Franken-Lies-And-the-Lying-Liars-Who-Tell

Four days earlier, the Wellstone candidacy had ended with the plane crash. The Coleman
campaign changed its tone. Somewhat. According to a Minneapolis Star Tribune account of
the thirteen days between the plane crash and the election, Vin Weber, a former GOP congressman
and key Coleman strategist, started politicking mere moments after Wellstone's
plane went down. Working his cell phone on his way to a meeting with Norm Coleman and
the rest of the campaign brain trust, Vin tracked down his friends who had worked in John
Ashcroft's 2000 campaign. He picked their brains about what to do when your opponent dies
in a plane crash. What worked? What didn't? They told him that Ashcroft's decision to shut
down his campaign and stay out of sight after the tragic death of his opponent, Mel Carnahan,
had cost him the election.
A key decision was reached at the meeting. Coleman would not repeat Ashcroft's mistake.
Instead of disappearing, Coleman's post-crash strategy would be, according to the Star
Tribune, to "gravely and respectfully—but publicly—participate in the state's grieving process."
The meeting ended at 2:30 P.M., about four hours after airport officials lost contact with
Wellstone's plane.
Sure enough, at 4:15 P.m., Coleman told a throng of reporters, "I think our focus now
is solely on bending our knees and being very reflective and very prayerful.... I am giving no
thought to anything other than the memory of Paul and Sheila Wellstone and the others on
that plane."
Coleman continued his new tactic by announcing that he was suspending his campaign
until after Wellstone's funeral, and also by agreeing to appear that Sunday via satellite
on ABC's This Week. After the show, he held what he called a "non-press-conference press
conference." He was taking every possible opportunity to show voters that he was not exploiting
Wellstone's death for political gain.
The Wellstone campaign was reeling. But the Democrats needed someone on the ballot.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale approved a leak to the press that he was "highly
likely" to run, but would not campaign until after a public memorial was held.
On Monday, Coleman went on national TV again, conversing with Judy Woodruff on
CNN's Inside Politics. She asked him whether his campaign was gearing up. His response
was right on message: "If I ruled the world, Judy, we'd all still be on our knees and saying
some prayers."