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CNN Live Sunday

Wellstone's Family Asks Walter Mondale to Run for Senate

Aired October 27, 2002 - 18:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The tragic plane crash that took Senator Paul Wellstone's life put Democratic leaders in Minnesota in a tailspin. While dealing with their own grief, they have to focus on the November election and pick someone to try to fill the void. CNN's Judy Woodruff is in St. Paul Minnesota says Wellstone's family is asking a familiar face to step forward -- Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Anderson, and before we get to politics, I just want to say that the flowers and the signs and the steady stream of people coming here to Wellstone Headquarters in St. Paul say it all. The man who died in that plane crash on Friday was not just another elected official.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF (voice-over): Two days after Paul Wellstone perished in a plane crash, Minnesotans were still coming to his campaign headquarters in St. Paul to pay their respects. So was Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D), MAJORITY LEADER: Paul Wellstone in many ways was the soul of our Democratic Party. He brought us back to our roots and the things that we deeply believe in.

WOODRUFF: But with the election just nine days away, Daschle and other Democrats, and most important Wellstone's sons, have already settled on former Vice President Walter Mondale as their first choice for a replacement. The elder son, David, met with Mondale yesterday to tell him so. Mondale helped found the state's unique Democratic Farmer Labor Party, which will convene almost 900 delegates Wednesday night to vote their preference.

MIKE ERLANDSON, CHMN. MINN. DEMOCRATIC FARMER LABOR PARTY: Mr. Mondale certainly is a very broad, sentimental choice of Democrats across the state of Minnesota, but I do remind people that we have a Democratic process. At the DFL Party it's a long tradition. We will hold this convention.

WOODRUFF: For his part, Mondale won't say anything publicly until after a Wellstone memorial Tuesday night. Where all this leaves the Republican candidate Norm Coleman is in a delicate spot and that was clear today as he tried simultaneously to signal that he's ready to do battle with Mondale if he is the candidate, while showing respect for Wellstone's memory.

NORM COLEMAN (R), MINN. SENATE CANDIDATE: I think some of us, and certainly the people of Minnesota we still need a little time. We need some time to grieve and to mourn and to reflect on those who lost their lives and there will be a vigorous campaign but I think it's going to be on hold for still a little bit.

WOODRUFF: Still that reference to a short but vigorous campaign was enough to illicit an early warning from Tom Daschle.

DASCHLE: Well, I was very disappointed with the very negative tone that Mr. Coleman took in this race, far more negative than it had to be. That wasn't Paul Wellstone's style. I'm sure that's his characterization of the coming days. I just hope that while it's vigorous, he can refrain from being as negative as he has been.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: Coleman advisers for their part insist that it was not a bitter, mean campaign before Paul Wellstone died, but we hear a different story from the people who worked for Paul Wellstone. They do feel some bitterness and what we're going to be watching for, Anderson, is whether some of that bitterness spills over into the short campaign that develops between the memorial service on Tuesday night and the election less than one week later -- Anderson.

COOPER: Judy, bitter or not, it was a close campaign. All polls seem to indicate a pretty close race. Is there any sense of where things now stand? I mean everything is sort of up in the air, isn't it?

WOODRUFF: It is completely up in the air. You're right. The polls were close and actually Wellstone in some polls had pulled a little ahead in the days, weeks, or week or so before his death. But right now, as you can imagine, no polls are being done. They presumably will pick up in the next few days once it's clear that Mondale has accepted this invitation and request on the part of the party and the Wellstone family. But until then, everything is in a state of suspended animation.

COOPER: All right, Judy Woodruff thanks very much. At the scene of that horrible plane crash in Minnesota, NTSB investigators are now going through the debris by hand. Relatives of the victims were taken to the woody, swampy crash site in Eveleth earlier today. That is where CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us with the latest on the investigation -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anderson, and it was a very dignified memorial held for those family members this day. Now, as far as the investigation goes, weather remains one of several factors that investigators are considering and they continue to insist that they are giving it no more weight than any of the other factors.

For the first time this day, journalists were allowed a closer look at the crash site where investigators have been working from sun- up to sundown ever since this happened, collecting evidence. And this is where the real expertise comes in as they try to determine what each small piece of wreckage means, including looking at the burned and damaged wings for example. And, they are finding to their delight in a way that they are finding many more parts of the cockpit than they thought before because it is largely destroyed, but they are recovering some gauges and meters.

Also this day, they removed engines from the site, from the crash area very deep in the woods and the engines were taken to a local airport hangar. They will be partly examined there but, in fact, be transported from here, from Minnesota to Pratt & Whitney where those engines were manufactured in Canada and there they will be torn apart. They are also examining the icing equipment located on the tail and the wings of the aircraft to see whether it was working properly. In fact, they expect the work at the site to be going on for several more days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL CARMODY, ACTING NTSB CHAIRWOMAN: The investigation has gotten to a very difficult stage for our people. We're sifting, hand sifting of debris to try and pick out aircraft parts or instrument parts. We're using small brushes to dust pieces off. We're using sifters and it's a very meticulous slow-going process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Also today, beyond the view of the cameras, a private memorial service at the crash site. It was attended by 17 relatives of the eight people who were killed, Senator Wellstone, his wife and daughter, three staffers including 23-year-old Will McGlaughlin (ph) who worked for him whose photograph was left behind and the two pilots were remembered as well. Seventeen roses were left by the family members. Also, a chaplain was on hand to give comfort to those who attended this brief service.

