Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The Lion of the Senate, R.I.P.

Edward Moore Kennedy, Democratic Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, died last night.  His struggle against malignant glioma—a particularly grim form of brain cancer—came to an end.  He will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, near his assassinated brothers John and Robert.

After the passing of Eunice Shriver two weeks ago, Jean Kennedy Smith is the only surviving sibling of that tragically-storied clan.

Would that there were enough humanity, enough compassion, remaining in the Senate of the United States to honor Teddy’s career by passing a reasonable, workable healthcare reform.  Would that this country could join the civilized world by replacing its corrupt, dysfunctional, profit-driven healthcare non-system with something like the sort of program envisioned by Senator Kennedy.  Would that his memory could be honored by naming a rational and comprehensive approach to health care as a right after the late Edward M. Kennedy.

In that thought, I join Robert C. Byrd, one of only two individuals in the history of our country to have served longer in the Senate than Ted Kennedy (Dan Inouye will pass Teddy in a couple of months).  Byrd’s sorrowful statement included these poignant words:

I had hoped and prayed that this day would never come.  My heart and soul weeps at the loss of my best friend in the Senate, my beloved friend, Ted Kennedy.

Sen. Kennedy and I both witnessed too many wars in our lives, and believed too strongly in the Constitution of the United States to allow us to go blindly into war.  That is why we stood side by side in the Senate against the war in Iraq.

Throughout his career, Sen. Kennedy believed in a simple premise — that our society’s greatness lies in its ability and willingness to provide for its less fortunate members.  Whether striving to increase the minimum wage, ensuring that all children have medical insurance, or securing better access to higher education, Sen. Kennedy always showed that he cares deeply for those whose needs exceed their political clout.  Unbowed by personal attacks or by the terrible sorrows that have fallen upon his family, his spirit continued to soar and he continued to work as hard as ever to make his dreams a reality.

In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.

Hundreds and hundreds of tributes to Ted Kennedy have been written already, have been spoken already.  Of those I’ve seen thus far, none have been more heartfelt than the words of Vice President Biden, who had shared the Senate chamber with Ted Kennedy for 36 years before his election to the vice-presidency:

I was particularly moved by his recollection of the thoughts of Kennedy’s widow, Victoria Reggie, speaking what we all wanted to say:

He was ready to go, Joe ... but we were not ready to let him go.

Godspeed, Senator Kennedy.  There will be none again like you.

[UPDATE] You simply must read “nemokc“‘s dKos diary, A Private Moment with the Lion.