into the rally--
limping--his back hurting from a condition that caused him pain right 
to the end, absolutely unbowed, the look on his face was pure joy--the 
exuberance of having succeeded at doing something because it was the 
right thing to do.
  He understood that values had to be not just spoken but actually 
lived. As he said: Politics is what we do. Politics is what we do, 
politics is what we create, by what we work for, by what we hope for 
and what we dare to imagine.
  I will never forget, 3 years ago, standing next to Bruce Springsteen, 
at rallies of 50,000, 60,000, 80,000 people--in Madison, WI, and 
Cleveland, OH--people standing in the chill and the rain and the wind--
people who were there because, just like Paul, they loved their country 
so much they wanted to change it,--and I still remember the response--
the tears and the joy and, above all, the hope--when Bruce Springsteen 
would quote words from Paul that ought to ring true for all of us:
  The future will not belong to those who sit on the sidelines. The 
future will not belong to the cynics. The future belongs to those who 
believe in the beauty of their dreams.
  Paul and Sheila Wellstone aren't here with us in Washington, but they 
continue to remind us what we can have if we believe once again in our 
highest hopes and our strongest ideals. They continue to remind us of 
what is important--and what is worth fighting for.
  I want to say for the record today that Paul Wellstone and his 
politics are much missed.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, 5 years ago today, Senator Paul Wellstone, 
his wife Sheila, his daughter Marcia, and three of his staff perished 
in a plane crash.
  This was a tragic loss to the Wellstone family, including his two 
surviving sons, David and Mark, his State, our Nation, and this body.
  His passion, energy, and commitment on behalf of the ``little 
guys''--all those without a voice, including children, the poor, the 
homeless, victims of domestic violence, the mentally ill--serves as an 
example to us all.
  He was a champion for all those who needed one, and for doing what is 
right. This was well-illustrated in his unwavering devotion to the 
fight for mental health parity, robust education funding, and 
affordable housing.
  Senator Wellstone worked tirelessly to achieve fairness in the 
treatment of mental illness. On September 18, the Senate unanimously 
passed mental health parity. In the other body, the Paul Wellstone 
Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act recently moved through 
committee.
  We must continue the fight toward final passage of mental health 
parity. I look forward to that day, which will be a historic 
achievement, and an enduring memorial to the life of this great man.
  I was honored to serve with Senator Wellstone for over 4 years on the 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. He was a consistent 
and powerful advocate for increased education funding and ensuring our 
children possess the necessary skills and tools to compete in an ever-
expanding global economy.
  During the debates on the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, he would 
say, ``We cannot realize the goal of leaving no child behind on a tin 
cup budget.'' Unfortunately, today we are still struggling to provide 
more than that ``tin cup'' budget as the President has cumulatively 
underfunded title I of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Federal 
Government's most significant commitment to K-12 education, by over $43 
billion since its enactment. As such, his words seem more appropriate 
than ever.
  Senator Wellstone worked on a multitude of issues, but I want to 
touch on just one other today, and that is affordable housing. At 
Senator Wellstone's suggestion, on April 15, 2002, I flew out to 
Minnesota to hold a Banking Committee Subcommittee on Housing and 
Transportation field hearing on ``Affordable Housing and Working 
Families.''
  At the time, Minnesota had one of the Nation's highest rates of 
homeownership, yet one of the worst affordable rental housing shortages 
in the country. It was our hope that we could learn more about the 
affordable housing crisis impacting working families, and how 
government could best work with the private sector to address the 
problem.
  Paul's passion for this issue and his special connection to his 
constituents was apparent throughout this hearing. He was intent on 
figuring out what obstacles stood in the way of creating more 
affordable housing, and what the Federal Government could do to help. 
Paul believed in democracy with a small ``d,'' and he allowed anyone in 
the audience who had something to say

[[Page 28392]]

to come up to the microphone and tell the U.S. Senate what it might do 
to help.
  Paul's untimely death was a huge blow to many of us. He inspired us 
every day to focus on those who were less fortunate, and that legacy 
must continue to live on.
  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)
 Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today, as we mark the fifth 
anniversary of the death of Senator Paul Wellstone, I am reminded of 
what Hubert Humphrey-- another great Minnesotan that served in the 
Senate--once said:

       The moral test of government is how that government treats 
     those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who 
     are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are 
     in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the 
     handicapped.

