Dear Senator Kennedy

May I call you Teddy? We have been through so much together, I feel I knew you. I hope wherever you are tonight, you are able to comprehend, on some level, that your lifelong dream has come true.

You probably wouldn't like the bill as it is at this point, but, I think I know what you'd say. "It's a start." You always said change is made in small steps. The Reconciliation bill will undoubtedly pass the Senate this week. I can't imagine that the Senate Democrats, many of whom you would have been ashamed, by the way, would dare NOT pass it. After all, they professed to dislike the bill as it was, because there were too many deals made, and those deals are rescinded in the Reconciliation bill. But, who knows what will happen, the Democratic Party being what it is.

One thing this long fight has done is, introduce us to a man named Bart Stupak, who has stubbornly voted his conscience every step of the way. He is Pro-Life, in a party that is mostly Pro-Choice, and he fought for what he believed, relentlessly voting "no" in the face of tremendous pressure from his peers in the House. He finally did give in, at the eleventh hour, but not until he was able to get President Obama to sign an Executive Order, assuring him and other Pro-Life members that the new healthcare bill would not allow for Federally funded abortions. He actually wanted more than that, but, like you, he was flexible enough to realize that this was the most he could get, and he really wanted Healthcare to pass. So, when he got on board, he got on all the way, suffering the glares and slurs thrown at him by the Republicans. One man in the chamber actually called him "baby-killer". We ought to know who yelled that out by tomorrow, if the media has its way.

I don't have to tell you how uncivil politics has become, and how unyielding the Republicans are. Somehow, I think if you had lived long enough, you could have maybe cajoled at least one or two "yes" votes out of them. But, no matter. Your party did it without them, many putting their political lives on the line in order to do the right thing.

Teddy dear, I'm betting that you haven't been resting very peacefully up to now. But, as of tonight, you can be proud that your dream didn't die with you. The work will go on, and the cause will endure. Your dream will, truly, never die.

The Lion of the Senate sleeps tonight.

Stay tuned.

Edward M. Kennedy - 1932-2009

"Every American should have the opportunity to receive a quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity."


He was the baby in a family of nine children. It should never have fallen to him to be the patriarch, responsible for a widowed mother and numerous nieces and nephews while he was such a young man, himself. His family suffered many more tragedies than most families. They were survivors.

But, it was the tragedy of Chappaquiddick that marked the turning point of his life. After a weekend of scrambling to protect his career and name, he finally presented himself to the local police and confessed all. It was messy, but you could say that it made a man of him. He spent the rest of his life, whether consciously or not, atoning for his horrible mistake.

For the next four plus decades, he worked tirelessly in the Senate. He wrote or helped to write hundreds of laws designed to help those less fortunate than himself. He championed the causes of, among others, civil rights, education, the environment and healthcare for all.

He was an unapologetic Liberal, and consistent in his actions. He simply never gave up, even after he was diagnosed with the cancer that would end his extraordinary life. He continued to work tirelessly until he could no longer go to the Senate and then he worked from home.

The Lion of the Senate will roar no more. It is truly the end of an era.


"For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we made."


Bon Voyage, Teddy. Smooth Sailing.

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

A few observations on a great day.

From the day you swaggered into town

In your cowboy boots and Supreme Court crown

You never admitted to being selected

Instead of, like others, duly elected.

Georgie Porgie puddin' 'n pie

Everybody wave good-bye

We're not so sorry to have to say

We won't miss you now you've gone away.

And, as the helicopter lifted off, the crowd sang that old song by Steam, "Na-na-na-na, hey, hey. hey, good-bye!"

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Chris Wallace, Fox News: "I'm wondering if he's really the president, after flubbing the oath of office. This could end up in the courts."

Note to Chris: Don't look now, but your ignorance is showing.

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Sen. John Cornyn (R. Texas) put a hold on the confirmation vote for Secretary of State, thus forcing a voice vote tomorrow. He's a big buddy of W's, and he wants to vote "no" for Hillary, for all the good it will do him.

Sen. Cornyn: Don't look now, but your malice is showing.

