[Senate Document 111-6]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Edward M. Kennedy
LATE A SENATOR FROM
MASSACHUSETTS
a
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND OTHER TRIBUTES
hon. edward m. kennedy
a
z
1932-2009
hon. edward m. kennedy
a
z
1932-2009
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Edward M. Kennedy
Photo by Denis Reggie. Used with permission of Hachette Book Group.
Memorial Addresses and
Other Tributes
HELD IN THE SENATE
AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE UNITED STATES
TOGETHER WITH MEMORIAL SERVICES
IN HONOR OF
EDWARD M. KENNEDY
Late a Senator from Massachusetts
One Hundred Eleventh Congress
First Session
a
?
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
vii
Proceedings in the Senate:
Obama, Barack, President.......................
11
Tributes by Senators:
Akaka, Daniel K., of Hawaii....................
110
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
44
Barrasso, John, of Wyoming.....................
165
Baucus, Max, of Montana........................
83
Begich, Mark, of Alaska
...............................................
...
169, 170, 199
Bennet, Michael F., of Colorado................
195
Bingaman, Jeff, of New Mexico..................
23
Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
46
Brown, Sherrod, of Ohio
...............................................
...........
107, 139
Brownback, Sam, of Kansas......................
33
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
150
Burris, Roland W., of Illinois.................
104
Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia..............
76
Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland
.................................
108, 152, 202
Casey, Robert P., Jr., of Pennsylvania.........
163
Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia...................
77
Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
49
Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
114
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
100
Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
172
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut
...............................
25, 137, 138
Dorgan, Byron L., of North Dakota..............
5, 143
Durbin, Richard, of Illinois
.........................................
10, 37, 194, 198
Ensign, John, of Nevada........................
115
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
87
Feingold, Russell D., of Wisconsin.............
6
Feinstein, Dianne, of California...............
80
Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina.............
69
Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
66
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah
...............................................
...........
54, 151
Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma..................
152
Inouye, Daniel K., of Hawaii...................
113
Kaufman, Edward E., of Delaware................
116
Kerry, John F., of Massachusetts
.....................................
19, 139, 200
Kirk, Paul G., Jr., of Massachusetts
..............
174, 196, 197, 199, 203
Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota...................
134
Kohl, Herb, of Wisconsin.......................
119
Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
4, 108
Lautenberg, Frank R., of New Jersey............
72
Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont
..........................................
51, 194, 198
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
35
Lieberman, Joseph I., of Connecticut...........
151
Martinez, Mel, of Florida......................
10
McCaskill, Claire, of Missouri.................
171
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
4, 15
Menendez, Robert, of New Jersey................
128
Merkley, Jeff, of Oregon.......................
97
Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland
.........................................
59, 192
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
167
Murray, Patty, of Washington
...............................................
..
90, 136
Nelson, Bill, of Florida.......................
133
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island
...............................................
......
30, 203
Reid, Harry, of Nevada
...............................................
......
3, 8, 13, 151
Rockefeller, John D., IV, of West Virginia.....
121
Schumer, Charles E., of New York...............
93
Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama.....................
64
Shaheen, Jeanne, of New Hampshire..............
131
Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
139
Specter, Arlen, of Pennsylvania................
146
Stabenow, Debbie, of Michigan
...............................................
102, 203
Udall, Mark, of Colorado.......................
9, 147
Udall, Tom, of New Mexico......................
169
Voinovich, George V., of Ohio..................
120
Whitehouse, Sheldon, of Rhode Island
..............................
4, 125, 132
Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
Tributes by Representatives:
Capuano, Michael E., of Massachusetts..........
208
Delahunt, Bill, of Massachusetts
...........................................
212, 219
Eshoo, Anna G., of California
...............................................
..
240, 245
Frank, Barney, of Massachusetts................
210
Holt, Rush D., of New Jersey...................
237
Jackson, Jesse L., Jr., of Illinois............
243
Johnson, Eddie Bernice, of Texas...............
205
Kennedy, Patrick J., of Rhode Island...........
228
Lee, Barbara, of California....................
237
Lewis, John, of Georgia........................
224
Lynch, Stephen F., of Massachusetts............
220
Markey, Edward J., of Massachusetts
...................
209, 219, 226, 233
McGovern, James P., of Massachusetts...........
213
Meek, Kendrick B., of Florida..................
239
Miller, George, of California..................
245
Neal, Richard E., of Massachusetts.............
207
Olver, John W., of Massachusetts...............
215
Pelosi, Nancy, of California...................
246
Rahall, Nick J., II, of West Virginia..........
235
Smith, Lamar, of Texas.........................
230
Tierney, John F., of Massachusetts.............
217
Tsongas, Niki, of Massachusetts................
222
Woolsey, Lynn C., of California................
240
Memorial Services.....................................
247
John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.............
249
Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.........
303
U.S. Capitol...................................
337
Arlington National Cemetery....................
341
BIOGRAPHY
Edward M. Kennedy was the third longest serving Member
of the U.S. Senate in American history. Voters of
Massachusetts elected him to the Senate nine times--a
record matched by only one other Senator. The scholar
Thomas Mann said his time in the Senate was ``an amazing
and endurable presence. You want to go back to the 19th
century to find parallels, but you won't find parallels.''
President Obama has described his breathtaking span of
accomplishment: ``For five decades, virtually every major
piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health,
and economic well-being of the American people bore his
name and resulted from his efforts.''
Senator Kennedy fought for and won so many great
battles--on voting rights, education, immigration reform,
the minimum wage, national service, the Nation's first
major legislation to combat AIDS, and equality for
minorities, women, the disabled, and gay and lesbian
Americans. He called health care ``the cause of my life,''
and succeeded in bringing quality and affordable health
care to countless Americans, including children, seniors,
and those with disabilities. Until the end he was working
tirelessly to achieve historic national health reform. He
was an opponent of the Vietnam war and an early champion
of the war's refugees. He was a powerful yet lonely voice
from the beginning against the invasion of Iraq. He stood
for human rights abroad--from Chile to the former Soviet
Union--and was a leader in the cause of poverty relief for
the poorest nations of Africa and the world. He believed
in a strong national defense and he also unceasingly
pursued and advanced the work of nuclear arms control.
He was the conscience of his party, and also the
Senate's greatest master of forging compromise with the
other party. Known as the lion of the Senate, Senator
Kennedy was widely respected on both sides of the aisle
for his commitment to progress and his ability to
legislate.
Senator Kennedy was chairman of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Previously he
was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and served
on that committee for many years. He also served on the
Senate Armed Services Committee and the Congressional
Joint Economic Committee. He was a leader of the
Congressional Friends of Ireland and helped lead the way
toward peace on that island.
He was a graduate of Harvard University and the
University of Virginia Law School. He lived in Hyannis
Port, MA, with his wife Vicki. He is survived by her and
their five children: Kara; Edward, Jr.; Patrick; Curran;
and Caroline; and his sister Jean Kennedy Smith.
?
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND
OTHER TRIBUTES
FOR
EDWARD M. KENNEDY
Proceedings in the Senate
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
prayer
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following
prayer:
O merciful Lord, we thank You for the refreshment and
accomplishments of our time away and for Your clear,
shining inward light that directs our steps. May the
Members of this body feel Your peace and power today.
Restrain wandering thoughts and break in pieces those
temptations that lead them away from Your will. Lord, join
our Senators to Yourself with an inseparable bond of love,
for You alone truly satisfy. Grant that their love may
abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so
that they may be able to discern what is best, and may be
pure and blameless when they stand before You.
Lord, this is the first time in nearly 50 years that the
Senate will convene without Senator Edward Kennedy as one
of its Members. Thank You for his life and legacy.
We pray in Your sovereign name. Amen.
Moment of Silence in Honor of the Late Senator Edward M.
Kennedy
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now
observe a moment of silence in memory of our friend and
departed colleague, the late Senator Edward Kennedy.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it
is so ordered.
[Moment of silence.]
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have to acknowledge that as I
came into the Chamber this afternoon, I came upon Senator
Kennedy's desk, which is covered with the traditional
black velvet, with the flowers and his favorite poem on
the desk. I read the poem and a tear came to my eye. ...
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the Senate grieves the
loss of one of its giants and one of our great friends.
All of us were, of course, moved by the many tributes that
have poured in since Senator Kennedy's passing. We will
make time later in the week for Senators, including
myself, to deliver tributes of our own on the Senate
floor.
Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I want to speak to the same
issue my colleague Senator McCain spoke to in a couple
minutes. First I wish to make some brief comments about
two of our colleagues who will no longer be with us--of
course, our friend and colleague, Senator Kennedy, and
Senator Martinez.
Let me, first of all, speak to Senator Kennedy's
departure from this body due to his untimely death.
During his five decades of public service, Senator
Kennedy served with diligence, tireless passion, and, of
course, vigor--the word that immediately evokes the
Kennedy spirit.
Because of who he was, he could have gotten by without a
lot of hard work. But that was not his way. He believed
deeply, so he worked hard--as hard as any Senator I have
known.
One thing that has been commented on by many who worked
with Senator Kennedy was his willingness to compromise. I
have characterized Senator Kennedy as a legislator's
legislator, often a results-oriented pragmatist, who knew
that clashes between the two parties are inevitable and,
in fact, an integral part of our political system, and
that it was important to reach across the aisle if you
wanted to get things done. He believed that people with
dramatically different points of view could usually find
some common ground.
While Senator Kennedy and I did not share a perspective
on very many issues, and he was always ready to make an
ideological or political point, my colleagues and I
appreciated his efforts to actually legislate as well. His
dedication, his hard work, humor, and high spirit will
always be remembered. My wife Caryll and I extend our
thoughts and prayers to his family.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. ... In closing, let me just say this is
the first time I have spoken on the Senate floor since our
colleague, Senator Kennedy, has left us. His desk is three
down from me. I don't know if the camera shows it now, but
there is a black drape over it and some flowers and a copy
of Robert Frost's ``The Road Less Traveled.'' I know this
poem meant a lot to him, and he certainly meant a lot to
me as a very gracious mentor with vast experience who
could easily have ignored a new colleague. But he took an
interest, and I will never forget his kindness to me.
We all will miss his booming voice. He could fill this
Chamber with his voice. We will miss his rollicking good
humor. No one enjoyed life and enjoyed his colleagues more
than the senior Senator from Massachusetts. We will miss
his masterful legislative skills as we try to work our way
through the obstructions the other side will be throwing
up against progress on health care reform. His wise voice
and counsel will be missed.
Finally, we will miss his lion's heart. He knew when the
fight was right, he knew when it was worth fighting for,
and he was in it to win it.
Ted, God bless you. We miss you.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, let me follow on the remarks
of my colleague from Rhode Island as he discussed briefly
at the end of his remarks the loss of our colleague and
friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.
The desk that is now cloaked in black and adorned with
flowers is a desk that was once occupied by Senator John
F. Kennedy, then occupied by Senator Robert Kennedy, and
for many years occupied by Senator Ted Kennedy.
He was an extraordinary friend to all of us, a
remarkable legislator. This is not a case of the Senate
just losing one Senator. He was such a much larger
presence than that in the public life of our country and
particularly in the workings of this Congress.
My thoughts and prayers have been with Ted Kennedy and
his family over these many months as he has battled brain
cancer. Now, since his death, we have all reflected on
what he meant to us and to this country.
Today it seems inappropriate to take the floor of the
Senate without at least acknowledging the absence of our
friend, Ted Kennedy, and to send our prayers to his
family.
Mr. President, when Senator Kennedy would come to the
floor with a booming voice, full of passion about an
issue, it was an extraordinary thing to watch and to
listen to. He had that kind of passion. ...
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today I rise to bid
farewell to Ted Kennedy, a man who spent so many hours on
this floor. It was here that he engaged in the cause that
shaped his life, and now shapes our memories--his
commitment to everyday people in their pursuit of the
American dream.
It is hard for me, as it is for all my colleagues, to
imagine this place without Ted Kennedy. To serve here with
him was a great honor. At the age of 14, I was already
wearing a Ted Kennedy for President button. Then when I
arrived here, this man, this lion of the Senate, was so
friendly and funny and generous. He helped to teach me the
ropes in the Senate, and I felt so fortunate to know him
as a person, not just to admire him from afar.
He and his family are one of the reasons I stand here
today. His work in the Senate, his brother John's call for
a new generation to serve their country, and his brother
Bobby's call for social justice--all these inspired me to
run for office to in some way serve my country as Senator
Kennedy and his family had. One of the greatest honors of
my life was winning the Profiles in Courage Award with
Senator McCain, and being recognized by members of the
Kennedy family for our work on campaign finance reform.
Having Senator Kennedy there that day was part of what
made that such an honor. There was no one else like him;
he was truly one of a kind. Who else could be such a
fierce advocate, and at the same time such a skilled
negotiator? Who else could engage in such heated debate,
but still count so many of us, on both sides of the aisle,
as devoted friends? No one but Ted Kennedy could do that.
His qualities were legendary--he was the hardest worker,
he was the quickest debater, and he was the guy who lit up
a room with his warmth and wit. It was all there in one
extraordinary man, who became one of the greatest U.S.
Senators in our Nation's history. Even putting aside Ted's
legendary personal qualities, his legislative record
speaks volumes about how effective he was. It is a record
for the ages, with hundreds of his legislative efforts
becoming law.
His achievements in civil rights, education, health
care, and workers' rights speak to the absolute commitment
he had to the people he saw who struggled to live the
American dream; the dedicated people who are the lifeblood
of this country, but who struggle--especially in times
like these--when they lose their job, or their health
insurance, or their home. In Ted Kennedy, those Americans
found their champion, and we thank him for everything he
achieved on their behalf.
I admired so many things Ted Kennedy did, but most of
all I was inspired by his work on civil rights. His
commitment, through his 47 years in the Senate, to the
cause of equality for every American, was perhaps his
greatest achievement of all. In his very first speech on
the Senate floor, just 4 months after his brother John's
assassination, he called for the passage of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964. He played a key role in the Voting
Rights Act of 1965, was the chief sponsor of the Voting
Rights Amendments Act of 1982, and just a few years ago
was a key co-sponsor of the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks,
and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization
and Amendments Act of 2006. He was one of the chief co-
sponsors of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
the chief sponsor of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of
1988, and a key proponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
And the list goes on, Mr. President. There simply is no
doubt that he was the most important legislative architect
of the expansion of civil rights in the last half century.
I am committed to helping to continue that work here in
the Senate in his memory.
Ted was also someone who suffered many personal
tragedies, but he bore those burdens with a quiet dignity
that came from his tremendous inner strength. You couldn't
know him without being awed by that strength, and sensing
it whenever he entered the room, or when he took up an
issue. When he spoke, his words echoed not just in this
Chamber, but across the country and around the world. This
was a man who could change the momentum on a bill or an
issue just through his own personal will. He was a
powerful person determined to help the powerless in our
society, and we loved him for it.
I think ``beloved'' is the best word to describe how we
felt about him here in the Senate, and how so many
Americans felt about him around the country. We are
grateful that he lived to achieve so much, and to inspire
so many.
And now we wish, as he did when he laid his brother
Robert Kennedy to rest, that ``what he wished for others
will someday come to pass for all the world.'' And now we
pledge, as he did at the Democratic Convention in 1980,
that ``the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still
lives and the dream shall never die.'' And now, as we
grieve his loss, we say goodbye to our friend, Senator
Edward M. Kennedy. We thank him for his lifetime of
service to our country, and for his profound commitment to
the cause of justice here in the United States and
throughout the world.
SENATE RESOLUTION 255--RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF EDWARD
MOORE KENNEDY, A SENATOR FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF
MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Kerry, Mr.
Dodd, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Baucus,
Mr. Bayh, Mr. Begich, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Bennett, Mr.
Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, Mr. Brownback,
Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burr, Mr. Burris, Mr. Byrd, Ms. Cantwell,
Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Chambliss, Mr.
Coburn, Mr. Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Corker,
Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Crapo, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin,
Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr.
Franken, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr.
Gregg, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Hutchison,
Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johanns, Mr.
Johnson, Mr. Kaufman, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Kyl,
Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Levin, Mr.
Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Martinez, Mr.
McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Ms.
Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of
Nebraska, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr.
Risch, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Sanders, Mr.
Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Shelby, Ms.
Snowe, Mr. Specter, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune,
Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr.
Vitter, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Warner, Mr. Webb, Mr.
Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 255
Whereas the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy was elected
to the Senate in 1962 and served the people of
Massachusetts in the United States Senate with devotion
and distinction for nearly 47 years, the third longest
term of service in Senate history;
Whereas the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy became the
youngest Majority Whip in Senate history at the age of 36;
Whereas the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy served as
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1979-1981
and as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee for nearly 13 years between 1987-2009;
Whereas the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy made the
needs of working families and the less fortunate among us
the work of his life, particularly those of the poor, the
disenfranchised, the disabled, the young, the old, the
working class, the servicemember and the immigrant;
Whereas his efforts on behalf of the citizens of
Massachusetts and all Americans earned him the esteem and
high regard of his colleagues;
Whereas more than 300 laws bear his name and he co-
sponsored more than 2000 others covering civil rights,
health care, the minimum wage, education, human rights and
many other issues; and
Whereas with his death his State and the Nation have
lost an outstanding lawmaker and public servant: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate has received with profound
sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the passing of
the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy, the great Senator from
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate communicate
these resolutions to the House of Representatives and
transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the Kennedy family.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it stand
adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of
the deceased Senator.
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, I ask unanimous
consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate
consideration of S. Res. 255, submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the
resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 255) relative to the death of the
Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy, a Senator from the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to
consider the resolution.
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, I ask unanimous
consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be
agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the
table, and that any statements be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 255) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. If there is no further business
to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it
adjourn under the provisions of S. Res. 255 as a further
mark of respect for the memory of our late colleague,
Senator Edward Moore Kennedy.
There being no objection, the Senate, at 7:06 p.m.,
adjourned until Wednesday, September 9, 2009, at 10 a.m.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, we knew it was coming. Yet
the sight of Senator Edward Kennedy's desk draped in the
black velvet of mourning is painfully sad.
America and the world have lost a great champion of
civil rights, human rights, and fairness. As President
Obama said so well, Senator Kennedy was not only historic,
he was heroic.
We will have more time later this week to talk about his
extraordinary life and the honor those of us who served
with him enjoyed during his life. Today, I wish to say
what a great honor it was to have worked alongside Ted
Kennedy.
On his desk today is a copy of one of his favorite
poems, ``The Road Less Traveled'' by Robert Frost.
There is another Frost poem that is identified with the
Kennedys that Ted Kennedy loved as well. It is called
``Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.'' It is the story
of a man who pauses to admire the simple serene beauty of
a New England woods filling softly with snow and wishes he
could stay longer. It reads:
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Unlike his beloved brothers, Senator Kennedy's life was
not one of promise cut short but a life of promises kept.
He loved America, and his life's work made us a better and
more just Nation.
If Ted Kennedy were here today, I feel absolutely
certain that he would be on the floor at this moment
talking about health care. It really was the hallmark of
his public career. From the beginning, he understood this
was one of the most fundamental things when it came to
justice and fairness in America. ...
Mr. MARTINEZ. ... We did also strive mightily in this
body to seek a solution to immigration reform, something I
felt very strongly about. And being the only immigrant in
this body, I believed I was dutybound to try to advance
that cause. I am proud to say our efforts for immigration
reform gave me the opportunity to work very closely with
Senator Ted Kennedy, whom we are honoring today, with
nearly a half century of service in the Senate.
I can recall reminiscing with him one day near his desk.
He came to the Senate in 1962. That was the same year I
came here from Cuba. It was also immediately after we had
a very serious confrontation involving Cuba--the Cuban
missile crisis. I remember discussing with him how his
family will be tied to that period of time, to the history
of Cuba, and how deeply that had touched my life as well.
In addition to the many opportunities to reminisce about
things such as that with him, I hold dear the opportunity
to have sat at a table and negotiated with him what I
thought would have been a very good immigration reform
package--a bill that I believed would be good for our
country and good for many people in our country.
We didn't always agree. We didn't always have the same
point of view. But we always found a way to get along and
be very civil about our differences, and I admired greatly
his ability to put differences aside and his desire to
find consensus. What was most telling about working with
Senator Kennedy is that he was committed to reaching an
outcome. He wanted a solution, which then meant--and this
might be a lesson for current issues today--that he could
put aside the whole banana in order to get what he could.
...
President's Address Delivered to a Joint Session of
Congress on September 9, 2009
The PRESIDENT ... That is why we cannot fail. Because
there are too many Americans counting on us to succeed--
the ones who suffer silently, and the ones who shared
their stories with us at townhall meetings, in emails, and
in letters.
I received one of those letters a few days ago. It was
from our beloved friend and colleague, Ted Kennedy. He had
written it back in May, shortly after he was told that his
illness was terminal. He asked that it be delivered upon
his death.
In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months
were, thanks to the love and support of family and
friends, his wife, Vicki, and his children, who are here
tonight. And he expressed confidence that this would be
the year that health care reform--``that great unfinished
business of our society,'' he called it--would finally
pass. He repeated the truth that health care is decisive
for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that
``it concerns more than material things.'' ``What we
face,'' he wrote, ``is above all a moral issue; at stake
are not just the details of policy, but fundamental
principles of social justice and the character of our
country.''
I've thought about that phrase quite a bit in recent
days--the character of our country. One of the unique and
wonderful things about America has always been our self-
reliance, our rugged individualism, our fierce defense of
freedom, and our healthy skepticism of government. And
figuring out the appropriate size and role of government
has always been a source of rigorous and sometimes angry
debate.
For some of Ted Kennedy's critics, his brand of
liberalism represented an affront to American liberty. In
their mind, his passion for universal health care was
nothing more than a passion for big government.
But those of us who know Teddy and worked with him
here--people of both parties--know that what drove him was
something more. His friend, Orrin Hatch, knows that. They
worked together to provide children with health insurance.
His friend John McCain knows that. They worked together on
a patient's bill of rights. His friend Chuck Grassley
knows that. They worked together to provide health care to
children with disabilities.
On issues like these, Ted Kennedy's passion was born not
of some rigid ideology, but of his own experience. It was
the experience of having two children stricken with
cancer. He never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness
that any parent feels when a child is badly sick; and he
was able to imagine what it must be like for those without
insurance; what it would be like to have to say to a wife
or a child or an aging parent--there is something that
could make you better, but I just can't afford it.
That large-heartedness--that concern and regard for the
plight of others--is not a partisan feeling. It is not a
Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of
the American character. Our ability to stand in other
people's shoes. A recognition that we are all in this
together; that when fortune turns against one of us,
others are there to lend a helping hand. A belief that in
this country, hard work and responsibility should be
rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an
acknowledgement that sometimes government has to step in
to help deliver on that promise. ...
But that's not what the moment calls for. That's not
what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the
future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can
act even when it's hard. I still believe we can replace
acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I
still believe we can do great things, and that here and
now we will meet history's test.
Because that is who we are. That is our calling. That is
our character. Thank you, God Bless You, and may God Bless
the United States of America.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Mr. REID. ``A freshmen Senator should be seen, not
heard; should learn, and not teach.''
Mr. President, that is a quote from Senator Ted Kennedy.
These are the very first words he spoke on the floor of
this Chamber. He was hesitant to rise and speak that April
day when he said those words. He had been a Senator for
less than 18 months. The country was still reeling from
President Kennedy's death just months before.
But the question before the Senate was the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, and Senator Kennedy knew he could hold his
tongue no longer.
He rose to speak because he loved his country. He waited
as long as he did to give that maiden speech because he
loved this institution. In that speech, he said a Senator
of his stature at the time should be seen and not heard.
But 45 years later, we can still hear his great booming
voice. He said young Senators should learn and not teach.
But who can list all we learned from his leadership?
It was a thrill to work with Ted Kennedy personally. He
was a friend, the model of public service, and an American
icon. He was a patriarch of both the Kennedy family and
the Senate family. Together we mourn his loss.
At so many difficult times in their family's history,
the Kennedys have turned to their Uncle Teddy for comfort.
At so many critical times in our country's history,
America has turned to Ted Kennedy for the same.
We can all remember how he walked solemnly with the
grieving First Lady at Arlington National Cemetery. We can
remember how his deep love for his brother helped him
somehow summon the strength to deliver a defining eulogy
in New York. We can all remember how, as patriarch, he
memorialized his nephew off the shores of Massachusetts.
For decades, Ted Kennedy was a rock to his family. The
impact he has etched into our history will long endure. It
is now left to us to remember the man who helped remember
the lives of so many others. He was a very famous man. If
you take the subway, people would always come up to
Senator Kennedy. I would joke with him, ``Ted, are they
coming for me or for you?'' It was obvious whom they were
coming for. It was a joke.
