President Obama delivers the eulogy at Senator Edward Kennedy's funeral. Obama captured Kennedy's legacy with typical grace:
Today we say goodbye to the youngest child of Rose and Joseph Kennedy. The world will long remember their son Edward as the heir to a weighty legacy, a champion for those who had none, the soul of the Democratic Party, and the lion of the United States Senate -- a man whose name graces nearly 1,000 laws, and who penned more than 300 laws himself.
Of course Kennedy failed himself and others in his life. The Kennedy brood has lived under a microscope that pre-dates today's 24/7 news cycle and viral online gossip-mongering and 'Teddy' must hold the record for late-night-comedian jokes at his expense. The man saluted by President Obama as 'the greatest legislator of our time' was for many years a womanizing booze-hound. Hell, Ted Kennedy spawned Mayor Quimby on 'The Simpsons'. You don't get more iconic than that.
For right-wingers celebrating his passing -- and they're out there, holding their forked tongues -- Ted Kennedy represents a stark contrast to the hypocritical hate-mongering masquerading as modern day Republican politics. Kennedy was never a moralizer. He was a devout Catholic and public servant who saw in his Senate seat an opportunity to always 'to always give a voice to those who were not heard'. His shambolic personal life was a sideshow to 46 years of legislative success. Conservative politicians who rise to power espousing virtues and values they privately laugh at, and who reward the rich while demonizing the poor, couldn't, to use a sports vernacular, carry Ted Kennedy's jock.
Sen. Edward Kennedy has been diagnosed with an inoperable and cancerous brain tumor. The kid brother of JFK has spent his entire adult life representing the state of Massachusetts. Along the way he's suffered personal failures, been targeted by late-night comedians and vilified by Right Wing Haters as the living symbol of 'liberalism' in the U.S. To me, he's a sadly dying breed: A man of conviction and compassion.
WaPo comments were predictably filled with hateful rants. I posted this rebuttal:
Such is the world we live in: A man is diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor and the Right Wing Haters dance and sing and post in uppercase letters how indignant they are about this imperfect man receiving accolades for a life dedicated to public service.
Such brave patriots, these anonymous posters. Poking out of rat holes to celebrate the sadness of others, spreading their electronic flatulence, rejoicing in collective ignorance and hypocrisy. Such miserable cretins.
My condolences go out not just to the Kennedy family, but to future generations of U.S. citizens who will be forever scarred by the legitimization of Right Wing cowardice and dishonor. 5/20/2008 7:34:24 PM
For right-wingers celebrating his passing -- and they're out there, holding their forked tongues -- Ted Kennedy represents a stark contrast to the hypocritical hate-mongering masquerading as modern day Republican politics. Kennedy was never a moralizer. He was a devout Catholic and public servant who saw in his Senate seat an opportunity to always 'to always give a voice to those who were not heard'. His shambolic personal life was a sideshow to 46 years of legislative success. Conservative politicians who rise to power espousing virtues and values they privately laugh at, and who reward the rich while demonizing the poor, couldn't, to use a sports vernacular, carry Ted Kennedy's jock.