  This quote always reminds me of the way Paul lived his life and the 
legacy he has left behind.
  Five years ago on this day, we lost a colleague, a progressive 
advocate, and a Senator who devoted every fiber of his being to 
building a better, fairer America. Many of us also lost a close friend 
who we admired and looked to for advice and support. Paul always stood 
up for what he believed in and gave a voice to those who were not given 
a seat at the table. He was the People's Senator through and through.
  In the Senate, Paul championed mental health parity legislation to 
help end discrimination against people living with mental illness. It 
was a personal struggle for him, as he came to understand the issue 
through the experiences of his brother. I had the privilege of working 
with Paul as First Lady and as a member of the Senate's Heath, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, where no issue was too 
difficult or challenging, large or small, for Paul to tackle if he 
thought it would make a positive difference in someone's life.
  I remember when I heard that the plane carrying Paul, his wife 
Sheila, their daughter Marcia, and three of his campaign aides had 
crashed. Many of us did not want to believe it. No longer would our 
friend and Senator--indefatigable--come bursting through the doors of 
the Senate floor, ready to speak out, ready to right a wrong, or 
address a problem that had to be solved. No longer would Sheila, a 
dynamic presence in her own right, travel across Minnesota and the 
country and spread the word about domestic violence and so many other 
worthy causes.
  To ensure that their legacy lived on, more than three years ago, an 
organization called Wellston Action was established to honor both Paul 
and his wife Sheila. Through hard work and dedication, Wellstone Action 
has been able to grow tremendously and preserve the Wellstone way for 
future generations.
  We have a duty in the Senate to never let Paul's legacy fade. I said 
it 5 years ago and today I reiterate it again, we must work towards the 
goals and ideals Paul fought for day in and day out: to strengthen our 
education system, our health care system, our economy, civil and human 
rights, our Nation. We still feel in our hearts and in our lives this 
grievous, tragic loss. Today, we not only look back on the life of a 
Senator who stood up for what he believed in, we look forward to 
carrying on what he taught us.
  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)
 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life of one of 
the finest men I have known in this body: Senator Paul Wellstone of 
Minnesota. Paul--along with his wife Sheila and his daughter Marcia; 
his staff members Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic, and Mary McEvoy; and 
pilots Richard Conry and Michael Guess--died in a plane crash 5 years 
ago to the day. Five years, half a decade already: The time has passed 
so quickly that it comes as a shock to stop and recall just how long 
Paul has been gone. In marking his death, we remember that the years 
are passing just as fast for each of us, and that they can take us, as 
they took our friend Paul, when we are least ready to go. What a 
privilege we have to serve here--what a short time we are given! Paul's 
death and Paul's life remind us to fill that short time with all the 
best we can bring. Paul Wellstone did: He lived just 58 years, and yet 
it seems that in that time, he lived enough to fill two or three or 
four lives.
  Paul was a champion wrestler who became a champion scholar; a 
tireless activist and organizer who became a beloved professor; 
everywhere and always a fighter, full of energy and zeal and real love 
for the people he spoke for in this Chamber. He was, in the proud 
tradition of his State, one of the happiest warriors I have ever known. 
He was an intellectual, a Ph.D., but never abstract; all the theories 
in the world meant nothing to Paul if they couldn't lift up the single 
mother struggling to support a family or the torture victim seeking 
refuge in America or the sufferer of mental illness marked with an 
unjust stigma.
  Paul suffered with each of them. In fact, the pain that Paul felt in 
his life--the ache of his multiple sclerosis, the challenges of growing 
up the son of immigrants, the pain of his brother's mental illness--
became his most powerful political weapon. Pain cuts some of us off, 
but not Paul Wellstone: He found the greatest salve in reaching out, in 
traveling up and down Minnesota in the dead of winter in his rickety 
green campaign bus; in taking time to thank the cooks, waiters, and 
janitors who served at so many of Paul's events; in stretching out an 
appearance to two or three times its planned length because he was so 
caught up in a conversation, until his staff were forced to grab him by 
the arm and literally drag him out of the room.
  He was given 12 years to make his mark in the Senate. And in that 
time, he helped ensure that toddlers all through this country would 
have a head start in life. He ensured that his State would be a refuge 
for victims of torture who came here from the dungeons of Central 
America or Asia. He fought hard against sex trafficking and against 
domestic violence with Sheila Wellstone, herself a leading advocate for 
battered women. He helped make sure that families stayed warm in the 
winter, because the government gave them the heating assistance they 
needed. And inspired by the struggles of his brother, he struggled to 
end the discrimination against the mentally ill by insurers. In that 
last cause, I was particularly proud to stand beside Paul; and finally 
enacting mental health parity legislation would be a fitting honor to 
his memory.
  Paul did so much more than ever could be expected with the short time 
he was given; he was driven by an untiring spirit. But he also 
understood that legislation, as much good as it has the power to do, is 
something of a symptom, an outward phenomenon; the deeper causes of 
what we accomplish in this Chamber are the movements and forces that 
put us in office, that make one cause prosper and another weaken--
Paul's ear was to the ground and his eyes were on the roots. He was a 
Senator-organizer: and as much energy as he put into legislating, he 
put more into building a movement that would outlast him.
  So I wish that Paul were still at his desk in this room today; maybe 
grayer and a little more stooped, but still giving his all to the fight 
to end a misguided war, one he opposed since the outset, or pouring out 
all his passion against torture and lawlessness in our own government. 
I wish we still had his voice.
  But on another level, I know that it doesn't matter. The activists 
and candidates and grassroots organizers trained by Wellstone Action, a 
nonprofit set up in Paul's name, still memorize a phrase he used to 
remind us all that politics is first and foremost about those we serve: 
``It's not about me, it's not about me, it's not about me.'' Paul knew 
that the name at the top of the bill, the politician at the top of a 
ballot, the voice speaking the words matters little. The citizens whom 
we serve are the ones who matter most, and Paul's commitment was, first 
and foremost, to those of our citizens whose lives are spent at the 
margins of our society.
  ``Some people,'' Paul's home newspaper wrote today, ``live lives so 
large