Ted was so good. When he thought you did something well,
he would drop you a note or give you a call. It meant a
lot to me that he would take the time to do that. I have
come to learn since his death that he did that for so many
people. You didn't have to be a Senator. He would do that
for anybody whom he thought deserved a pat on the back. It
is up to us to celebrate a Senator who helped so many live
better lives.
I have long been a devotee of the Kennedys and an
admirer of their service to our Nation. As a student at
Utah State University, I founded the first Young Democrats
Club--in that bastion of Republicanism. I worked for
President Kennedy's election in 1960.
A week before President Kennedy took the oath of office
and implored us to ask what we can do for our country,
John Kennedy sent me a personal letter of thanks. He had
won the election, but he had not yet been inaugurated.
That letter still hangs at the doorway of my Capitol
office, just a few feet off the Senate floor, where the
three youngest Kennedy brothers ably served. That letter
he sent me was for the work I did out West for that
campaign.
Many times, Ted would come to my office, and he would
stop and look at that letter. He would always say,
``That's his signature,'' indicating that some staff
hadn't signed it or some machine hadn't signed it. He was
proud that his brother had done what he learned from his
brother to do--send these very meaningful letters. He was
proud of his brother. He was proud of his own work in the
Western States during the 1960 race and proud that I kept
that memento in such a prominent place.
President-elect Kennedy's letter was short, but it
overflowed with optimism. He wrote to me that the incoming
era would allow us to ``make our country an even better
place for our citizens to live, as well as to strengthen
our country's position of leadership in the world.'' Think
how I felt getting that letter. I was still a student.
Ted Kennedy shared the dream his brother had, and he
never stopped working to realize it.
Ted Kennedy's legacy stands with the greatest, the most
devoted, the most patriotic men and women to ever serve in
these Halls. Because of Ted Kennedy, more young children
could afford to become healthy. Because of Ted Kennedy,
more young adults could afford to become college students.
Because of Ted Kennedy, more of our oldest and poorest
citizens could get the care they need to live longer,
fuller lives. Because of Ted Kennedy, more minorities,
women, and immigrants could realize the rights our
founding documents promised them. Because of him, more
Americans could be proud of their country.
Ted Kennedy came from a family of great wealth and
status. He didn't need to work hard for himself. So he
chose a life of working hard for others. When he was
admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1959, the application
asked him to state his main ambition. Ted Kennedy
answered: ``The public service of this State.''
To quote one of his favorite poems--the Robert Frost
verses that now rest on his desk on the Senate floor--
``that has made all the difference.''
Ted Kennedy's America was one in which all could pursue
justice, enjoy equality, and know freedom. That is Ted
Kennedy.
Ted's life was driven by his love of a family who loved
him and his belief in a country that believed in him.
Ted's dream was the one for which the Founding Fathers
fought and which his brothers sought to realize.
The liberal lion's mighty roar may now fall silent, but
his dream shall never die. One of his older brothers was
killed in World War II. He was a pilot going into a
mission, and he recognized going into it he would probably
never come back. His other brother--the President--was
assassinated. His other brother, as a Senator running for
President, was assassinated.
Again, Senator Kennedy's dream shall never die.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader
is recognized.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I, too, would like to
speak of our departed colleague, Ted Kennedy, whose
passing last month focused the attention of the Nation and
whose extraordinary life has been memorialized over these
past weeks in so many poignant stories and heartfelt
expressions of gratitude and grief.
Today, the Senate also grieves--not only because he was
a friend but because the Senate was so much a part of who
he was and because he became so much a part of the Senate.
The simplest measure is sheer longevity. At the time of
his death, Ted could call himself the third longest
serving Senator in history, having served almost one-fifth
of the time the Senate itself has existed. Or consider
this: When I was an intern here in the sixties, Ted was
already a well-known Senator. When I was elected to the
Senate nearly a quarter of a century ago, Ted had already
been here for nearly a quarter of a century. He served
with 10 Presidents or nearly 1 out of every 4 of them.
No one could have predicted that kind of run for Ted on
the day he became a Senator back on November 7, 1962--no
one, that is, except maybe Ted. Ted had signaled what his
legacy might be as far back as 1965, when he spoke of
setting a record for longevity. Mike Mansfield saw a
glimpse of it, too, a few years later. When somebody
mentioned Ted as a possible Presidential candidate,
Mansfield responded:
He's in no hurry. He's young. He likes the Senate. Of
all the Kennedys, he is the only one who was and is a real
Senate man.
As it turned out, Mansfield was right. But Ted knew even
then that his legacy as a lawmaker would not come about
just by sitting at his desk; he would have to build it.
And over the course of the next 47 years, that is exactly
what he did, slowly, patiently, doggedly, making his mark
as much in tedious committee hearings as on the stump, as
much in the details of legislation as in its broader
themes.
Ted's last name ensured he was already one of the stars
of American politics even before he became a Senator. To
this day, he is still the only man or woman in U.S.
history to be elected to the Senate while one of his
relatives sat in the White House. But to those who thought
Ted, even if elected, would avoid the rigors of public
life, he became a living rebuke. In short, he became a
Senator.
He surprised the skeptics, first of all, with his
friendliness and his wit. When he made his national
political debut in 1962 on ``Meet the Press,'' a
questioner asked him if maybe there were already too many
Kennedys. His response: ``You should have talked to my
mother and father ...''
Russell Long was an early admirer. In what has to go
down as one of the falsest first impressions in modern
politics, Long spoke approvingly of the new Senator from
Massachusetts as ``a quiet ... sort of fellow.''
Ted got along with everybody. The earliest memories
family members have are of Ted laughing and making other
people laugh. His secret weapon then, and years later, as
Chris Dodd rightly pointed out at one of the memorial
services, was simply this: People liked him, so much so
that he could call people such as Jim Eastland, somebody
with whom he had absolutely nothing in common, a friend.
Ted had learned early on that he could be more effective
through alliances and relationships than by hollering and
carrying on. We all know he did a fair amount of that as
well. He provided some of the best theater the Senate has
ever known. But once he left the Chamber, he turned that
off. He sought out allies wherever he could find them--
Strom Thurmond, Dan Quayle, Orrin Hatch, John McCain, and
even George W. Bush--and he earned their cooperation by
keeping his word and through thousands of small acts of
kindness. Senator McCain has recounted the birthday bash
Ted threw 10 years ago for his son Jimmy's 11th birthday.
Senator Barrasso remembers the kindness Ted showed him as
a new Senator. And Senator Barrasso's family will long
remember how much time Senator Kennedy spent sharing
stories with them at the reception after the swearing in
and that he was one of the last ones to leave.
Like so many others, I have known Ted's graciousness
first hand. Anyone who watches C-SPAN2 could see Ted
railing at the top of his lungs against my position on
this policy or that policy. What they didn't see was the
magnificent show he put on a few years ago in Kentucky at
my invitation for students at the University of Louisville
or the framed photo he gave me that day of my political
role model, John Sherman Cooper. I interned for Cooper as
a young man. Ted knew that, and he knew Cooper was a good
friend and neighbor of his brother Jack's.
Ted's gregariousness was legendary, but his passion and
intensity as a lawmaker would also reach near-mythic
proportions in his own lifetime. Even those of us who saw
the same problems but different solutions on issue after
issue, even we could not help but admire the focus and the
fight Ted brought to every debate in which he played a
part. Over the years, we came to see what he was doing in
the Senate.
When it came to Ted's future, everyone was always
looking at it through the prism of the Presidency. They
should have focused on this Chamber instead. It was here
that he slowly built the kind of influence and voice for a
national constituency that was common for Senators in the
19th century but extremely rare in the 20th.
He became a fiery spokesman for liberals everywhere. Ted
and I would have had a hard time agreeing on the color of
the carpet when we were in the Chamber together. Yet
despite his public image as a liberal firebrand, he was
fascinated by the hard work of creating consensus and
jumped into that work, even toward the end, with the
enthusiasm of a young staffer. Ted's high school teammates
recall that he never walked to the huddle; he always ran.
Anyone who ever sat across from Ted at a conference table
believed it.
Ted realized Senators could do an awful lot once they
got past the magnetic pull Pennsylvania Avenue has on so
many Senators. His brother Jack once said that as a
Senator, he thought the President had all the influence,
but it wasn't until he was President that he realized how
much influence Senators had. It was a similar insight that
led Ted to tell a group of Boston Globe reporters in 1981
that for him, the Senate was fulfilling, satisfying,
challenging, and that he could certainly spend his life
here, which, of course, he did. Then, when it was winding
down, he saw what he had done as a Senator and what the
Senate had done for him. He wanted others to see it too,
so he set about to establish the Edward M. Kennedy
Institute for the United States Senate, a place that would
focus on this institution the way Presidential libraries
focus on Presidents.
