Mark Dayton: “it is with a profoundly heavy heart that I rise today to present this resolution honoring my colleague, Paul Wellstone.…”

“it is with a profoundly heavy heart that I rise today to present this resolution honoring my colleague, Paul Wellstone. This is not the occasion in this brief session for eulogies. There will be other opportunities on the Senate floor for all of us to share our memories and our perspectives. For myself, I cannot begin to do Paul justice in a few minutes or even a few hours. He was such an extraordinary, such a remarkable man, and he brought so much life and enthusiasm and passion and commitment to the public life he lived, and he touched so many thousands of Minnesotans and others across this country who mourn his loss as we do here today. He died fearlessly, as he lived his life. In the resolution that was just read, the words 'never wavered from the principles' will be words that I will always associate with Paul Wellstone. He never ever blinked in the face of adversity. Courageous, difficult, perhaps at times unpopular positions were articles of faith for Paul because he believed in them. It was not about polls. It was not about pundits. It was about the conviction he had about what was right for people, for his fellow citizens. He was unpretentious, unassuming, just himself. He was no different as a Senator than as a man, than as a political activist all in one, he was extraordinary and he will never be replaced. In the hearts and minds of Minnesotans, he will never be forgotten. Yet, Mr. President, he loved this institution.…”