Service turns into Mondale rally

THE US: Many Wellstone tributes turned into campaign calls for the Democrats, Conor O'Clery , North America Editor, writes.

THE US: Many Wellstone tributes turned into campaign calls for the Democrats, Conor O'Clery, North America Editor, writes.

The high point of Tuesday night's raucous, partisan memorial service for the late Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone in Minneapolis came when Rick Kahn, one of his closest friends, urged voters to "stand up for all the people he fought for, for working men and women, for all those who lack the strength to stand up on their own."

His words brought 20,000 cheering people to their feet, and they roared when the cameras picked out former President Bill Clinton, pumping the air with his fist and mouthing "That's right."

They cheered again when the big screens showed former Vice-President Walter Mondale, beaming and waving. The Democratic Party's elder statesmen, including former Vice-President Al Gore, Senator Edward Kennedy and the Rev Jesse Jackson, had gathered along with official Washington and legions of friends, relatives and fans in the vast Williams Arena, one of America's biggest basketball courts, to honour Wellstone, killed in a plane crash on Friday as he campaigned for a third term.

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The memorial service turned into a spectacular political rally for Mr Mondale, whose decision to take Mr Wellstone's place on the ballot paper has been the worst-kept secret in US politics for days.

The former vice-president will make his first official appearance today as a declared candidate for the Senate, some 22 years after he left the White House.

Mr Mondale inherits a narrow Democratic lead over Republican Norm Coleman in the run-up to Tuesday's poll. He is expected to benefit from a huge surge of sympathy for Wellstone in a critical race that could determine control of the Senate, where Democrats have a one-vote majority.

The Wellstone family turned down an offer from Vice-President Dick Cheney to attend the service, saying they wanted to spare mourners the security screenings this would involve.

In reality Mr Cheney, who stood for everything to which the spirited ultra-liberal Paul Wellstone was opposed, would not have felt welcome.

Even Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott and independent Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura were booed as they entered the arena.

At the service, where a video of Wellstone's career was played to the sound of Bob Dylan's Forever Young, most of the tributes started on a personal note and ended up as campaign calls.

Senator Tom Harkin from neighbouring Iowa said Wellstone "made a miner up on the Iron Range know that he was as important as the president of the United States."

He had the crowd yelling "Yes" as he cried, "For Paul Wellstone, will you stand up and keep fighting for social justice?"

Mr Lott walked out during the service shaking his head, as did Mr Ventura. Republicans were infuriated at the free publicity gained by Democrats at what they thought would be a solemn service.

"What a complete, total, absolute sham," said former Republican Congressman Vin Weber, who accused Democrats of shamelessly making it "just another campaign event".

Governor Ventura, saying he felt "used, violated and duped", said last night he would try to appoint an independent instead of a Democrat to temporarily fill Wellstone's seat in Congress.

President Bush goes to Minnesota on Sunday to try to rally the demoralised Republican campaign.

Mr Wellstone, his wife Sheila, daughter Marcia and five others died when their aircraft crashed in freezing drizzle in Minnesota on Friday morning.

Mr Mondale, who was ambassador to Japan under President Clinton and has a legal practice in Minnesota, was a Senator for the state before serving as vice-president to President Jimmy Carter from 1976 to 1980.

AFP adds: Americans will vote on Tuesday for candidates to all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 seats of the 100-member Senate. Representatives are elected to two-year terms, while Senators serve for six years.

The number of Representatives from each state is in direct proportion to its population, whereas each state has two senators.

Many other posts are also up for grabs, including 36 out of the 50 state governors, who serve four-year terms.

The Congress born out of these mid-term elections will be the 108th since the birth of the US republic, and should take office on January 3rd, 2003.

Following the death of Senator Wellstone, the Democrats now only control the Senate with the backing of Jim Jeffords from Vermont, who left the Republican Party to become an independent.

Mr Wellstone's death left the Democrats and Republicans with 49 seats each. If the election leaves them equal, Republican Vice-President Cheney casts the tie-breaking vote.