Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, who was killed in a plane crash Friday, has been praised as a tireless advocate of healthcare reform and as a legislator who took a courageous stand on issues ranging from war on Iraq to oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Today, Walter Mondale announced that he will run to replace Wellstone. We join Ohio's Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a Republican lobbyist from Wellstone's home state, political scientists, and journalists from the Left and the Right for a look back at the Senator's legacy as a liberal maverick, and see what a five-day campaign for the US Senate is going to look like. Plus, resignations throw Israeli government into crisis. And, US, and others step up pressure on Iraqi oil smuggling.
- Newsmaker: Resignations Throw Israeli Government into Crisis
The so-called -unity- government of Israel is in crisis after all members of the Labor Party submitted their resignations from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's cabinet. David Horovitz, editor of the Jerusalem Report, has more on the volatile politics that could bring down the government, Monday's no-confidence vote, and the likelihood of new elections. - Reporter-s Notebook: US, Others Step Up Pressure on Iraqi Oil Smuggling
Although UN sanctions allow Iraq to sell just enough oil to provide funds for food and medicine, Iraqi smugglers have been running the UN blockade. Now, allied forces are patrolling the Northern Arabian Gulf as part of the effort to stop the smugglers. Michael Gordon, military correspondent for the New York Times, reports on the dangerous cat-and-mouse game that finds the US and Iran on the same team.