The Founders, of course, envisioned the legislative and
executive branches as carrying equal weight. Article I is
about Congress, after all, not the Presidency. His life
and legacy help restore that vision of a legislative
counterweight of equal weight. That is an important
institutional contribution every Senator can appreciate.
It is something he did through hard work, tenacity, and
sheer will. It was not the legacy most expected, but it is
the legacy he wrought, and in the end he could call it his
own.
Toward the end of his life, one of the great lawmakers
of the 19th century, Henry Clay, was asked to speak to the
Kentucky General Assembly. Thanks to Clay's efforts, the
Compromise of 1850 had just been reached, and Clay had
become a national hero through a job he had spent most of
his career trying to escape. His speech received national
coverage, and, according to one biographer, all
acknowledged his privileged station as an elder statesman.
For years, Clay had wanted nothing more than to be
President of the United States. But now, after this last
great legislative victory, something else came into view.
Clay told the assembled crowd that day that in the course
of months and months of intense negotiations leading up to
the Great Compromise, he had consulted with Democrats just
as much as he had with Members of his own party and found
in them just as much patriotism and honor as he had found
with the Whigs. The whole experience had moved Clay away
from party rivalry, he said, and toward a new goal. ``I
want no office, no station in the gift of man,'' he said,
``[except] a warm place in your hearts.''
Every man has his own story. Ted Kennedy never moved
away from party rivalry. He was a fierce partisan to the
end. But over the years, he reminded the world of the
great potential of this institution and even came to
embody it. We will never forget the way he filled the
Chamber with that booming voice, waving his glasses at his
side, jabbing his fingers at the air, or the many times we
saw him playing outside with his dogs. How many times did
we spot him coming through the doorway or onto an
elevator, his hair white as the surf, and think: Here
comes history itself.
As the youngest child in one of the most influential
political families in U.S. history, Ted Kennedy had
enormous shoes to fill. Yet in nearly 50 years of service
as a young Senator, a candidate for President, a
legislative force, and an elder statesman, it is hard to
argue that he didn't fill those shoes in a part he wrote
all by himself.
It is hard to imagine the Senate without Ted thundering
on the floor. It will be harder still, I am sure, for the
Kennedy family to think of a future without him. You could
say all these things and more about the late Senator from
Massachusetts, and you could also say this: Edward Moore
Kennedy will always have a warm place in our hearts.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I thank Majority Leader Reid
and Minority Leader McConnell for the time they have set
aside for us today to remember Ted Kennedy, our beloved
colleague, my senior Senator for nearly a quarter of a
century, a friend, a man I met first and who had great
influence on me in politics back in 1962 when, as a young,
about-to-be college student, I had the privilege of
working as a volunteer in his first campaign for the
Senate.
It is difficult to look at his desk now cloaked in the
velvet and the roses, a desk from which he championed so
many important causes, a desk from which he regaled us,
educated us, and befriended us for so many years, and even
more difficult for us to think of this Chamber, our
Nation's Capital, or our country without him.
On many occasions in the Senate, he was the
indispensable man. On every occasion in this Chamber and
out, he was a man whose heart was as big as heaven, whose
optimism could overwhelm any doubter, and whose joy for
life was a wonderfully contagious and completely
irresistible thing.
Ted loved poetry, and though the verse was ancient, the
poet could have had Ted in mind when he wrote: ``One must
wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has
been.''
Our day with Ted Kennedy was, indeed, splendid, its
impact immeasurable. Just think for a moment what a
different country we lived in before Ted Kennedy came to
the Senate in 1962 and what a more perfect Union we live
in for the 47 years he served here. Before Ted Kennedy had
a voice in the Senate and a vote in the Senate, there was
no Civil Rights Act, no Voting Rights Act, no Medicare, no
Medicaid, no vote for 18 year olds, no Martin Luther King,
Jr. holiday, no Meals on Wheels, no equal funding for
women's collegiate sports, no State Health Insurance
Program, no Family Medical Leave Act, no AmeriCorps, no
National Service Act. All of these are literally just a
part of Ted's legislative legacy. It is why the Boston
Globe once wrote that in actual measurable impact on the
lives of tens of millions of working families, the
elderly, and the needy, Ted belongs in the same sentence
with Franklin Roosevelt.
Ted's season of service spanned the administrations, as
we heard from the minority leader, of 10 Presidents. He
served with more than 350 Senators, including those for
whom our principal office buildings are named: Richard
Russell, Everett Dirksen, and Philip Hart. He cast more
than 16,000 votes. He wrote more than 2,500 bills. He had
an important hand in shaping almost every single important
law that affects our lives today. He helped create nearly
every major social program in the last 40 years. He was
the Senate's seminal voice for civil rights, women's
rights, human rights, and the rights of workers. He stood
against judges who would turn back the clock on
constitutional freedoms. He pointed America away from war,
first in Vietnam and last in Iraq. And for three decades,
including the last days, he labored with all his might to
make health care a right for all Americans.
Through it all, even as he battled, he showed us how to
be a good colleague, always loyal, always caring, always
lively. His adversaries were never his enemies. And his
friends always came first.
In my office there is a photograph of the two of us on
day one--1985--my first day in the Senate. Ted signed it:
``As Humphrey Bogart would have said: `This is the
beginning of a beautiful friendship.''' For almost 25
years it was a beautiful friendship, as I worked at his
side learning from the best. And, yes, like any colleague
in the Senate, there were moments when we had a difference
on one issue or another, but we always found a way to move
forward in friendship and in our efforts to represent the
State.
Teddy was the best natural teacher anyone in politics
could ask for. I may not always have been the best
student, but he never stopped dispensing the lessons. I
came to the Senate out of an activist grassroots political
base, where the coin of the realm was issues and policy
positions. Activists are sometimes, as I learned, so issue
focused and intent that they can inadvertently look past
the personal touch or the emotional connection for fear
that it somehow distracts from the agenda. But Teddy,
through his actions, showed us how essential all of those
other elements of political life are.
Yes, Tip O'Neill taught a generation of Massachusetts
politicians that all politics is local. It was Teddy who
went beyond that and taught us that all politics is
personal. All of us knew the kindness of Ted Kennedy at
one time or another, Mr. President.
During my first term in the Senate, I came down with
pneumonia. I was then single and tired and Ted deemed me
not to be getting the care I ought to get. So the next
thing I knew, he literally instructed me to depart for
Florida to stay in the Kennedy home in Palm Beach and be
cared for until I got well. Indeed, I did exactly that.
He also showed up at my house the evening of
Inauguration Day 2005, and together with Chris Dodd, we
shared laughter and stories from the campaign trail. We
were loud enough and had enough fun that someone might
have wondered if we were somehow mistaken and thought we
had won. He understood the moment. He knew the best tonic
was laughter and friendship. Many times that is all he
needed to do, just be there. You couldn't help but feel
better with him around.
All of us who served with him were privileged to share
Ted's incredible love of life and laughter. In the
Cloakroom, sometimes the roars of laughter were so great
they could be heard out on the Senate floor. Once I
remember Ted was holding forth--I will not share the
topic--and the Presiding Officer pounded the gavel and
demanded, ``There will be order in the Senate and in the
Cloakroom.'' It was the first time I ever heard that call
for order.
His pranks were also works of art and usually
brilliantly calculated. One night after a long series of
Thursday night votes that had pushed Senators past the
time to catch commercial flights home to the Northeast,
Senator Frank Lautenberg had arranged for a private
charter for himself in order to get up to Massachusetts.
It turned out a number of Senators needed to travel in
that direction, and when Frank learned of it, he kindly
offered Senator Claiborne Pell, Ted, and myself a ride
with him. There was no discussion of sharing the cost.
Everyone thought Frank was being very generous.
But the next week, when we were reassembled on the floor
of the Senate, official-looking envelopes were delivered
to each of us under Frank Lautenberg's signature with
exorbitant expenses charged for this flight. Senator Pell
roared down the aisle, came up to me sputtering about this
minor little aircraft and how could it possibly cost so
much money. Senator Lautenberg was red-faced, protesting
he knew nothing about it, when out of the corner of my eye
I spotted Ted Kennedy up there by his desk with this big
Cheshire cat grin starting to split a gut, so pleased with
himself. The mystery was solved. Ted had managed to secure
a few sheets of Lautenberg stationery, and he sent false
bills to each of us.
