Jay Maynard

I've never understood the beatification of Senator Paul Wellstone. He was a charismatic politician, true, but the level that veneration of him has reached in Minnesota since his death three years ago today has reached truly mystifies me.

Dan Ritchie of The American Enterprise magazine attempts to explain in an article in the latest edition. I understand what he's saying...but I still don't get it. I probably never will.

Wellstone is dead, people. Get over it.

I went to look at the other articles in The American Enterprise's online edition. In addition to a column by James Lileks on good children's programming, there's a gem by George Washington University economics professor Robert M. Dunn, Jr., advocating that rich leftist colleges such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton should practice what they preach and redistribute some of their wealth to poorer institutions.

It's a great idea that the rich institutions will categorically ignore, in spite of their own declared principles.

In a story on CNN.com about MTV's series where celebrities give guest lectures at colleges, Madonna has the best quote, and one much more profound than I would have expected:

"The biggest mistake that any of us can make is to believe what other people say about us," she said.

Amen, sister.