Yeah--and I'm sure you're a Democrat too, right ballpienhammer? A man with a lot of love and respect for Wellstone. Plenty of compassion for the suffering of a family which lost three of it's members less than a week ago. That Wellstone family did an absolute shit job of memorializing the dead. How dare they. Those Wellstones are absolutely despicable, aren't they?

I tell you what. I sat through the entire memorial. I am not a Democrat, or a Republican, but an independent. Never been a party animal in my life. I've criticised some of the Democrats in these threads on Wellstone mightily. But frankly, this phony, scripted Republican backlash to try and gain a few points in the polls going back into full campaign mode, is what really churns my stomach.

You want to know what I think is partisan and despicable about this memorial? The so-called "outrage" over it. It is insincere as hell, and Minnesotans can see perfectly where the criticism is coming from and considering the source. It is coming solely from the people who have a long, well publicised, rabid hatred for Paul Wellstone. As a Minnesotan, I've watched the Republicans and Jesse Ventura behave badly like this towards Paul Wellstone for years. So their reaction to last night's memorial was fully anticipated, and utterly predictable. Yes, everyone was shocked by Khan's remarks. But no Minnesotans were shocked by the tone or the content of the memorial service.

The reactionary national media whores who have been causing trouble from their safe distances in Atlanta, DC, and New York weren't even present at the event. They have given none of the context of what has been going on in Minnesota since last Friday, or for the past 12 years with Wellstone, and have blown the whole thing totally out of proportion to how it is being viewed in Minnesota in general, and among voters in particular.

For instance, the supposed "thousands jeering" at Lott was nothing of the sort. The memorial began at 6:30, and Rick Kahn didn't even appear until after 9:00, yet the criticism is that "the entire event was nothing more than a scripted campaign rally for Walter Mondale." Gimme a break. It was Khan's remarks, and his remarks alone, which most everyone agrees were out of line, that were over the top. That was, as I said, about a minute and a half out of 3+ hours. I am absolutely not apologizing for what he said, but the man was Wellstone's best friend, grieving fiercely, and under tremendous stress. His entire body was shaking as he spoke. He was fighting back tears in many parts of the speech.

The social graces require we NOT draw attention to someone like that under the circumstances when they were so obviously out of line, as grieving people often can be. We should do what we would do if it was our uncle or brother uttering something unforgiveably inappropriate at our mother's funeral, which is forget about it, and focus on the rest of the 3 hours of beautiful, moving tributes, and how powerfully healing the memorial was to the families, friends, and supporters of the people who died. Everyone knows Rick Kahn shouldn't have said what he did. But he did. They also know what a good man he is, and how horrible he is feeling today. The noble thing for all of us to do is try and understand his pain, and forgive him for it. I mean, how do you suppose he feels today with the over the top reaction--knowing it was his remarks that sparked this outpouring of hatred for the man he loved?

Perhaps people would like us to shoot the man. Or maybe hang him in a public square? Give him the electric chair? Or is it really just 3 hours of free tv coverage to "even the score" for showing a newsworthy local event in it's entirety on the local news stations people think should be meted out in the name of fairness to Republicans? Who of course, haven't lost 6 people in their senate campaign this year, and really need the press, because their guy is losing even worse now than before his opponent was tragically killed.

Politicking indeed.