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August 26, 2009 08:27 AM UTC
111 Comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T…
Wiki has a complete review of his life, losses and achievements.
No matter what you think of Sen. Kennedy, he was one of the greatest figures to grace the Senate in recent memory.
His death leaves a big hole in the heart of the Senate, and among Senate Democrats. (FYI, his seat is to be filled by special election in accordance with Massachusetts law.)
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the law in the Commonwealth provided for the Governor to appoint a replacement.
But in 2004, with the prospect of Kerry moving to the White House, and a Republican Governor (Mitt Romney) selecting the new Senator, Senator Kennedy was instrumental in changing the law so that there had to be an election, rather than an appointment.
Senator Kennedy recently asked to change the system back to how it was before he monkeyed with it, apparently in order to advantage his party.
Are these his true colors ?
He was a pretty ordinary schlub, but drowning in privilege, more than he could handle. Wealthy beyond my dreams, he chose to use tax receipts for charity, rather than his own dough. He loved power, he loved fame, and he loved attention.
He was not a great man.
But in notable ways he was a good man, despite well-publicized flaws.
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Too bad you are too blind to recognize it. Flaws or no flaw, he did more with his life for others than you can ever hope to claim or remotely achieve.
RIP Teddy. Your legacy of caring for the poor, for the less fortunate, and for those that were too clueless to understand just how much you’ve done for them will outlive us all.
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for others than I can ever hope to claim or remotely achieve.
Teddy, not so much.
I have this understanding that government is a burden on ordinary people. Necessary, for sure, but also brutal, capricious, and abusive. You are free to disagree.
Any “greatness” you attribute to the man was for what he did through his immense power over us through the government. And for every action you admire him for, there is undoubtedly a baser motivation that you overlook. He simply enjoyed imposing his brand of morality on the rest of us, just like any other religious extremist. More than any other single person, he embodied the nanny state.
What were his accomplishments ? Prior to being elevated to the Senate, not so much. He was made a Senator because his brother was killed.
I suppose you think GW Bush is a great man. Just another schlub, I say. Part of being a great man is sacrifice. Another part is leadership. Neither of these 2 schlubs born with silver spoons in their mouths could ever be convicted of either of those.
I think you admire him most for agreeing with you, as is your right.
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It’s been years since I saw any evidence of that though, so I don’t know why I still believe it.
Seriously, you’re a dick.
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That would be of Christ.
Lack of compassion for the filthy rich, the pharisees and kings, not so much.
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I understand you’re unemployed, and you think that makes you noble. I understand you blame the government for all your problems. But if you can’t act like Christ, at least act like a man.
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you seem to have nailed me, to a “t.”
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And thanks for assuming you know me or my admiration or the reasons for it. Maybe that’s what continues to tank your political aspirations–all your unfounded assumptions and your pure ignorance that borders on stupidity.
Case in point:
I have to address this paragraph because your ignorance is profound. He was only 30 when he became a Senator. But yes, let’s all pull a Barron and ignore nearly a half a century of public service and focus on the first 29 years of his life to prove your point that he didn’t do jack shit for anyone or anything.
What are his accomplishments after nearly 50 years in the Senate? I think the last 46 years of his life point to a man that has truly brought about real and positive changes for millions of people. Start with immigration reform in ’65, move to health care for children in the 80s’ and add education and poverty and civil rights issues in and those are just for starters.
As for your view towards government, obviously I don’t agree with you or your views. I’m just grateful you do not represent me in office and for the life of me, I can’t understand why you would be interested in serving in a government you so despise. You’re entitled to your opinion, no matter how twisted it is to fit your narrow minded definition of what you so despise.
What is truly distressing about you is your persistent ignorance on a vast array of topics. It seems to be one of your most prominent traits.
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Ted Kennedy’s death is all about me.
We dare not examine his life, lest we shake confidence in the “Lion of the Senate.”