[[Page 28393]]

that they never really die.'' It was true of Paul Wellstone, and his 
wife Sheila, and his daughter Marcia. May we live in their example, so 
that those words will one day be true of each of us.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, 5 years ago today, our colleague Paul 
Wellstone and his wife Sheila Wellstone were killed in a plane crash in 
northern Minnesota. It hardly seems like 5 years.
  I remember that morning I was on the road driving in a van to Grand 
Forks, ND, going to a meeting when I received a call that an airplane 
had gone down in northern Minnesota and it was the plane that Paul and 
his wife Sheila and some staff were on. They feared that the crash had 
taken their lives.
  I was thinking as I was coming over here today that the day Paul and 
Sheila were killed was very much like today--a gray day with rain and 
moisture. Paul and his wife were on a plane flying to a funeral in 
northern Minnesota. They lost their lives. They were in the final 
stages of a very aggressive Senate campaign, one I believe Paul would 
have won. I believe he would have retained his seat in the Senate. He 
cared deeply about his opportunities, his privilege, and his obligation 
as a Senator.
  A couple weeks ago, I was on the campus of the University of North 
Carolina at Chapel Hill, and I was walking across the commons of the 
campus and looked to my left and I saw a small memorial garden to Paul 
and Sheila Wellstone. I didn't know it, but I asked someone why that 
garden existed on the campus of the University of North Carolina. They 
said because it was where Paul Wellstone earned his PhD, where Paul 
Wellstone had been a college wrestler and, I believe, a college 
champion wrestler. I had not known that previously. Nonetheless, there 
is a tribute to Paul and Sheila Wellstone on the campus of the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  Last week, I was visited in my office by about eight people to 
present me with a framed plaque of sorts because of Paul Wellstone. I 
was thinking of that as I came to the floor as well. This was a group 
of people who represented the major automobile industry in this 
country, the large auto producers, and the independent shops around the 
country that do automobile repair. I had nearly forgotten about what 
had gone on as a result of this, but they asked to come and see me and 
they came in and said: You and Senator Paul Wellstone 6 years ago did 
something that made a big difference, and we wanted to recognize that 
work. I said: I am happy about that, but let me make sure you recognize 
and let me accept it for Paul Wellstone in his memory.
  Paul sat in that desk right back there on the end. It was on the 
floor of the Senate that he came to me breathless--and he was usually 
breathless because he had so much energy and passion about things--and 
he said: I went to an automobile repair shop in Minnesota, a small 
family-owned auto repair shop. They told me they cannot get the codes 
for the new automobiles in order to be able to repair them because the 
automobile manufacturers have these codes in their computers and they 
won't provide them to the independent auto repair shops, which means 
when you buy a car at a dealership, you have to go back to the 
dealership to get it fixed. In order to get a diagnostic, you have to 
have the codes and they won't give the independents these codes.
  He said: Byron, that is an outrage. I want you to hold a hearing on 
that.
  I chaired the appropriate subcommittee in the Commerce Committee, and 
I said I would be glad to do that. Why don't you come and be a part of 
the hearing and sit on the dais. He was not on the Commerce Committee. 
I invited him to make a statement and ask questions. So we held a 
hearing in the Commerce Committee. The room was full of people 
representing the independent auto repair shops around the country. We 
had a lot of them travel to Washington, DC.
  There was testimony by the automobile manufacturers and the folks 
running these little auto repair shops around the country. They had a 
big disagreement. I felt and Paul felt it was unfair to the independent 
auto repair dealers, the small shops, not to be able to get the codes 
so they could fix these automobiles that were in disrepair.
  I remember Paul's statement at the hearing sticking up for the little 
guy, saying these folks running these automobile independent repair 
stations should not be disadvantaged like this; they ought to have an 
opportunity to do this as well.
  As a result of that hearing, the automobile manufacturers and the 
independent repair shops decided they would work together and find a 
way to solve the problem. Last week, a group of them came to my office 
and presented me with something that said what you and Senator 
Wellstone did required us to sit down and negotiate, and we negotiated 
and solved the problem, and now we provide the codes to the independent 
auto repair shops. The folks from the independent shops were there and 
said we now have a good relationship with the auto manufacturers.
  That issue got solved because Paul Wellstone was standing up for the 
little guy. He went to a repair shop in Minnesota and found out the 
independent owner of that shop was not being treated fairly, in his 
mind, and in my judgment. So he brought it to the Congress. We got 
together and held a hearing, and the result is this was solved. It was 
negotiated in a way that was good for the consumer, good for the folks 
who owned the automobile repair businesses and, frankly, good for the 
automobile manufacturers. They have admitted that as well. I thank all 
of them for negotiating that in the right way.
  Mostly, I thank Paul Wellstone for the energy he had in the Senate to 
always stand up for the little guy. The interesting thing about Senator 
Wellstone, however, is that as he stood over by that back seat over 
there, on every single issue Paul Wellstone stood up and wanted to know 
how it would affect kids--especially poor children in this country, 
many of whom feel hopeless and helpless, many of whom feel they do not 
have the same opportunities. He was unrelenting in trying to make 
certain we pass legislation that gave America's kids a good opportunity 
to be successful.
  The other issue for which all of us remember Paul Wellstone--and my 
colleague, Senator Domenici, surely will because he was Senator 
Domenici's partner--is parity for mental health care because mental 
health care has not been treated the same way in most insurance 
policies, and still is not in many insurance policies, as other health 
care one might get. If one breaks an arm or a leg or has a disease, one 
gets health care treatment, and it gets covered by their insurance 
policy. But mental health has been treated differently.
  Paul devoted much of his time in the Senate saying we ought to be 
fair and have parity as to how mental health is treated in health 
insurance policies in this country.
  I came to the floor to observe, as others have today, that it is 5 
years to the day we lost a good friend. He was one of those who said: 
Here is what I am; here is who I am. I am not trimming my sails to make 
things sound better for anybody. I am just going to fight as hard as I 
can fight for issues I care about and issues I believe are right for 
Minnesota and our country. I have always admired that spirit.
  Those of us who were privileged to be Paul's friend also know Paul 
Wellstone was a team. It was Paul and Sheila Wellstone. Most of us in 
the Senate who had the privilege of serving with Paul and knowing 
Sheila and Paul as a team continue to miss them a great deal.
  I wanted simply today to celebrate the memory of Paul Wellstone and 
Sheila Wellstone and talk about the contributions they made in this 
country and the contributions through public service to their country.
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, this is the fifth anniversary of the 
death of Paul and Sheila Wellstone. I wished to say a few words on 
that. I was a friend of Paul's when I was in the House, and on some of 
the important social and economic issues that I worked on there, he was 
the person to whom I