He once told me his earliest recollections were of
pillow fights with his brother Jack and, in the years
following, sailing with Jack. At the end of the day Ted's
job was the long and tedious task of folding and packing
the sails away. In politics and in the great progressive
battles that were his life's work, Ted never packed his
sails away. Were he here today, he would exhort us to sail
into the wind, as he did so many times. There is still so
much to do, so much that he wanted to do, and so much that
he would want us to do now, not in his name but in his
spirit.
When Ted was 12 years old, he spent hours with his
brother Jack taking turns reading the epic Civil War poem
``John Brown's Body,'' by Stephen Vincent Benet. It is
book length and filled with great and terrible scenes of
battle and heartbreaking vignettes of loss and privation
and home. It surprises me to read it now and find so much
in it that in fact reminds me of Ted. Benet wrote:
Sometimes there comes a crack in time itself. Sometimes
the Earth is torn by something blind. Sometimes an image
that has stood so long it seems implanted on the polar
star is moved against an unfathomed force that suddenly
will not have it anymore. Call it the mores, call it God
or Fate, call it Mansoul or economic law, that force
exists and moves. And when it moves it will employ a hard
and actual stone to batter into bits an actual wall and
change the actual scheme of things.
Ted Kennedy was such a stone who actually changed the
scheme of things on so many issues for so many people.
Over the years, I have received hundreds of handwritten
notes from Ted--some funny, some touching, all of them
treasures.
Just before Thanksgiving Ted sent me a note that he
would be spending the holiday with his beloved sailboat,
the Mya. He added: ``If you are out on the sound, look for
the Mya. She will be there.'' Indeed, I will never sail
the sound again without thinking of the Mya and her big
hard skipper.
There is an anonymous quote that I once read, which
because of Ted's faith--which was grounded and deeply
important to him--I think describes how we should think of
his departure from the Senate. It says:
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side
spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and
strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs
like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky
come down to mingle with each other. Then, someone at my
side says; ``There, she is gone!'' ``Gone where?'' Gone
from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast
and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she
is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her
destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
``There, she is gone!'' There are other eyes watching her
coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout;
``Here she comes!'' And that is dying.
That is the way Ted Kennedy will live in the Senate--his
spirit, his words, and the fight that still comes.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from New
Mexico.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, first, let me thank my
colleague from Massachusetts for his eloquent statement
which I have had the privilege to hear. Let me make a
short statement myself about my friend and colleague, Ted
Kennedy.
I came to the Senate in January 1983, and my first real
opportunity to work with Ted came in the Armed Services
Committee at the beginning of that service. Although he
had already been in the Senate for 20 years, he had chosen
that year to go on the Armed Services Committee. Since we
were both going on that year, in 1983, we were considered
the two freshmen committee members. Ted and I were able to
work together on the Armed Services Committee for many
years.
He has been described as a visionary leader, a great
orator, the keeper of the faith for the liberal wing of
the Democratic Party. All of those descriptions, of
course, are true. But the Ted Kennedy I came to know and
with whom I had the great opportunity to work was a
passionate, committed advocate and was the workhorse of
the Senate. Frankly, Ted Kennedy set a very high standard
for himself in the effort that he made on each and every
issue that came up for debate. He set a high standard for
the homework he did in preparation for that debate. All of
us who served with him found ourselves trying to meet a
similar standard. The result was that he raised the level
of performance for those of us who served with him by the
example he set.
In addition to serving with Ted Kennedy on the Armed
Services Committee for many years, in May 1990, following
the death of Senator Matsunaga, I had the good fortune to
be assigned to what was then called the Labor and Human
Resources Committee--Ted's committee. As chairman, Ted
gave a whole new meaning to the word ``proactive'' in that
committee. The volume of useful legislation he was able to
move forward through the committee was truly impressive. A
major key to his success was the way he found to
underscore for all members the importance of what the
committee was working on. As chairman, he rightly saw it
as his job to put together the agenda and the priorities
for the committee's work. But before doing that he would
sit down with the rest of us over dinner at his house to
get our views on what those priorities needed to be. The
serious approach he took to the committee's work inspired
those of us who served there to elevate the importance of
that work in our own minds as well.
During the course of our work in the Senate, each of us
gets the opportunity to interact with many colleagues, to
form judgments about those colleagues. During my 27 years
I have served with many capable and dedicated public
servants who deserve recognition and praise. But it is
clear to me none of us exceeds Ted Kennedy in our passion
or commitment for accomplishing the work we have been sent
to do.
Hendrick Hertzberg wrote a short piece in the New Yorker
last week that captures well the Ted Kennedy with whom I
was privileged to know and serve. Mr. Hertzberg wrote:
The second half of his 47-year senatorial career was a
wonder of focused, patient, unwavering service to a
practical liberalism that emphasized concrete improvements
in the lives of the poor, the old, the disabled, children,
the uninsured, the undocumented, the medically or
educationally disadvantaged.
That phrase--focused, patient, unwavering service--is a
good description of the Ted Kennedy I knew as my chairman
and my friend, and I will miss him very much.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Connecticut.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I also want to rise this
morning to share some brief thoughts about our colleague
from Massachusetts. I want to commend John Kerry and Jeff
Bingaman for their comments capturing the good qualities
of the Senator from Massachusetts.
This is a hall noted for a robust amount of noise, and
it seems quiet today because Teddy is not here. So we
gather to share a few thoughts.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed
in the Record some remarks I made at the memorial service
for Senator Kennedy at the John F. Kennedy Library.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
[Mr. Dodd's remarks can be found on page 258.]
Mr. DODD. I was very honored to be asked by Mrs. Kennedy
and her family to share some thoughts that evening, and I
was proud to do so.
I commend my colleague from Rhode Island, Patrick
Kennedy, for his comments at his father's funeral, and
Teddy's son Edward Kennedy, as well, who made wonderful
comments about their father at that funeral service.
A few short thoughts this morning, and a proposal I wish
to make to our colleagues as we recognize the contribution
of Senator Kennedy. When we consider how to pay tribute to
our colleagues, we often try to devise monuments to
celebrate the work of those who served here and made a
significant contribution to our country. It is not an easy
task. I have tried to think about what would be an
appropriate way to celebrate, in some concrete way, the
work of Ted Kennedy. He certainly has been, as our
colleagues and others have pointed out over these last
couple of weeks, one of the greatest Members to ever serve
in this body.
I had the distinction and honor of serving as the
chairman of the Rules Committee a few years ago. I was
asked to complete some of the ovals in the Reception Room.
For those who have not been to Washington, or to the
Capitol, there is a room a few feet from where I am
speaking here this morning called the Reception Room. It
was designed by the great artist, Brumidi, and he intended
that work to celebrate the work of the Senate.
In the mid-1950s, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, then a
freshman Senator from Massachusetts, was asked by the
leadership of this body to form a committee to identify
the five most significant Senators who had served up until
the 1950s. Then-Senator John Kennedy of Massachusetts went
to work, reviewing the contributions of the people who
served in this body since the founding of our Republic in
1789. He concluded there were five Members who deserved
recognition. The first three were the obvious ones: Clay,
Calhoun, and Webster. The last two, Senator LaFollette of
Wisconsin and Senator Taft of Ohio, were more
controversial, but were accepted as fine contributions to
that room that celebrates those who have contributed the
most to this body and our country.
I was asked a couple of years ago to help add a couple
more names to that honor roll of renowned Members of this
body. We concluded that Senator Vandenberg, who made such
a contribution to the post-World War II foreign policy of
our Nation, along with Senator Wagner of New York, who
back in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, was the author of
much of the social legislation that we celebrate in this
country today, were fine additions to those who had
already been recognized in this Reception Room just off
the floor of the Senate.
One day it will be appropriate to add our colleague and
friend from Massachusetts, who deserves to be in that hall
of celebrated heroes, having made a significant
contribution to this institution and to the people of our
country.
But there are other ways to celebrate him as well. I
suspect that Senator Kennedy, if he had a chance to weigh
in on how he would like to be recognized and remembered,
might choose other means.
