[TBP]

I agree with you that Wellstone's principles were misguided and dangerous. However, he had the courage of his convictions, as not many people in Washington on either side have (Bob Smith comes to mind, and Ron Paul, but I can't think of many others) and while he worked passionately for his misguided principles, unlike most liberals, you weren't his enemy if you disagreed with him. That is a kind of civility that our political process could use.

And liberals do sometimes say this about conservatives, but usually only when they're dead. They will almost all say it, now, about Barry Goldwater.

You know, Barry had many friends on the other side of the aisle. One of them was JFK. In fact, it's been widely written that Kennedy and Goldwater were planning to do a new type of campaign in '64, one in which they would have spent at least part of the campaign doing a whistle-stop tour together, with Kennedy speaking first at one stop and Goldwater rebutting him and then reversing the order at the next stop.

What these men shared, and what Wellstone apparently did as well (as do the most principled people on our side), was a belief in civility in politics -- fervent, pratisan, principled, fierce disagreement, but not the slash-and-burn that characterizes most politicians.

[1L]

unlike most liberals, you weren't his enemy if you disagreed with him. That is a kind of civility that our political process could use.

That's fine, and I don't have any problem pointing out his good points.

They will almost all say it, now, about Barry Goldwater.

That may not be the best example since later in life, Goldwater pandered to liberals.

fervent, pratisan, principled, fierce disagreement, but not the slash-and-burn that characterizes most politicians.

Again, that's fine and commendable. I'm sure he was a good husband and father as well. I was simply responding to him being labeled an icon by some, or a great man by others. I'm sorry, but great men don't aspire to have government take over the lives of millions, holding them dependant on politicians and government workers, also dependant on politicians, for their day to day lives -- all while calling it compassion.