The tragic death Friday morning of Sen. Paul Wellstone is likely to be mourned disproportionately to Wellstone's actual influence in the Senate. Wellstone had an unusual impact for a two-term senator from a mid-sized state, but, in the end, he was only one Senator of 100, one Congressperson of 535.

To some liberals and progressives, however, he was far more, and the canonization got under way as soon as news of his death hit the wires. Every four years, progressives seem to anoint one or another hot name as their Democratic savior: Jesse Jackson. Jerry Brown. In the run up to 2004, it's Dennis Kucinich. And four years ago -- before health problems nixed his exploration of a presidential candidacy -- it was Wellstone. That cycle, and years of national fundraising based on his populist image, have made Paul Wellstone a well-known and (usually) loved figure in liberal circles.

This, along with a tight reelection bid that suddenly morphs into a crisis that could again swing control of the Senate, makes Wellstone's death a particularly newsworthy story. But there is another way, beyond his liberalism and the Democrat's razor-thin Senate majority, in which Wellstone will be sorely missed. Wellstone himself identified it in an NPR interview last week, in a story that focused on his race this year against former St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman, and Coleman's characterization of Wellstone as out of step with the Senate. Coleman, Wellstone said scornfully, is all about getting 51 votes. Wellstone was about doing what he believed was right, no matter who did or didn't agree.

I didn't always agree with Wellstone's positions myself, but that's not the point. Congresspeople, like presidents, are increasingly poll-driven; there are very few left who are consistently willing to take unpopular stands of any kind. Two of the most notable, Cynthia McKinney and Bob Barr, were drummed out of Congress by faceless "moderates" in their own parties in September. Now Wellstone is gone. Not many remain. Libertarians have Ron Paul; liberals and progressives have... well, in the Senate, nobody, really.

Wellstone will be missed precisely because of the party he leaves behind: a collection of poll-dependent, colorless pols who probably wouldn't endorse motherhood unless it tested well in focus groups of probable voters. Wellstone was the only Democratic senator in a tough race this year who voted against Bush's war proclamation this month; the Democrats' across-the- board timidity in the face of George Bush's presidency has enraged much of that party's constituency. Likewise, conservatives' timidity in the face of an assault on the constitution and a militarily unsound invasion plan has a similar pedigree; if Ron Paul can come up with 35 reasons why invading Iraq was a bad idea, how telling was it that fewer than a dozen other Republicans could bring themselves to agree?

For most Congresspeople, taking a righteous stand can never be justified, because it's always too much of a risk right now, there's always too much at stake this time around. Wellstone was willing to be the "1" in a 99-1 vote, and that's why people mourn him so. People who can't identify their own non-negotiable core moral values shouldn't be in high public office; people who can identify them but won't stand by them shouldn't be, either.

The entire Democratic Party has constructed itself in recent years by trying to appeal to new swing voters, and by telling its past supporters: be patient. Now's not the time. The lesson for Wellstone's colleagues, as they see the reaction to his passing, is short and simple: Life is short. Take risks. Be for something.

Geov Parrish is a Seattle-based columnist and reporter for Seattle Weekly, In These Times and Eat the State! He writes the daily Straight Shot for WorkingForChange.

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