I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere on MyDD except for one item in Breaking Blue. That doesn't seem right to me. So, while I'd rather have someone far more eloquent than myself write a diary like this, I guess it's up to me.

I like Hillary Clinton. I like Barack Obama. I like John Edwards. Really, I like all of the Democrats running, even Mike Gravel, in an odd sort of way. And I like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. I have no doubt they're doing their best to do what they think is right.

But to me, none of them are leaders. They lead others, and they've shown bursts of leadership from time to time. But none of them have that special quality I'm looking for. None of them have inspired me. That's because I've been spoiled with one of the greatest leaders of our time, and I'm still looking for someone to match him.

Five years ago today, we lost Senator Paul Wellstone. He was, in my mind, one of the greatest politicians the Democratic Party and the United States of America have ever seen.

I never met Senator Wellstone. I'm not from Minnesota. I never voted for him.

But it was Wellstone who got me involved. I had been an observer for a long time, but never an active participant in politics. I'd watch CNN to make sure that I sort of knew what was happening, but C-SPAN? That was out of the question. Volunteering? Who has the time for that?

Except, one day, I found myself watching this bald man from Minnesota speaking in the Senate. I recognized his name, but I had never heard him speak before. I don't remember what the topic was, but he spoke with eloquence and with a sincerity that you rarely see anymore. You could see that he meant every word that he said. That means a lot to me.

So I started paying closer attention. I started listening to this man from Minnesota, who had been a college professor, who had beaten an incumbent Republican in a huge upset. I discovered that most of the time-- not always, but most of the time-- I agreed with him. But it was more than that. I didn't just agree with his positions, I agreed with the principles which led to those positions. I agreed with the energy and force he took to a problem.

And then there was his compassion. If I had my copy of it right now, I'd quote from his book, "The Conscience of a Liberal," but you'll just have to go and read it yourself. In the book, he outlines a true compassionate agenda, not the phony "compassionate conservatism" of men like George W. Bush. He put forth his ideas on education and poverty and mental illness. Mental illness, in fact, is an issue that both he and I were passionate about.

(The mental illness bill he fought for is still trying to make its way through Congress. There are ways you can help.)

And Wellstone inspired more people than just me. Chris Bowers discussed that today, and discussed the energy that he brought to the movement. Even after his death, family and supporters continue his work.

I can't tell you how much I admired this man.

And, you know how sometimes, it's fun to pretend you're the kingmaker, and go through the mental exercise of "if I could pick anyone to be president, who would it be?" In 2002, I played that little mental game. Here's how I saw it: Wellstone wins re-election, November of 2002. Sometime around March or April of 2003, he announces his candidacy for President. It's a tough nomination battle, but in the end, he wins. Wellstone would be branded as a "liberal," but he'd fight back. He'd show the country that the values for which he fought were the values America stood for. And finally, he'd be elected.

Why? Because, quite simply, he was the right man for the job. He was a true leader.

Of course, none of that happened. On October 25, 2002, Senator Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, his daughter, Marcia, two pilots, and three campaign workers died in a plane crash.

It hurt a lot that day. I never knew the man, but I knew what he had accomplished, and I knew what he could have done for our country. I can't imagine the pain those that knew him must have gone through.

I thought that today, on a major Democratic blog, someone should say something to remember him.

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"I represent the democratic wing of the Democratic Party."

"Never separate the life you live from the words you speak."

"Politics is not predictions and politics is not observations. 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."

"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."

-- Paul Wellstone

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Update [2007-10-25 17:17:53 by Fitzy]: For some reason, the YouTube embeds above aren't showing up on my browser. I'll leave them there in case they work for someone else, but if you're having the same trouble as I am, you can watch them here and here.