[[Page 28394]]

went, to work with a Member of the Senate.
  I think history will remember Paul Wellstone as one of the great 
Senators of our time, not just because of his accomplishments but, more 
importantly, because of the extraordinary vision that he had.
  Paul believed very much that we could create a very different kind of 
world than the world that we are living in right now. He was prepared 
and did stand up day after day on the floor of this Senate, taking on 
virtually every powerful special interest that exploited working people 
and low-income people and who led us to wars we should not be fighting.
  He was a man who believed passionately in a world of peace, in a 
world of economic and social justice. That vision he brought forth is 
the vision I hope nobody in the Senate, nobody in this country, ever 
forgets.
  One of the major characteristics of Paul Wellstone is he understood 
that the way we succeed politically is not simply by going out to the 
wealthy and the powerful begging for more and more campaign 
contributions, which is what happens so often. He understood that the 
way to win elections is by rallying ordinary people at the grassroots 
level, and perhaps it is that achievement, from a political 
perspective, for which he will most be remembered. I know in Minnesota 
he organized at the grassroots and brought thousands and thousands of 
people who had not been involved in the political process together to 
stand up under a progressive program for economic justice and a world 
of peace. He understood profoundly something many here do not address: 
Real change takes place from the bottom, not from the top, and when 
millions of people stand up and say it is imperative that we have 
economic justice, that we have a livable wage, that we have a health 
care program which guarantees health care to all of our people, that we 
protect our environment, when that comes from the grassroots, then we 
will succeed. He was a tireless advocate of grassroots politics.
  As someone who worked with Paul, who was very fond of both him and 
Sheila, the vision they brought forth is something for which I will do 
my best to continue advocating. His loss was a loss for the working 
people, for the vast majority of the people of this country, and for 
the Senate.
  I will not forget what Paul Wellstone stood for.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor to pay special 
tribute to a very special individual who is no longer with us in the 
Senate. He was a friend to me, a tremendous U.S. Senator, and he was an 
advocate for thousands and thousands of human beings across this 
country who may never have met him but for whom he spoke so eloquently. 
That was Senator Paul Wellstone.
  Five years ago today, we lost that friend, that Senator, that 
passionate advocate. Still every day I come to this floor, I can see 
him here, raising his voice, throwing his arms out, speaking to 
everyone as if they were right in front of him about the issues he 
cared about.
  Every one of us has special memories of Senator Wellstone, whether it 
was his speeches on the floor of the Senate as he wandered back and 
forth and put his tremendous voice to such great use. For me 
personally, it was listening to him talk about the issue of mental 
health. It was standing beside him when he introduced the bill to ban 
asbestos 6 years ago. We looked around, and we were a pretty lonely 
crowd trying to make that happen. I know he would be so proud, wherever 
he is up there today, looking down and knowing that this Senate 6 years 
later passed a ban on asbestos.
  It was such issues as the war where Senator Wellstone, even though he 
was in a very tight election race at the time, stood his ground and 
said what he felt so strongly, that he could not vote for this country 
to go to war in Iraq. He feared no one in making that decision, even 
with the election he was facing.
  He was a friend and partner, someone I knew so well. My best memory 
of him was going to his State. He invited me there, as we all do with 
our other colleagues when we are out campaigning and ask them to help 
us. Senator Wellstone didn't ask me to come and do a fundraiser for 
him. He didn't ask me to do a speech to some dignified crowd in some 
ballroom. He didn't ask me to come and wear a suit. He asked me to come 
to his State the week before his election and do what he called ``a 
people raiser.'' He did it in a gymnasium. He invited people to come 
and donate their time because of what he cared about, the issue he 
fought for, to bring people into politics. He did it that day in such a 
tremendous way. All of us who knew him knew he was never comfortable 
talking to a crowd that was sitting down. He had to inspire them and 
have them all standing in front of him and applauding. He did it every 
time he spoke.
  I miss him so much in the Senate. It is hard to believe it was 5 
years ago that we lost such a tremendous advocate. I think he would be 
proud of the legacy he left in his own family, in the issues he left 
for many of us, and the passion as we move forward. I know if he were 
here today he would be saying: Don't talk about me. He would be in a 
back room someplace making sure we never forgot the people who sent us 
here and the tremendous issues they face at home. He would be inspiring 
somebody to stand up and speak out.
  I hope we continue to do that in his memory for many years to come.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, for those who served with him, the 
death of Paul Wellstone 5 years ago was such a shock because not only 
did Paul represent intellect and vigor, he also, because of his 
enthusiasm and high energy level, represented a youthful picture. He 
looked like a young guy, college-age person. When he spoke, he did it 
with such energy that everybody would hear him or listen to him. If you 
didn't hear him, he would make sure you heard him because he was never 
bashful about sticking up, about talking about things he believed in. 
There was very little he did not believe in that would engage him so--I 
will use the term--furiously in his presentation.
  So it is appropriate we remember a distinguished Member of the 
Senate, who served only a short time, and was on his way for another 
term. But his impact was enormous. I think in many ways he created a 
picture of courage and right that serves as a model for things we 
generally do here.
  I, as so many here did, regarded him as a friend. I did not see him 
unable to talk to people on the Republican side of the aisle or 
otherwise. No matter how vigorous his arguments were, no matter how 
energetic his presentation was, the fact is, he would dismiss any 
difference as a part of a normal process. He would continue on with his 
insistence that what he did was right, but he was never righteous about 
it.
  We will always think of him when we think of what is right to do in 
the Senate.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, 5 years ago today, our country lost a good 
man. Now, I am mindful of what the Scriptures say in that there is no 
man who is good. I am mindful of that. But this is a statement I am 
making, and in the context of the thoughts I wish to express, I am 
going to say: Five years ago today, our country lost a good man. It 
lost an outstanding Senator. It was 5 years ago today that Senator Paul 
Wellstone and his wife Sheila and their daughter Marcia perished in a 
tragic plane crash.
  Paul Wellstone died tragically, but he lived heroically. Paul 
Wellstone was unique. I knew him. Paul Wellstone was priceless. Paul 
Wellstone was irreplaceable. Paul Wellstone was a Senator of remarkable 
integrity and remarkable courage.
  Only a few days before his tragic death, I witnessed firsthand the 
integrity and the courage of that Senator, Mr. Paul Wellstone.
  Paul Wellstone was in the late stages of a close campaign for 
reelection. Paul Wellstone had been targeted for defeat by the George 
Bush-Karl Rove political machine. And this Senate was about to vote on 
the Iraq war resolution. I was here.
  At that time, granting President Bush the authority for an invasion 
of Iraq was the political thing to do. The White House had convinced 
most of the