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appears to be about at the same standard as the rest of your skills.
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Middle of the Road.
It’s like, sometimes you take a progressive position, and other times you take a conservative position. You thoughtfully consider the merits for each particular set of circumstances, and then make up your mind based on objective principles,
rather than being swayed by partisan loyalties.
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for when they find Cheney. It would be beneath him to recognize the accomplishment of anyone to the left of Attila the Hun.
My hunch is that right wingers especially hate the Kennedy’s because the Kennedy’s showed that wealthy people can show compassion and not be solely focused on their own greed and satisfaction. Unfortunately the good Barron buys into the whole notion that the rich need only care about themselves. The Kennedy’s by showing concern for those less fortunate are worthy of our respect.
I appreciate your comments most of the time Barron but your snide little remarks today reveal nothing more than a snide little man.
He wanted to have an interim appointed until the special election could be held. Kennedy was afraid his death would leave the Senate short a Senator for too long with the 145 day delay before the special election. I happen to agree, both with the original change but even more with the proposed modification. The Massachusetts Legislature could still enact such a change, giving them the best of both worlds – direct election of a replacement Senator and representation in the interim.
so I’ll just link to it.
Here are the three brothers.
For an old fart, tugged at a lot of memories and thoughts.
In terms of serving humanity, Eunice is there in spirit, at least for me.
It’s amazing how old Joe and Rose turned out four children so dedicated to others. Wealth could have been their crutch for life, but they used to for effectiveness.
the shriver family, that’s different blood altogether
what you’re talking about?
You need to ask?
SENATOR TED KENNEDY did a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to help Muslims, in addition to greatly preserving the civil liberties of all Americans – I’m a fiercely loyal and PROUD Republican – nonetheless, Senator Kennedy was one of m…y most beloved Senators, because of his compassion for those in the minority and his belief in civil liberties for all – I’ll miss you Senator – may you rest in peace
SENATOR TED KENNEDY did a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to help Muslims, in addition to greatly preserving the civil liberties of all Americans – I’m a fiercely loyal and PROUD Republican – nonetheless, Senator Kennedy was one of my most beloved Senators, because of his compassion for those in the minority and his belief in civil liberties for all – I’ll miss you Senator – may you rest in peace
….we cannot pick and choose who gets the liberties. All or none.
I’m glad that you’ve been impacted in a positive way by Sen. Kennedy, MAH.
Every American was impacted positively by him
In time, marriage will be a right that is available to ALL, much because of the ground-work that Senator Kennedy laid
in the first coverage is the role he played in the life of the families of his deceased brothers.
He certainly was deeply flawed and it took him most of his life to alter his most irresponsible personal behaviors, even while his accomplishments for the public good were truly great.
We all know he was always there for the disadvantaged and oppressed and that has been widely noted. But not much mention has been made, in the first reports, of the fact that he was such a rock, always there for his brother’s widows and children. That’s worth a lot.
My condolences to the Kennedy family.
So much has been written about the Kennedy’s, and undoubtedly more will be written in the future. While he had his flaws (don’t we all), the legacy of his family and his legislative achievements will endure in our history and remain relevant for the ages, especially for those who had no voice of their own.
The brothers are all gone now. I saw Jack a year before he was assassinated, and I saw Ted at a town hall meeting in 1972. Of the four, only Ted lived into his old age, exemplifying a record of service, and sacrifice, from their family.
Edward Moore Kennedy, Rest In Peace
Such greatness, such tragedy.
I guess if fiction, it would be a “blockbuster” novel. And movie.
I wonder if Mary Jo will welcome him so warmly now that 40 years later he has to face her poor soul.
While Gecko’s snark is not welcome, the incident he references is truly inexcusable and reprehensible. There was no effort on Kennedy’s part to even attempt to render assistance or to get help. I’m old enough to remember the public outrage, regardless od of party affiliation, that this Kennedy scion was getting away with something no ordinary person possibly could. Certainly my parents, liberal Democrats, were appalled. They thought it was surely the end of his career.