There are very few issues over the last half century on
which Senator Kennedy did not leave his mark, and a good
many of the most significant pieces of legislation that
passed this Senate in his time not only bear his mark but
bear his name as the author. That, in a sense, is a
monument, one with a meaning far broader than anything we
might inscribe on any wall.
Across America there are people who might have lacked
for an advocate had Ted Kennedy not stood up for them,
people who can now stand up for themselves with dignity
and hope and a chance to make it in America because they
had a friend by the name of Edward Moore Kennedy.
These Americans are also a monument that I think Senator
Kennedy might say is fitting enough--that there are people
today doing better, living more secure lives, growing up
with a sense of confidence and optimism about their future
and the future of our country because of his contribution.
That in itself is a great monument.
Perhaps we could consider the flood of tributes that
have come from across the aisle as well as across the
globe, from those who shared in his crusade for social
justice and those who spent their careers opposing him,
and those who never enjoyed the privilege of working
alongside him. All understood how important Senator
Kennedy was, not only to this Nation but to millions of
people around the globe who today lead better lives
because he stood up for them even though they were not
citizens of our own country.
He understood that the Founders of our Republic, when
they talk about inalienable rights, were not limiting
those rights in our minds to those who happen to enjoy the
privilege of being citizens of our country but knew that
they were God-given rights that every human being is
endowed with upon birth, regardless of where they live.
Ted Kennedy understood that intuitively, deeply, and
passionately. That in itself, I suppose, could be a great
tribute, knowing there are people whom he never met, never
even knew what he looked like, who lead better lives today
because of his contribution.
Then perhaps we might consider these tributes offered by
our colleagues here and others, the literally thousands
who lined up in those long hours to pay tribute to their
Senator from Massachusetts at the John F. Kennedy Library,
the more than 50,000 people in Massachusetts who had known
and respected, elected and reelected and reelected and
reelected, over and over again, their Senator. They
appreciated him immensely for the work he did for them and
their Commonwealth for almost 50 years. In itself that is
a great tribute. It would be enough, I think, for many of
us, being recognized by the people of your State for
having fought on their behalf.
Teddy's monument can be found in his talented and
wonderful family as well. Joe Biden talked about this in
the memorial service in the John F. Kennedy Library. When
you consider this remarkable family of Senator Kennedy and
those of his brothers, their children, their nieces and
nephews, it is a source of inspiration when you think of
what each of them has done, the contributions they have
made.
A few short weeks prior to Teddy's passing, he lost his
sister Eunice, who was a wonderful friend of mine over
many years. She did remarkable things as an individual. To
think, millions of people who suffer from mental
disabilities enjoy a greater respect today because of one
individual, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Teddy's brother Joe
lost his life in World War II, defending our country and
fighting for freedom. His sister Jean has done a
remarkable job with the Very Special Arts in her
contribution to the country. And then look at his
wonderful wife Vicki, who was such an incredible source of
strength and inspiration for him during their life
together and particularly over the last 15 months. There
is no doubt in my mind Teddy lived as long as he did with
brain cancer because Vicki was at his side and took such
nurturing care of him and has done a remarkable job
providing all of us the opportunity to celebrate his life
as we all wished to do.
His children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews--all are
following Teddy's example by making a difference in this
country. His son Patrick I mentioned already, serves in
the other body. His son Teddy is a great friend of mine,
lives in Connecticut and is making a significant
contribution as a citizen of our State. He holds no
office, doesn't have any title. He and his wife make a
wonderful difference on many issues in our State every
single day, and his daughter Kara, for whom he has such
great affection, has also made her contributions as well.
That in itself can be a monument. How many would say if
your children and family do well and stand up and make a
difference in the lives of other people, what better
tribute, what higher form of compliment, could you have,
or form of flattery, than to know that your children, your
family, your nieces or nephews, your sisters and brothers,
are out making a difference in the lives of others?
In a way, it is hard to decide what is an appropriate
way to celebrate the life of someone who filled the room
on so many occasions, not only with his booming voice--as
we all are familiar with here, particularly the staff of
the Senate who would, many times, be the only ones in this
room as Ted Kennedy would be pounding that podium back in
that corner, expressing his passionate views about some
great cause of the country. But we remember also his
determination that this country live up to its
expectations, that it become the more perfect union that
our Founders described more than two centuries ago.
Today, I wish to make a suggestion to my colleagues. I
talked to the leadership about it and to the Republican
leadership as well. Never before in the history of this
country have three brothers served in this Chamber: Jack
Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and, of course, Teddy Kennedy.
That has never happened before in the history of our
Nation. One of the rooms that has been of similarly
historic significance to our Nation is the Caucus Room in
the Russell Office Building. It has been the site of
remarkable hearings and meetings. Since its building
almost a century ago, that room has been very important.
The hearings on the Titanic were held in that room; the
Watergate hearings, going back years ago, were held in
that room. It is there that we have commemorated
tragedies. We have met to celebrate triumphs in that room.
We have gathered as Members with our spouses from time to
time to share some quiet moments with each other as we
reflected on our responsibilities here as Senators. We
have held some of the greatest debates that have ever
occurred in that room. It is there that Senator Kennedy's
Health Committee, in which I was privileged to act as sort
of a fill-in for him over the last number of months, held
5 weeks of hearings and debate and markup of a bill that
concluded in the adoption of the health care reform
legislation that he authored.
It is in that room that Senator Kennedy's brothers each
announced their candidacies for the Presidency of the
United States. Both Jack Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, in
that very room, announced that they intended to seek that
office. And it is there that I propose we affix the
Kennedy name, not just as a monument to the things these
three brothers did as Senators and as colleagues of ours
here, but in the spirit of compassion and compromise, the
fierce advocacy and tender friendship that Teddy and his
brothers brought to this body.
This was Teddy's wish and desire. I asked him what could
we do to recognize him, and he said, ``I would like to
have you recognize my brothers as well for their
contribution.''
Ted Kennedy believed in impassioned debate. He believed
in pounding that podium when it was appropriate. But he
also believed that at the end of the day we best serve the
people of our great Nation when we respect each other and
work together in common cause to solve the problems of our
day. Whatever history is made in the Caucus Room of the
Russell Senate Office Building in the next century, I
would like to believe it will be guided by that spirit of
respect and good humor that Teddy Kennedy brought to this
institution for almost a half century. Thus, may the
Kennedy Caucus Room stand as one monument to the
contribution of a family that has made such a difference
to our country. They devoted their considerable talents
and energy and their lives to serving our Nation that they
loved and that loved them back.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Rhode
Island is recognized.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise along with my colleagues
to pay tribute to an extraordinary American, probably the
greatest Senator to serve in this body. I think time will
confirm that as we go forward. I particularly want to
express my deepest sympathy to Vicki and Kara and Patrick
and Ted, Jr. I have had the privilege now of serving not
only with Senator Ted Kennedy but also with Congressman
Patrick Kennedy, and both of these gentlemen have
demonstrated zeal for public service and commitment and
passion to help people that has been emblematic of the
Kennedy family.
I particularly am proud of Patrick, and his words at his
father's funeral. His continued dedication to the people
of Rhode Island is not only commendable but inspiring to
me and to all of us.
Like so many of my generation, I grew up with the
Kennedy family. In 1960, John Kennedy carried the banner
of the Democratic Party as the Presidential candidate. He
won, but, as we understood then and now, we got the whole
family, not just President John Kennedy, and it was a
remarkable family--his brother Robert, the Attorney
General and later the U.S. Senator from New York, and
then, of course, Ted Kennedy.
His contribution to the country and to the world is
probably unmatchable as we go forward in every area:
health care, which was his particular passion and on which
President Obama spoke so movingly last evening about his
commitment to moving forward in this Congress and finally
achieving a dream that has eluded our country for years;
his work with his son Patrick on mental health parity,
which is so important.
On education, I had the privilege of serving with him on
the Education Committee and as a Member of the House to
collaborate with him on education bills, and every major
education initiative in this country bears his stamp, his
input, his inspiration. He worked very closely with my
predecessor, Senator Claiborne Pell, for the creation of
the Pell grants and for so many other initiatives in
education. He not only worked with Senator Pell, they
developed a very deep and abiding friendship.
One of the impressive things about Ted Kennedy is that
the public persona was impressive, and the private persona
was equally impressive and extraordinarily endearing. He
was someone who had a great sense of camaraderie and
friendship and good humor.
I can recall being invited to join Senator Kennedy at
the Pell's home in Newport after Senator Pell retired.