[[Page 28395]]

country that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam 
Hussein was poised to use those weapons.
  Many Americans had been frightened by a steady drumbeat of White 
House rhetoric about mushroom clouds and weapons of mass destruction. 
Many Americans had been convinced that the war would be brief and that 
our troops in Iraq would be welcomed with open arms.
  Despite the then-prevailing view that voting against the Iraq war was 
political suicide, Senator Paul Wellstone--God rest his soul--Senator 
Paul Wellstone proudly and defiantly--do you hear that word 
``defiantly''--announced he would vote against it. I will never forget 
his words.
  Seldom have I been so impressed with the courage of a colleague. 
Senator Paul Wellstone took a principled stand, a stand that would 
undoubtedly cost him votes, and maybe his reelection.
  Did Paul Wellstone flinch? No. He did not let that sway him. He stood 
against the White House. Paul Wellstone stood against the easy, popular 
winds of the time. Paul Wellstone stood against the rush to war.
  Senator Paul Wellstone placed the good of our country and the lives 
of young Americans far above his own reelection. That was Paul 
Wellstone.
  We needed more Senators like Paul Wellstone.
  Paul Wellstone exemplified the courage of his convictions. Senator 
Paul Wellstone stood proudly against the rush--the rush--to war. 
Senator Paul Wellstone was brave. He was passionate. He was ever true 
to his conscience and to the people he represented. Despite the pain 
and the difficulty of multiple sclerosis, Paul Wellstone carried on and 
made us all feel humbled and proud by his bravery.
  When the Senate lost Senator Paul Wellstone 5 years ago today, the 
Senate and the country lost a man of remarkable integrity. How I wish 
our country had more men like him--Paul Wellstone.
  I close this statement with a poem, a remarkable poem--a remarkable 
poem for a remarkable man.

     God, give us men!
     A time like this demands strong minds, great hearts, true 
           faith, and ready hands.
     Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
     Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
     Men who possess opinions and a will;
     Men who have honor; men who will not lie.
     Men who can stand before a demagogue and brave his 
           treacherous flatteries without winking.
     Tall men, sun-crowned;
     Who live above the fog,
     In public duty and in private thinking.
     For while the rabble with its thumbworn creeds,
     its large professions and its little deeds,
     mingles in selfish strife, Lo! Freedom weeps!
     Wrong rules the land and waiting justice sleeps.
     God give us men!
     Men who serve not for selfish booty;
     But real men, courageous, who flinch not at duty.
     Men of dependable character; men of sterling
     worth;
     then wrongs will be redressed, and right will rule the Earth.
     God give us men!