He was probably just too drunk but his main objective was clearly saving his own hide. It was the worst thing he ever did and was a very seriously bad thing. Mary Jo and her family would have every right never to forgive him. It is something that must be included in judging the whole of his life, the good and the bad.
Today, no one, not even a Kennedy would get away with something like that with no real legal consequences. Just as no President could now get away with JFK’s shenanigans in the White House.
Gecko, (I can’t believe I’m defending him but there it is) is entitled to make note of it.
that Gecko is a steaming pile of shit.
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10…
Not a NEWS ARTICLE. Or even an EDITORIAL.
Jesus frickin’ Christ…
That’s why the admission that he has the right to consider the incident in the worst possible light pains me.
At the same time, I’m old enough to remember when Ted Kennedy was considered nothing but the kid brother playboy and the public was thoroughly disgusted by this episode and by the fact that the young scion was treated as if he were above the law.
It took a long time for that to change to the reverence younger Dems are familiar with. Certainly it did in my family. My parents have recognized his accomplishments but have never been ready to give him a complete pass. It was a very, very shocking scandal at the time.
My reply above is to Middle’s “And I’m equally entitled to point out another fact–that Gecko is a steaming pile of shit”
That’s what I have no argument with, opinions concerning Kennedy’s life history notwithstanding. Sometimes even a stinking pile of shit is entitled to its point. Doesn’t mean I won’t shower after contact.
and I do hope you know that, Blue. I’d hate to think, even for a minute, that you would think otherwise. And when I read your thoughtful criticism of Kennedy, I find myself nodding in agreement. When I read Gecko’s, like most of his comments, it comes from his hate (and I would venture his self loathing that most racists also have but refuse to acknowledge) and I simply cannot pretend otherwise.
for making note of what the Kennedy’s tried to hide for the past 40 years.
I too was old enough to remember quite well what he got away with. I was only 13 years old so the politics of it meant nothing to me but even at that young age I knew he basically got away with hiding a death. I’d say hiding a murder but it was never pushed to the extent that it would have had he not been a “Kennedy”, so it was never really investigated like it should have
I will never forgive him as I’m sure millions of others won’t either. Mostly since he never seemed to let it bother him.
Being an agnostic I am geussing he is now just a rotting corpse but another side of me hopes there is an after life and Mary Jo gets her revenge.
Nobody here wants to hear this because he was such a liberal Democrat but would you feel the same if it was a leading conservative that did this?
I bet not.
partly out of respect, partly out of politeness, but mostly because we have some dignity. Try it some time.
Mary Jo’s family think the same thing?
It’s only to your discredit that you aren’t.
Any decent human being would think the same thing. Glad we know which side you’re on.
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I never considered this a murder.
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would have been a very real possibility for a Ted Smith. But I agree that this isn’t the sum by which all of Kennedy’s life should be judged. Forgiveness and redemption are also part of our lives.
Ted Kenndy worked very hard to achieve great public goods and to care for his fallen brothers’ families and that certainly counts a great deal. I wouldn’t speculate on Mary Jo’s family’s feelings except to say, whatever they are, they are entitled to them.
n/t
I’m positive Ted Kennedy made peace with his God and stands beyond your judgment. That makes you feel real small, so you come here to vent.
Well, thanks for proving that even at my worst, I’m a bigger and better man than you. That’s not saying much, but it’s something.
http://squarestate.net/diary/8…
I don’t usually do this, but I liked his take on Senator Kennedy’s death.
Kennedy did more harm to America with his Socialist/Statist agenda, promotion of abortion and covering for virtually every Communist dictatorship in the 70s and 80s than virtually anyone over the last 30 years.
Now, you Democrats and liberals want to use his passing to do even more harm by naming Health Care “reform” for him … and who knows what else.
He did enough harm when alive. No more after he is dead.
