Senator Paul Wellstone died five years ago today. He is a hero to many of us here at C&L, not only because he was a constant force in progressive politics, but because his courage to stand up for truth in the face of administration lies was sadly rare in 2002. h/t Mnpublius for this video:

Wellstone Action is holding a memorial service at 7:30 tonight in St. Paul.

Majority Leader Harry Reid remembers Senator Wellstone:

“I recall that when he first arrived in the Senate, he arrived one morning in his office to find that things had been cleaned and tidied over night. He asked a member of his staff how this had happened. The staffer explained that the Senate employs custodians who clean and maintain the offices late at night. True to form, that night Paul stayed very late – well into the night – long past the time his staff had left. He stayed so he could meet the people who cleaned his office – to introduce himself, shake their hands, and thank them for the work they did. In a nutshell, that was Paul."