Clinton Recalls a Courageous Carnahan

In 1992, when Bill Clinton was running fifth in the polls in the drive for the New Hampshire presidential primary and only his mother thought he had a chance to get to the White House, he got an unexpected boost from a prominent Democrat.

Mel Carnahan, the popular lieutenant governor of Missouri, endorsed him.

Both men went on to bigger things, Carnahan to win two terms as Missouri governor and Clinton to capture the White House twice.

On Friday, Clinton came back to Missouri to say a few words and shed a few tears over his friend, Gov. Mel Carnahan, who died in a plane crash Monday while campaigning for the U.S. Senate.

“I loved the guy,” the president told a mournful crowd assembled in front of the state Capitol building here. “And anybody who thinks he was dull never looked him straight in the eye because he had steel and passion and fire.”

The thousands of mourners also included First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, and many governors, members of Congress and other elected officials.

“They came here because he in some way touched them or because he inspired them or because, like me, they were just crazy about him,” Clinton said.

Also killed in Monday night’s crash were Carnahan’s oldest son, Roger, and his longtime advisor Chris Sifford.

Clinton recalled the 1992 event when Carnahan boosted the hopes and prospects of a semi-obscure Arkansas governor seeking the White House. “Mel Carnahan came to that rally in southwest Missouri and came out for me,” the president said.

“He had absolutely nothing to gain by it--nothing. He did it just because he thought it was right. And for eight years, he has been my friend and my partner.”

Clinton said that he and the vice president had visited Missouri repeatedly to learn about Carnahan’s success in moving people from welfare to work. And he remembered how Carnahan provided leadership after severe flooding in Missouri and “led by example, scrambling up levies to help bear the burden of sandbagging.”

When Carnahan’s “critics warned him not to raise taxes for education because he could lose his job, he decided that Missouri’s kids were worth the risk. And those of us who followed him loved him even more,” the president said.

Missouri’s new governor, Roger Wilson, paid tribute to Carnahan’s widow, Jean. The vice president rose to his feet to applaud and others followed, until all were standing and clapping for Mrs. Carnahan.

She was accompanied at the service by her daughter, Robin, and sons, Russ and Tom, as well as daughter-in-law, Debra--Roger’s widow--and his sons, Austin and Andrew.

After the event ended, the highest-level dignitaries wasted no time in getting back to campaign politics. The vice president left for New Orleans and two fund-raising dinners and the president escorted Mrs. Clinton to the airport for a flight back to New York and her campaign for a U.S. Senate seat.

Clinton flew to Massachusetts for fund-raising and campaign events Friday night. He will campaign for Democrats in Indianapolis today.