Massachusetts Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy passed away late Tuesday night after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He was 77. Kennedy was the youngest brother of Pres. John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 November 22, 1963), and Senator Robert F. Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968). Edward Kennedy's passing closely follows the recent death of his elder sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver (July 10, 1921 August 11, 2009).
Ted Kennedy was possessed of an extraordinary career in public service. He served nine terms in Congress and was at the time of his death the second most senior member of the Senate (after Robert Byrd of West Virginia), and was the third-longest-serving senator in U.S. history. Kennedy's reputation, however, came not from the length of his service in Washington, but from his willingness to speak out on behalf of liberal and progressive bills and causes a trait that is (sadly) less-common among his Democratic brethren these days especially the so-called "Blue Dogs". Indeed, Kennedy was one of the most vocal critics of the motivations behind the current Iraq War, as is noted in several of his statements concerning the last administration and its dishonest use of "intelligence" to launch the conflict:
"There was no imminent threat. This was made up in Texas, announced in January to the Republican leadership that war was going to take place and was going to be good politically. This whole thing was a fraud."
"It's now clear that from the very moment President Bush took office, Iraq was his highest priority as unfinished business from the first Bush Administration. His agenda was clear: find a rationale to get rid of Saddam."
Despite his illness Kennedy had been diagnosed with a malignant glioma in May of 2008 he continued to work for change. In addition to his endorsement of then-presidential candidate, Barack Obama (now Pres. Obama), Ted had spent decades laying the groundwork for healthcare reform now an integral part of the Obama administration's agenda (and rightly so). Indeed, Kennedy's hand in sponsoring or negotiating healthcare reform bills could fill a book; he provided funding to fight HIV/AIDS, and increased children's health insurance coverage. Ted's passing in the heat of the healthcare reform debate couldn't be more unfortunate, as his was truly a voice of strong and uncompromising devotion to the improvement of the health coverage and the living standard-at-large for all Americans.
Edward "Ted" Kennedy the "Lion of the Senate" has passed on. As noted, he joins his highly respected brother, John F. Kennedy one of the GREATEST U.S. presidents in immortal greatness.
Rest in Peace, Senator Kennedy ...
Tags: Edward Kennedy; John F. Kennedy; Robert F. Kennedy; Eunice Kennedy Shriver