Finally, we are also told this day some of the last radar information, including that at 10:18 on Friday the plane was making its final approach and was cleared by the air traffic controllers located in Duluth. One minute later, the aircraft started to drift southward, in effect it was discovered south of the runway, which they said was off course and just two minutes later they had the last hit on radar -- Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: All right, Susan Candiotti, thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 27, 2002 - 18:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The tragic plane crash that took Senator Paul Wellstone's life put Democratic leaders in Minnesota in a tailspin. While dealing with their own grief, they have to focus on the November election and pick someone to try to fill the void. CNN's Judy Woodruff is in St. Paul Minnesota says Wellstone's family is asking a familiar face to step forward -- Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Anderson, and before we get to politics, I just want to say that the flowers and the signs and the steady stream of people coming here to Wellstone Headquarters in St. Paul say it all. The man who died in that plane crash on Friday was not just another elected official.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF (voice-over): Two days after Paul Wellstone perished in a plane crash, Minnesotans were still coming to his campaign headquarters in St. Paul to pay their respects. So was Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D), MAJORITY LEADER: Paul Wellstone in many ways was the soul of our Democratic Party. He brought us back to our roots and the things that we deeply believe in.

WOODRUFF: But with the election just nine days away, Daschle and other Democrats, and most important Wellstone's sons, have already settled on former Vice President Walter Mondale as their first choice for a replacement. The elder son, David, met with Mondale yesterday to tell him so. Mondale helped found the state's unique Democratic Farmer Labor Party, which will convene almost 900 delegates Wednesday night to vote their preference.

MIKE ERLANDSON, CHMN. MINN. DEMOCRATIC FARMER LABOR PARTY: Mr. Mondale certainly is a very broad, sentimental choice of Democrats across the state of Minnesota, but I do remind people that we have a Democratic process. At the DFL Party it's a long tradition. We will hold this convention.

WOODRUFF: For his part, Mondale won't say anything publicly until after a Wellstone memorial Tuesday night. Where all this leaves the Republican candidate Norm Coleman is in a delicate spot and that was clear today as he tried simultaneously to signal that he's ready to do battle with Mondale if he is the candidate, while showing respect for Wellstone's memory.

NORM COLEMAN (R), MINN. SENATE CANDIDATE: I think some of us, and certainly the people of Minnesota we still need a little time. We need some time to grieve and to mourn and to reflect on those who lost their lives and there will be a vigorous campaign but I think it's going to be on hold for still a little bit.

WOODRUFF: Still that reference to a short but vigorous campaign was enough to illicit an early warning from Tom Daschle.

DASCHLE: Well, I was very disappointed with the very negative tone that Mr. Coleman took in this race, far more negative than it had to be. That wasn't Paul Wellstone's style. I'm sure that's his characterization of the coming days. I just hope that while it's vigorous, he can refrain from being as negative as he has been.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: Coleman advisers for their part insist that it was not a bitter, mean campaign before Paul Wellstone died, but we hear a different story from the people who worked for Paul Wellstone. They do feel some bitterness and what we're going to be watching for, Anderson, is whether some of that bitterness spills over into the short campaign that develops between the memorial service on Tuesday night and the election less than one week later -- Anderson.

COOPER: Judy, bitter or not, it was a close campaign. All polls seem to indicate a pretty close race. Is there any sense of where things now stand? I mean everything is sort of up in the air, isn't it?

WOODRUFF: It is completely up in the air. You're right. The polls were close and actually Wellstone in some polls had pulled a little ahead in the days, weeks, or week or so before his death. But right now, as you can imagine, no polls are being done. They presumably will pick up in the next few days once it's clear that Mondale has accepted this invitation and request on the part of the party and the Wellstone family. But until then, everything is in a state of suspended animation.

COOPER: All right, Judy Woodruff thanks very much. At the scene of that horrible plane crash in Minnesota, NTSB investigators are now going through the debris by hand. Relatives of the victims were taken to the woody, swampy crash site in Eveleth earlier today. That is where CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us with the latest on the investigation -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anderson, and it was a very dignified memorial held for those family members this day. Now, as far as the investigation goes, weather remains one of several factors that investigators are considering and they continue to insist that they are giving it no more weight than any of the other factors.

For the first time this day, journalists were allowed a closer look at the crash site where investigators have been working from sun- up to sundown ever since this happened, collecting evidence. And this is where the real expertise comes in as they try to determine what each small piece of wreckage means, including looking at the burned and damaged wings for example. And, they are finding to their delight in a way that they are finding many more parts of the cockpit than they thought before because it is largely destroyed, but they are recovering some gauges and meters.

Also this day, they removed engines from the site, from the crash area very deep in the woods and the engines were taken to a local airport hangar. They will be partly examined there but, in fact, be transported from here, from Minnesota to Pratt & Whitney where those engines were manufactured in Canada and there they will be torn apart. They are also examining the icing equipment located on the tail and the wings of the aircraft to see whether it was working properly. In fact, they expect the work at the site to be going on for several more days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL CARMODY, ACTING NTSB CHAIRWOMAN: The investigation has gotten to a very difficult stage for our people. We're sifting, hand sifting of debris to try and pick out aircraft parts or instrument parts. We're using small brushes to dust pieces off. We're using sifters and it's a very meticulous slow-going process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Also today, beyond the view of the cameras, a private memorial service at the crash site. It was attended by 17 relatives of the eight people who were killed, Senator Wellstone, his wife and daughter, three staffers including 23-year-old Will McGlaughlin (ph) who worked for him whose photograph was left behind and the two pilots were remembered as well. Seventeen roses were left by the family members. Also, a chaplain was on hand to give comfort to those who attended this brief service.

Finally, we are also told this day some of the last radar information, including that at 10:18 on Friday the plane was making its final approach and was cleared by the air traffic controllers located in Duluth. One minute later, the aircraft started to drift southward, in effect it was discovered south of the runway, which they said was off course and just two minutes later they had the last hit on radar -- Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: All right, Susan Candiotti, thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com