And spare us demanding we give tears and tissues that you would never give to the unborn or the girl he drowned.
ciao
So your “ciao” signoff is BS. At least you live up to your screen name, since you have nothing of intelligence, wisdom, or even of morality to share.
It took him upwards of 45 minutes to think up such a clever handle. Doesn’t that count for something?
What the heck are you two babbling about? Ciao is BS???? Huh?
Anyway, you guys prop the corpse up to push your legislation, and then it’s high dungeon when you are called on it.
It’s all politics to you. Fakers.
Kennedy was a leftist rat bastard publicly and, at least for a large part of his life, privately.
cheers
Its high dudgeon.
You’re right.
And you are still a fake; admittedly, with a better vocabulary …
And I’m a better writer.
chuse
Someone called “rtwingtroll” is calling others “fake.” I love it.
and having a better vocabulary are not mutually exclusive.
personally. Perhaps a moderately average 8th-grader on a good day, but nonetheless, a little slam here and there is nothing to chirp about, unless that’s all you have–imaging yourself competent and all.
I might have imagined the gates of hell opening up to welcome St. Ronnie–but I had the sense and manners to keep it to myself. The people he helped murder (all over Central America, for instance) is a much bigger blood stain than Kennedy’s.
He couldn’t care less what happened to that poor girl that never got to live to a ripe old age like he did. It is easy to say forgive and forget but like I said earlier, I just hope that he is now facing her on the other side.
What goes around comes around……or should I say pay back is a bitch.
Too bad he got to live so long when she didn’t.
who took the lives of over 5,000 sons and daughters in a political war meant to boost Bush’s reelection chances in 2004. How do we rate the ignorant followers who cheered as hundreds of thousands of innocents were killed in a senseless act of revenge. One can only hope that there is a special place in hell for those who called traitors anyone who disagreed with their political war. They deserve their fate in the here after. At least Ted tried to do good with the rest of his life. These scumbags are still convinced that the terror alerts were real.
and leave it for G-d to judge
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo…
I have had my issues with Sen. Kennedy over the years (it took me a long time to get over the 1980 convention), he felt, as I do, that we have a duty to protect the vulnerable and extend the blessing of liberty and prosperity to every American.
While some might point to Chappaquiddick as the emblem of his life and others to the Voting Rights act, or Immigration Act, I know every person’s life has its dark moments and moments of greatness.
I vehemently disagreed with Reagan on almost every single policy he advanced, but I never doubted his heart, and I was respectful at his death. I would ask the conservatives who would opine to be mindful and considerate of others.
I think that Ted Kennedy was, to the left, a similar figure as Regan was for the right. Likewise, both men were villified by their ideological opponents as being something inhuman.
I too was respectful of Reagan in his death. There’s a time for the rehashing of old grievances, and there’s a time to be respectful. The day of someone’s untimely death is the time for the latter.
Reagan wasn’t for me but I thought he was a decent man. Now someone’s going to say how could I find someone decent who supported Iran Contra, etc. etc (the standard gripe).
Hey, its over. They’re both gone. At least we can honor their contributions to this country. Both were flawed, but both showed extrodinary greatness as leaders. Both were gregarious Irishmen ! One won the cold war without firing a single shot and one was a champion of the little guy, in spite of being as close to royalty as you can get in this country.
I admired them both. The tone of political discourse is getting so ugly in this country we can’t help but demonize those we disagree with. I hope that changes.
I think there are more people like you, me and Danny than Libertad and Gecko though.
David Brooks
William F. Buckley
Haley Barbour
Bill Owens
Al White
Ronald Reagan
Don Marostica
Colin Powell
Frank Wolf
Mike May
Doug Bruce (no, just kidding)
Joel Hefley
Charlie Crist
Hank Brown
Robert Gates
And the list goes on and on…
If you find someone on the conservative side
who just can’t find anything redeeming about ANY liberal or Dem you have found yourself a real live irrational lockstep ideologue
he is a great spokesman for that insurance company and makes really funny commercials.