This is the same Senator Cornyn who voted no on gay marriage, stating, "If you allow gay marriage, next, somebody will want to marry a box turtle. (This may not be the exact quote, but it's close enough.)

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Even in a wheelchair, Dick Cheney still looked like Dr. Evil.

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Ted Kennedy had a seizure during the luncheon. But, he's ok. He has to be ok. I'm not sure we could have a good health care bill without him.

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The inauguration of Barack Obama. I loved every minute of it!

They Call It A Snoozefest.

It has come to this. The Media won't be satisfied with a political convention unless one party is snarling and sniping at the other. If each speaker doesn't attempt a character assassination of the members of the other party, the pundits start yawning. And, they do what they did last night. They simply don't show most of the speakers and videos, enjoying, instead, the sounds of their own voices.

I watched most of the opening night on C-Span so I could actually see what was going on. Nancy Pelosi made a very good opening speech. Former President Jimmy Carter made a few remarks and he and Mrs. Carter were warmly received by the crowd. Clair McCaskill was introduced by her son and two daughters, and her speech was upbeat and well-received. In the meantime, on the other channels, the pundits (gasbags, all) tried to outdo each other with their cynical, pithy comments about what was going on, although they weren't letting anyone see it.

For me, the highlight of the evening was Caroline Kennedy's introduction of a video featuring her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy. And then, there he was, Teddy, himself. And the crowd was thrilled. If you didn't know how ill he was, you could close your eyes and believe that there was nothing wrong, because his speech was as fiery as always, and as full of conviction. There weren't many dry eyes in that crowd.

Then, there was Michelle Obama's 6'6" brother, pride radiating from him, introducing his sister, Michelle. Michelle's speech was informative and conversational, and accomplished exactly what everyone wanted it to accomplish. It showed her as a concerned wife, mother and highly intelligent woman who wasn't anything like the scary, angry, militant woman that the Republicans try to make of her.

All in all, I think the evening was successful, even if there were no fireworks and not much Bush-McCain bashing. In fact, it was kind of a relief that we didn't have to listen to a lot of vitriol. That will probably start tonight. They can't afford, politically, to keep the gloves on. The voting public has come to expect and even like the nastiness, so there will probably be plenty of that.

But, it was nice while it lasted.

My Bed of Pain

Sorry I haven't posted this week, but I had to concentrate on my pain. I have found that to get the maximum sympathy, I have to moan more loudly and pitifully than I used to. It's a slippery slope, though, and if I'm not careful, I could overdo it and end up in Shady Pines Rest Home.

I slept wrong the other night, and my shoulder and arm have given me fits ever since. I know you young folks won't really relate to this, being supple and agile and all, but seniors will understand how long it takes to recover. As you will have deduced by now, I'm better, although still twingeing, and whingeing.

To make matters worse, it was my right arm.

End of whine.

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Yesterday's primaries ended as predicted with Hillary winning in Kentucky and Obama winning in Oregon, effectively cancelling each other out, I guess. Ho-Hum.

Only three more, and, of course, there's May 31, the day the Democratic National Committee meets to decide what to do with Michigan and Florida. There are reports that they will give each delegate 1/2 vote and let them go to the convention. This puts Obama back in the race in those two states, I guess.

The Democrats are going to have to get it together and make some simple rules for primaries, and then stick to them. All this "moving the finish line" that Hillary is trying to do is getting tiresome. The irony of the situation is that the rules were made to ensure that black voters were represented fairly. And, who was the head of the DNC when these complicated, convoluted rules were made? Bill Clinton, of course.

Talk about something coming back and biting you on the ass!

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I'm just devastated. Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He will start treatment soon, and I hope it helps. Many years ago, the biggest mistake in his life taught him a valuable lesson, and he learned it well. He has turned into one of the most effective and hard-working senators. With the traumatic deaths of his brothers, he stepped up and became a surrogate father to all of their children.

And, I wish the newspeople would stop speaking of him in the past tense. He's still here, and I, for one, hope he will be for a long time to come.