  Thank You, almighty God, for this remarkable man, this man of great 
honor, this remarkable man, Paul Wellstone. Whence cometh another?
  Mr. FEINSTEIN. Mr. Presdient, 5 years have passed since we lost our 
distinguished colleague, Senator Paul Wellstone, in a tragic plane 
crash. That crash also took the lives of his wife Sheila, their 
daughter, Marcia, three loyal staffers, and two pilots.
  That sad day the Senate lost a passionate, gifted, and respected 
colleague and friend.
  Paul was a political science professor, with a sharply honed 
intellect. But his heart was as big as his mind, and he was a committed 
advocate for the less fortunate.
  He was elected in 1990 and quickly became a strong, crusading voice 
in the Senate.
  Paul fought for increased education funding, for improvements in the 
minimum wage, for affordable, accessible health care, for campaign 
finance reform, for legislation to protect small farmers, and for 
legislation to expand insurance coverage for the mentally ill.
  Paul helped lead the successful opposition to an energy bill in 1991 
that would have opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil 
exploration.
  Paul was a champion of the dispossessed around the world--in Latin 
America, in Africa, and in Asia.
  In 1996, when I voiced concern over the treatment of women and girls 
by the Taliban, Paul was one of the few open to the idea that the 
United States should do something.
  In 1999, Paul and I introduced the International Trafficking of Women 
and Children Victims Protection Act to address these heinous crimes and 
to hold to account nations that fail to meet minimum international 
standards.
  Paul cared deeply about Tibetan autonomy. The last time we worked 
together was to cosponsor legislation to encourage dialogue between the 
Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government--and to protect the identity of 
the people of Tibet.
  He would have been pleased to see the Congressional Gold Medal--the 
Nation's highest civilian honor--awarded to the Dalai Lama earlier this 
month.
  Paul was eloquent. He was compassionate. And he is missed. I feel 
honored to have been his friend and colleague. I will never forget him, 
and the Senate is better for his service.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I can hardly believe it has been 5 years 
since we lost Paul and Sheila Wellstone. It still seems like only 
yesterday that I would see Paul pacing up and down the aisles on the 
Senate floor, speaking out for Minnesota and what he so affectionately 
called the ``little fellers'' in the world.
  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him and beloved wife 
and soul mate, Sheila, but the loss is especially poignant in these 
tough times our country faces.
  I remember during the Iraq war debate, Paul spoke out passionately 
against the resolution authorizing the go-it-alone military approach in 
Iraq. He spoke, almost prophetically, about the possible consequences 
of our actions--how it would impact the continuing war on terrorism and 
efforts to rebuild Afghanistan. He said that the gravest concerns were 
those raised about the possible loss of life--to our soldiers and 
innocent Iraqis. I can hardly imagine what he would think of the mess 
we are in today.
  That day, Paul was strong and unafraid, as he always was, even though 
he knew his ``no'' vote could cost him his Senate seat. He said then 
that the ``only way to do it, is to do what you honestly think is 
right, and then whatever happens, happens.''
  I think history has shown that Paul was absolutely right. And my only 
regret is that he is not here today to continue speaking out against 
the war in Iraq.
  There are times when it is positively exhausting to keep fighting for 
just causes, especially against this administration. But then I look at 
the wall in my office and I see a beautiful picture of Paul and me 
together, and I think of what he would say if he was still here, and I 
am sure he would tell me to stand up and keep fighting.
  We all lost so much 5 years ago on that tragic day--Paul, a fighter, 
a hero, a friend, a father, a grandfather. And of course we lost 
Shelia, Paul's partner in life, their daughter Marcia, and three 
devoted staffers. My heart still aches.
  But what we gained, from Paul's life and legacy, cannot be erased by 
time. His passion and life's work is being carried on by his friends 
and colleagues, and by the good people of Minnesota, who I know miss 
him dearly.
  And I know that if he could, Paul would tell us that there is no time 
for tears, and as he said many years ago, this is no time for timidity.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today we mark the anniversary of a sad 
event. The tragic deaths 5 years ago of my friends, Paul and Sheila 
Wellstone. Yet I know that I join today the people of Minnesota and my 
colleagues here in the Senate in celebrating the lives they lived and 
the legacy they left behind.
  Paul was a remarkable man who stood up in the Senate for those most 
in need of representation, the

[[Page 28396]]