Oh wait, you meant…..
Denver Broncos… Still Suck!
You are still my buddy. Just couldn’t resist….
Denver Broncos… Still Suck!
Oh sorry, that was Wall St.
Long time no hear………….
And yes, the Denver Broncos STILL SUCK!
http://theconversation.blogs.n…
From Brooks:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/o…
I wonder if Republicans will consider it uncivil to bring this up the day she dies.
was there anything about her fleeing the scene, keeping the whole thing secret until the next day, avoiding any attempt to get help? I’ve heard that she was not, in fact, drunk either. Was that in the report? And she was only 17 at the time.
Sorry sxp, what Kennedy did that night was much, much worse. It’s something that both Ted Kennedy and all those who love and admire him have to live with.
Not to say this negates everything he accomplished and all the good he did. People make horrible mistakes and that was among the most horrible a person can make. Trust me, people of every political persuasion were absolutely sickened at the time.
There is no need to white wash Senator Kennedy’s life. His accomplishments speak for themselves. He wasn’t Mother Theresa and there is no need to drag Laura Bush into it and fall back on that GOP favorite: One of yours did it too, so there.
Senator Kennedy will be remembered as one of the greatest legislators and friends of the common man who ever lived. Nothing can take that away. He also had many burdens to bear, both of his own making and those imposed by fate. May he rest in peace.
And nobody knows if she was drunk or not, but she was a 17-year-old in Texas who sped through a stop sign, so it’s not implausible. No tests were performed.
http://www.snopes.com/politics…
As for whether Laura Bush deliberately murdered him and tried to cover it up (not easy since his father was driving the car following him), well, it would be irresponsible NOT to speculate. Especially on the day she dies.
There’s an old Irish saying….
“God created whiskey so the Irish wouldn’t rule the earth”
I believe Ted Kennedy fully understood the meaning of that saying, probably more than anyone.
Kennedy no doubt escaped being held legally accountable for what happened that night 40 years ago. But he was held accountable by the American people who judged him morally unfit for the presidency.
Justice for wrongs is sometimes served in unexpected ways. And at the end of the day, I believe justice was served to Edward M. Kennedy and he was held accountable for his actions.
The man is dead. Whatever your opinion of him, let his family, friends, and those who admired him for his service to his country the decency to mourn him.
with Kennedy losing the 1980 primary. The hostages in Iran were a much bigger factor. In 1979 Kennedy was way ahead in the polls.
but if it hadn’t happened, he was a pretty sure bet to run in 1972. In 1976, it was still too recent, too.
the general view was that he would never be able to run for president and it took many years to get past that perception, so it was a very serious setback to his ambitions. He certainly could have run at an earlier stage of his career if he hadn’t had that hanging around his neck. It remains an open question whether he ever really had chance to not only win the nomination but the election. It was a very, very big deal.
I know it was bad for him for a while, but as far as I can tell people got over it by 1979. With few exceptions (i.e., you) the only people I’ve seen who haven’t gotten over it are Republicans.
Reminds me of the famous Michael Berube quote: “I used to consider myself a Democrat, but thanks to 9/11, I’m outraged by Chappaquiddick.”
I haven’t gotten over it? I’m just trying to explain that it had a very serious impact on Kennedy’s career and that you are seriously underestimating that impact. Also that there is no need to deny the depth of his misconduct at the time or to excuse it by pointing to anyone else’s failings. I’d be willing to bet Sen. Kennedy himself never came to view it as no big deal.
If you think it was all forgiven, forgotten and of no importance by 1980 you are quite wrong. It doesn’t mean we can’t admire him, nor does it negate his great accomplishments.
It is what it is and I think you are probably just too young to be aware of just how big a deal it was and how long it continued to be so. Personally, I think Ted Kennedy was the greatest legislator of my lifetime.
I just literally don’t know any other liberal, old or young, who still brings it up. It came out more negative than I intended.
Given that it’s now 30 years since Kennedy challenged Carter, and 40 years since Chappaquiddick, that’s not surprising. But BlueCat’s description is exactly right — it was still very raw when Teddy ran for president, and even more so the two times he passed. This was in the days before 24-hour news cycles and a personal scandal under every politician’s hat, and long before the scandals of the late ’80s and early ’90s made it possible for politicians to tear up on TV and regain America’s trust.
for a long time but it’s the kind of thing bound to be brought up in all the retrospectives on the occasion of his death and it has. Gecko actually brought it up here first. Since his death many of his Dem talking head admirers have been stating that it kept him from becoming President.
Can you, honestly now, imagine a pol surviving such a thing today all the way to the presidency? Edwards’ political career is now deader than a door nail and nobody died.
Not that Edwards has any lofty accomplishments (or even minor accomplishments), much less anything at all to put him on a level with Ted Kennedy. I’m certainly not drawing a direct comparison! No offense meant or taken.
He was a crappy Senator, a crappy VP candidate, and a crappy candidate in 2008. His career was over when he dropped out of a proportional-representation primary with 20 delegates, I thought.
A sex scandal (or cheating on your sick wife) is not enough to sink a political career: look at Bill Clinton or Newt Gingrich. You’re right that I can’t really know how it seemed to the public back then, but I think it’s much easier to have a career in spite of something like that today. Partly due to the “tearing up” that RedGreen mentions, and partly due to the popularity of redemption-for-all evangelical Christianity.
and that made it much harder for Gore, who should have had a cakewalk what with all the peace and prosperity he inherited. His bungling the line between separation from the Clinton zipper issues and connection with the good stuff wouldn’t have been an issue without the scandal. He wouldn’t have been so tied up in knots and over managed as a candidate and it wouldn’t have been anywhere near close enough to steal.
Gingrich is out of elected politics. So was Gary Hart after his little fiasco. Don’t see a presidency in the future for the likes of any recent GOP sex scandal veterans.
Agree that Edwards wasn’t going to be president regardless. He was done before that scandal broke but now he’s done for good for sure, even for dog catcher.
This stuff still matters and being responsible for an actual drunk driving death and fleeing the scene would still be pretty hard to overcome for a young pol today. Kennedy actually beat the odds with his long brilliant career but could he have been president? I’ll just agree to disagree on the whole subject. Here’s to a great Senator.
Hear, hear.
I think it’s an important distinction, too, that BlueCat made between Chappaquiddick and more recent scandals. It’s really hard to imagine how political news and questions of character were digested in the pre-CNN, pre-Internet, and especially pre-Rush, pre-Fox days, even for those of us who lived through them.
I really like what James Fallows wrote yesterday:
http://jamesfallows.theatlanti…
And very classy of you to be so kind in light of our recent dust up.
It’s true Kennedy was beating Carter in the pols in 1979. However when Kennedy did officially get into the race, Chappaquiddick once again became an issue on his moral fitness to be president. His disastrous interview when he couldn’t articulate a good reason why he wanted to be president didn’t help either.
The fact is Carter won the nomination. In my view, there were no precipitous differences in ideology or issues between Kennedy or Carter which warranted Kennedy challenging a sitting president for the nomination of his own party, Chappaquiddick notwithstanding. Thus Kennedy’s pursuit of the Democratic nomination was a fools errand and a fatal political miscalculation.
Ronald Reagan has been elevated to near deity status by Republicans (and many others as well). But many forget he ran for the Republican nomination in 1976 against a sitting president, Gerald Ford (a man LBJ said played football too many times with his helmet off), and lost. Unfortunately Kennedy failed to heed that lesson four years later.