underpriviledged, the oppressed, and the mentally ill. He stood up and 
he never backed down.
  Paul Wellstone was a man of great energy and passion, seemingly 
always in motion, but never too busy to have a word with people he 
would come across in the corridors or in the elevators, never too busy 
to take a moment to talk with the tourists in the Capitol, Senate 
workers, or the constituents of other Senators. For this, he was 
beloved by the many people who serve us here in the Senate and the many 
others he touched. We all miss his eloquence, and his humor, but, most 
of all, we miss this man of warmth and caring.
  When that plane crashed in northern Minnesota 5 years ago, his 
beloved State, the Senate, and the Nation were deprived of a wise and 
thoughtful leader. When I stood on the Senate floor to pay tribute to 
Paul Wellstone shortly after the accident, I pointed out that one of 
his last acts in the Senate was a vote against the war in Iraq. I 
recalled his speech then. But now, 5 years later, after the painful 
course which that war has taken, his words ring even more true. He saw 
and understood the first of the series of mistakes made in Iraq. He 
said, ``Acting now on our own might be a sign of our power. Acting 
sensibly and in a measured way, in concert with our allies with 
bipartisan congressional support, would be a sign of our strength.''
  Paul never feared to fight for what he believed, even when in a small 
minority like his vote against the welfare reform bill in 1996, and his 
battles against the bankruptcy bill, and on behalf of more equitable 
funding for the victims of mental illness.
  My wife Barbara and I often think of our friends, Paul and Sheila 
Wellstone, and the good times we shared. Because of those enduring 
memories, we celebrate their lives on this anniversary, in much the 
spirit that they lived, with a smile in our hearts.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, it is 5 years ago today that we 
lost one of the most articulate, most energetic, and brightest lights 
of this Senate when our colleague from Minnesota, Senator Paul 
Wellstone, and his family were killed in an airplane crash as he was 
campaigning in Minnesota for reelection.
  Paul sat at that desk right there, and from that desk he would pace 
back and forth with his speeches, like a caged lion, because the energy 
was bursting from him as he would speak with such passion about the 
poor and the downtrodden and the dispossessed. It was such a voice that 
was snuffed out that when they had the memorial service for him, it is 
amazing the number of Senators who went to Minneapolis for that 
memorial service; Senators from both sides of the aisle, who had 
tremendous respect for this Senator who spoke with such passion.
  I wanted to add my voice to those who have recalled the life of 
Senator Paul Wellstone and what he meant to America and to the Senate.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, today we remember Paul Wellstone, his wife 
Sheila, and his daughter Marcia. Today my wife Connie and I send our 
thoughts and prayers to the Wellstone sons, Mark and David.
  Paul, so many of our colleagues noted earlier today, was more than a 
Senator, more than a professor. He was, of course, first and foremost a 
loving husband and a proud father. But for millions of Americans, Paul 
Wellstone was a hero.
  Paul was an unparalleled champion for social and economic justice. He 
led by example, fighting for the weakest among us, those whose voices 
are too often drowned out or altogether ignored.
  In the Senate, Paul Wellstone was their voice. He may have had the 
title ``Senator,'' but he proudly, perhaps more proudly, wore the 
moniker ``activist.'' From this Chamber, he fought for the poor, for 
the veterans, the environment, and working men and women not just in 
Minnesota but across the land and across the world. He led by example, 
an example we in this Chamber are well served to follow.
  Five years after his death, he remains sorely missed.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, today marks 5 years since the tragic death 
of our friend and colleague, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota.
  You know, I look around the Chamber, I see men and women of 
remarkable talents and abilities. But I have also had a strong sense 
that over the last 5 years there has sort of been a void in our midst; 
a very special Senator, a Member who played a unique role within this 
body, has been missing.
  It is as though we are suffering from ``phantom limb syndrome''; you 
know, where a person loses a limb but still feels its presence. 
Whenever an issue of moral urgency, an issue of conscience comes to the 
Senate floor, I still expect to look back over here in the back row and 
see Paul Wellstone over there, chopping his hands in the air, speaking 
with his passion, urging us to do the right thing. On that score, I 
remind my colleagues that one of the last major votes cast by Senator 
Wellstone was his vote against a resolution later used by President 
Bush as an authority to launch an invasion of Iraq.
  I remember it well because Paul and I were very close friends, and we 
debated this between us. I said: Paul, no, Bush is not going to use 
this as any kind of authorization to go to Iraq. This is only meant to 
give him the authority to go to the U.N., to get the U.N., which is 
what we want to do, is to get the U.N. inspectors back there.
  Well, I think Paul was a little more prescient than I was. So we did 
not vote the same way on that. I will forever rue the day I voted to 
give President Bush that authority. Quite frankly, Senator Wellstone 
was in the midst of a very difficult reelection campaign when he cast 
that vote. So I think it is a measure of his political courage that he 
cast that vote without thinking about any political consequences.
  Five years later, with our Armed Forces bogged down in a civil war in 
Iraq, it is painfully clear Senator Wellstone's vote was not only a 
courageous vote, it was the right vote.
  I think Paul truly was, as I have said before, kind of the soul of 
the Senate. I have said before that no one ever wore the title 
``Senator'' better or used it less. He loved it when ordinary folks 
came up to him and called him Paul. Some Senators might not be so 
approachable. Paul Wellstone was. He took that as a sign that ordinary 
people knew he was one of them. He was approachable and he cared.
  Paul Wellstone was truly my best friend in the Senate. But he is one 
of those rare souls who so many saw as their best friend. He had a 
powerful authenticity about him that made a miner up in the Iron Range 
know he was as important to Paul Wellstone as the President of the 
United States. That was a very unique ability he had.
  He never had to proclaim his decency. It shone forth in great acts of 
political courage and small acts of human kindness. He never had to say 
he cared. He never had to proclaim his compassion. You just knew it was 
there. The hard-working folks he cared about most didn't have lobbyists 
of influence, but they had Paul Wellstone. He truly was their best 
friend.
  So 5 years later we remember the political science professor whose 
measure of truth was never in political theory but in the impact of our 
decisions on real people. We remember the community organizer who 
understood how to bring people together, rural and urban, 
environmentalists and labor, Republicans and Democrats and, as I have 
often joked, he even brought Minnesotans and Iowans together. We 
remember a leader, a proud Democratic Farmer Labor Party liberal who 
constantly reminded those of us who are Democrats that the purpose of 
our party is to offer hope and opportunity to all Americans, including 
the neediest among us.
  I still remember the first time I ever met Paul Wellstone. It was in 
1988. I was a freshman Senator. We were in the midst of one of the 
deepest recessions--depressions, almost--in farm country that we had 
had since the Great Depression. Farmers were losing their farms all 
over the Midwest. Suicides were up. Families were breaking up. There 
were bankruptcies. It was not a very good time in farm country. I 
remember I went out to speak to a large group right outside of Austin,