In retrospect, 1976 was probably the best shot for Kennedy (open nomination, Watergate still an albatross for the Republicans), but Kennedy declined. There were stories at the time that Kennedy would not run unless his mother approved it, and that didn’t happen until 1980.
In the final analysis though, there was probably no amount of time that would have relegated Chappaquiddick as a non-issue in a Kennedy presidential run, witness some of the vitriolic comments made on this blog alone on the event of his death 40 years later.
come from Republicans, who would never ever vote for a Democrat for anything. That wasn’t true as much then as it is now, but I think the haters wouldn’t have been that much of an issue for him. Democrats win the Presidency with independents, not crossovers from the other side.
There has been never been a time in my life that Ted Kennedy has not been a Senator. He made many missteps in his personal life, but no one can say that he was just a political hack. His family name gave him his position, but the respect he earned from his work in the Senate was all his own.
You can’t be a placekeeper in the Upper House of Congress for over 45 years, you have to have accomplishments to point to and Ted Kennedy could point to many.
I agree that, as Ronald Reagan is to the right, Edward Kennedy is an icon of what the left stands for. You may not agree with his views, but you can’t deny his effect in representing them.
All condolences to the Kennedy family.
I look over this thread and wonder, why, on the day of a man’s death, a man that served over 40 years in the senate, we can’t step back and offer condolences to his family and recognize his accomplishments.
To do otherwise makes us all look very, very small.
My first statement in my post early this morning were condolences to the Kennedy family. The man was a prominent political figure for over 40 years, but he was also a husband, a father, a grandfather, and the patriarch of the Kennedy family.
The Kennedy family deserves our condolences and respect, no different than a loss in your family.
Probably because Pelosi, Reid and most of y’all are blubbing all over yourselves to pass Guvmint Health Care and a slough of other lefty-crap by propping up TK’s barely cold corpse.
You want shame, look in the mirror.
Me? I want the dead SOB to do no more harm. His life did far too much already.
If y’all shut up about him in the context of current political fights, I will too.
peace/out
or just routinely stupid?
This was well written, and it’s good to hear something gracious and thoughtful from a conservative. (Ali Hasan’s piece above was also welcome.)
when TK voted against the war in Iraq. He called it his finest vote in the Senate! In addition, he alone has gone to EVERY soldiers funeral killed in Iraq!
Who else can claim both?
every soldier killed in Iraq from Mass.
was never the same as being against the troops. Not sending troops into a completely uncalled for war, as Kennedy would have had it, is the best possible way to show real support. His faithful support of them and their families, after failing to succeed in preventing the war, by attending the funerals, fighting for better care,etc., was perfectly consistant with his stance against the war.
I have much admiration for a man who lives his life in adherence to his principles. Kennedy was such a man.
Though I’d disagree with him on nearly every aspect of political philosophy, he certainly warrants admiration for being so consistent.
For a man who lost both his brothers and had their legacy thrust upon him, and a man who caused great pain while trying to come to terms with both, he didn’t have it easy. If anyone had an excuse to be burdened with an overabundance of liberal guilt, he was that man.
I disagreed with just about everything he stood for politically. But he is at peace now, and I am grateful for him for that.
But he was every bit the war hero as Jack. His death while piloting a B-24 modified as a flying bomb occurred after he had completed his 25 missions. He could have gone home in safety. Instead he volunteered for a highly dangerous mission, and died in service to his country.
When I was a twenty-year-old, wide-eyed intern in the U.S. Senate, I had the pleasure of meeting Senator Kennedy at an ice cream social. All that I remember was being a bit overwhelmed, noticing his red nose, and saying something to him that was completely unremarkable. Looking back on that moment, I now know what I should have said …
“Senator Kennedy, compassion is still cool.”
Continued here: http://jakewilliams.org/blog/9…
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this is from comments at WaPo, on Senator Kennedy and healthcare. No idea if true or not, but worth having an expert here give an opinion:
James Earl is a personal hero of mine, and the last Democrat I voted for, I think.
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