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MN, at a big farm gathering. I know there were well over 1,000 farmers. 
It was a big gathering. I think the Minnesota Farmers Union or maybe 
the National Farmers Union had pulled them together.
  So they asked me to come speak because I had been, at that time, 
trying to get through a bill called the Harkin-Gephardt farm bill to 
respond to the crisis.
  So I went there to speak and, of course, as any big gathering like 
that on the stage, you have a lot of different speakers. I was supposed 
to be the final speaker. I was the Senator. So I get there. We had one 
farmer speak, then the head of the Farmers Union speak and then 
somebody else spoke and then somebody else spoke. Right before me, they 
had this guy, this Professor Wellstone. I had never met this guy, and I 
am on the stage with him. I am preparing my remarks, thinking how I am 
going to get the crowd up and excited, get them stimulated. And so this 
Wellstone guy gets up to speak. He has long curly hair. He has a T-
shirt on, kind of rolled up. He was muscular, a wrestler.
  How can I say it? After he spoke, I didn't quite know what to do. He 
had everybody up. He was so enthusiastic. He had everybody pumped up. 
He had everybody enthused. I thought, how can I follow this? Well, I 
tried my best. It wasn't very good. I came back to my staff. I said: I 
don't know who that guy is, but don't you ever put me on after him 
again.
  That was my first introduction to Paul Wellstone. Then after that we 
became friends. After that, through mutual friends in Minnesota, I 
found out that he was thinking of running for the Senate. Of course, he 
had a big primary. He won it. Of course, I couldn't do much to help him 
because I was fighting for survival myself in 1990. I had a Congressman 
running against me. I was a first-term Senator. But I couldn't have 
been more happy, after my own reelection, than the fact that Paul 
Wellstone won that race in Minnesota in 1990. So we joined forces in 
the Senate.
  In 1996, running for reelection, that was a tough year. Quite 
frankly, both of us nearly lost. We were very close. I remember talking 
to him on the phone.
  I said: Paul, I don't know if I am going to survive. He said:
  Yes, we are going to survive.
  Then 2002 came. I remember a dinner with another colleague. I won't 
mention the name. It is a personal thing. But we were thinking maybe of 
not running again. Paul Wellstone had said he was only going to serve 
two terms, and he was afraid of breaking that commitment. So we 
discussed this over dinner. Our wives were with us. We discussed the 
issue of running or not. I thought, well, I have been here for a couple 
terms myself. I didn't know if I wanted to do it anymore. That would 
have been my third term, his second. Then one by one we decided we were 
going to run again, and we talked Paul into it.
  We said: Paul, you have to be here. You have to do it. And don't 
worry about that. Your people will understand. You have things to do. 
You haven't finished your job.
  So we all decided, yes, we would seek another term in office.
  Paul once said:

       Politics is about what we create by what we do, what we 
     hope for, and what we dare to imagine.

  Paul was a hopeful man. I always remember that green was his color. 
He had that bus painted green. When I say ``painted green,'' I mean 
with a paint brush. It was an awful paint job they did on that bus of 
his. He climbed aboard that bus in 1990 and set out to build a better 
America. But Paul never meant for it to be a solo voyage. He wanted us 
all aboard.
  Though Paul is no longer with us, his journey for justice continues. 
Near the site of the tragic plane crash is a beautiful physical 
memorial for Paul and the seven others who died there: his wife Sheila, 
daughter Marcia, two pilots, campaign staffers Will McLaughlin, Tom 
Lapic, and Mary McEvoy. That is the physical monument.
  I would like to think there are also living memorials that Paul would 
have been truly passionate about. One of those is the nonpartisan, 
nonprofit Wellstone Action organization founded by his sons, Mark and 
David, which trains citizens in civic activism and grassroots, people-
to-people politics, the kind of politics he loved and excelled at like 
no one else.
  I think there is one more Paul Wellstone legacy. It is not tangible, 
but it may be the most powerful legacy of all. That is our memory of 
his passion, his convictions, and his incredible capacity for bringing 
people together to accomplish important things.
  Before closing, I must mention one of those important things he 
fought so hard for and was so passionate about that still remains 
unaccomplished. He fought hard all the time I knew him to end the 
neglect and denial surrounding issues of mental health, access to 
mental health services. Over 41 million persons suffer from a moderate 
or serious mental disorder each year. Less than half receive the 
treatment they need, and 80 to 90 percent of all mental disorders are 
treatable by therapy and medication. Paul fought very passionately for 
the Mental Health Parity Act to end the absurd practice of treating 
mental and physical illnesses as two different kinds of things under 
health insurance.
  In late 2001, the Senate passed the Mental Health Equitable Treatment 
Act, sponsored by Paul Wellstone and Senator Domenici of New Mexico--
that was when I happened to be chairman. We had a brief interim where 
we had the Senate, at that time, 2001-2002--as an amendment to the 2002 
Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill. It 
passed the Senate. Then we went to conference. In conference it was 
argued that this was not the right place for it, that it should be on 
an authorization bill, not on an appropriations bill. I don't have the 
words right here, but I have them, when people committed that we would 
take care of mental health parity the next year on an authorization 
bill. So it was dropped in conference. Then 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 
2006, 2007, and we still don't have mental health parity. The Senate 
passed it. A strong majority of Members in the other body supported a 
similar bill entitled the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction 
Equity Act of 2007. But we still don't have it done.
  I can't think of a better living legacy to Senator Paul Wellstone 
than for this Congress, the 110th Congress, to pass the strongest 
possible mental health parity bill and send it to the President to 
become law. I hope we can get that job done before we go home whenever 
that may be.
  In closing, for those of us who had the privilege of serving with 
Paul Wellstone, his spirit is still very much with us. He still 
inspires us. He still calls us to conscience. He still makes us smile 
when we think of his puckish humor. He was the finest of men. We miss 
him greatly.
  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, having had the privilege of serving with 
Paul Wellstone for a couple of years after arriving as a Senator, not 
knowing him as well as Senator Harkin knew him, I say amen to all the 
Senator from Iowa said and thank him for reminding us.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Whitehouse). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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