Every year, unannounced, without any fanfare, Senator
Kennedy would sail his boat up into Newport and insist on
taking Senator Pell out for a cruise, and then they would
all retire to the Pell home for a delightful supper. I was
privileged to be there on a couple of occasions.
Toward the end of his life, Senator Pell had difficulty
moving around, but Senator Kennedy would insist on coming
every summer. The last outing, we literally had to carry
Senator Pell aboard. Senator Pell at that time was not
communicating as effectively as he was previously, but he
didn't have to because Senator Kennedy could take both
parts of the conversation--in fact, he could take multiple
parts of the conversation. There was never a lost word or
a dull moment. It was a great opportunity to see an
extraordinary statesman and at the same time an
extraordinary gentleman.
He said famously about his brothers that they lived to
see the American dream become reality, and he said
famously that the dream lives on. But he also, more than
dreaming, tried to give substance, shape, and texture to
that dream effectively, to try to ensure that opportunity
was available to every American family, that they could
use their talent to build their family and to secure their
future and to contribute to a better America. That was why
he led on health care, because without adequate health
care, you cannot realize your talents, your potential, and
you cannot contribute as much to this great country. He
led on education, because it is the great engine that
pulls this Nation forward and individually gives people an
opportunity to move up and to help their families move
forward.
On civil rights, he was a strong advocate. In fact, I
think it is fair to say that his first major speech was in
favor of the 1964 Civil Rights Act because he understood
that the talent of America was not restricted to any group
and that to meet the challenges of this Nation and this
world, we need the contribution and the participation of
every American, regardless of race, regardless of gender.
He also was someone who understood that for the working
men and women of this country, they needed help, they
needed to share in the bounty of this country. What we
have seen over the last decade has been growth, up until
the crisis of last September, but that growth was not
shared fairly or evenly, executives getting huge salaries
and bonuses and working men and women were barely keeping
up. In order to have a strong, prosperous economy, we need
a strong, prosperous middle class. His work in terms of
education and health care and labor--all of that had a
purpose not only of helping individuals but, wisely,
trying to establish an environment for economic growth
that we all could share.
He also served on the defense committee with me. And he
was very perceptive. He had spent many years viewing the
world, and his understanding of not only the military but
the forces, economic and cultural, that shape our
interaction with other countries was profound in its
insights. He was, very clearly, opposed to the operation
in Iraq because he understood that it was a strategic
deviation from the real task, which continues in
Afghanistan, to root out Al Qaeda, to stabilize the
region, the most volatile region in the country. That is
just one example of his insight into the international
arena.
There is a story, and it is attributed to either his
brother John or to Senator Kennedy, but I think it might
be apropos for both. It might be slightly apocryphal, but
either John or Ted, according to the story, was standing
outside a factory and a worker came up and said, ``They
tell me you have never worked a day in your life.''
And Kennedy was taken aback.
Then shortly, the worker said, ``Don't worry, you
haven't missed anything.''
A family of great privilege, of great opportunity, in
fact, worked every day of their lives, and particularly
Ted Kennedy, hard, relentlessly to ensure that person
coming out of the factory had a chance.
Finally, what I sensed when I was at the funeral
service--which was extraordinarily moving and
inspirational, the outpouring of affection and regard for
Senator Kennedy not only by the dignitaries who assembled
but by ordinary citizens of Massachusetts--and here lining
the route to Arlington, bespeaks a connection and a
validation by the American people of an individual who had
trials and tribulations but rose above it in constant
service to the country, in constant service to the people
who do not have a voice, and constant service to those who
need a chance to help themselves, to help their family,
and to make the Nation a better place. It reminded me of
words spoken about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His cortege
was moving through Washington, DC, and a man was visibly
shaken and weeping.
A reporter went up to him and said, ``You know, you are
so upset, did you know the President?''
He said, ``No, I did not know him, but he knew me.''
Ted Kennedy knew us all. He knew our strengths, he knew
our weaknesses, he knew that this government could make a
difference, a positive difference in the lives of people.
He had shared the same difficulties and challenges we
face: children stricken with cancer, the loss of one of
his sisters in an airplane crash, the loss of his
brothers, and the human reality.
And because he knew us, he never stopped working for us.
His legacy is extraordinary. It will inspire and sustain
us as we go forward. His loss, not just to his family,
which is considerable, but for all of us, is balanced by
how much he made us better, more attuned to the challenge
of serving America and leading the world. We will miss
him. But our task now is to take up his work, to continue
his effort. That is the greatest tribute we can pay. Let
us begin with this debate on health care.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Gillibrand.) The Senator
from Kansas.
Mr. BROWNBACK. Madam President, I rise to add my voice
to those who have already paid tribute to our friend and
colleague, the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who passed away
this last month after a courageous battle with cancer.
He was quite an institution. I came into this body in a
seat held by an individual who was quite an institution as
well. Bob Dole was in this seat. So I know that when
people look to the person who follows after Ted Kennedy,
you just can't replace an individual like that who was
such a towering figure in this body, who was the lion of
the Senate, as many have noted, and certainly deserved
that topic and that accolade.
While Senator Kennedy and I did not see eye to eye on
most political issues, I admired him greatly as a
colleague and certainly as a dedicated public servant. Ted
Kennedy fought for what he believed and did so with
passion and conviction and incomparable ability. When he
was your opponent on an issue, you knew you had a fight on
your hands, and when he was on your side, you knew you had
an advocate who worked hard and effectively.
His skills as a legislator were unmatched. I think what
was at the core of that was he really enjoyed working with
other people. He had built relationships across the aisle
with individuals, so that he could personally go to other
individuals with that relationship he had built. Even
though there were huge disagreements on policy issues on
many other fronts, he had the personal relationships. To
him, I think, in many cases, it was a lot more about the
person rather than policy. I think that is a good lesson
for many of us to learn. He mastered the legislative
process, became one of the most effective Members of this
body and that this body has ever known. One of the keys of
his effectiveness was his tenacity and perseverance in
attending to, in many cases, the unglamorous details and
the sometimes tedious work that goes into crafting and
passing a bill.
He also understood that getting things done as a
politician means compromise. He had a great sense of when
to fight on principle and when to reach out to the other
side and arrive at an agreement in order to advance the
cause for which he was fighting. I think you can probably
look back over the last decade or 15 years of this body
and no major piece of legislation passed without Ted
Kennedy's fingerprints somewhere around or on that piece
of legislation.
Despite our political differences, I always found him to
be professional, courteous, thoughtful, and a caring
individual. He was always looking for ways to find common
ground and had a wonderful ability to win others over to
his side with that charm, Irish wit, fellowship, and
gregarious nature. And once he made an agreement, you
could depend on him to be true to his word, and to honor
in public an agreement he had made in private.
Over the years I had the opportunity to work on several
legislative issues with Senator Kennedy. As many
testified, he was the best ally one could ever hope for.
Most recently we worked together to pass the Prenatally
and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, a pro-
life piece of legislation. When I would travel around the
country saying that Ted Kennedy and I had introduced a
pro-life piece of legislation together, many people would
be quite startled. I would explain what this was. It was a
piece of legislation that would encourage people, once
they had a diagnosis that their child had Down syndrome in
utero, not to abort the child but instead to have the
child. It put together an adoption registry of individuals
who were willing to adopt children with Down syndrome. We
have this terrible plague in the country where 90 percent
of our children who are diagnosed with Down syndrome never
get here; they are aborted.
In our office we went to the disability community. We
went to his sister Eunice and talked with her about it.
And I went to Ted. I remember how effective his sister
Eunice would be on lobbying Ted on this piece of
legislation. Just this past year, when we were able to
move things forward with it, I met with Eunice. She was
obviously getting more difficult and failing of health at
that point. She said, ``Is Teddy being helpful? Is Teddy
working with you and helping?'' I would say, ``Yes, he is,
but you can always help us more and push him more.'' And
she did. What an effective team that was on providing help
for those especially with mental disabilities, even on
this pro-life piece of legislation that I hope will result
in more people getting here who have disabilities so that
they are not killed in utero but instead get here and, if
people can't handle that issue in their families, that
they put them up for adoption. We have adoption registries
ready to go for people who want to adopt a child who may
have more difficulties. Working together we were able to
find common ground on protecting the dignity of these
precious Americans by providing parents who receive a pre-
or postnatal diagnosis of genetic disability with
resources, information, and a network of support.
I am so pleased to know Senator Kennedy lived to see
this bill passed and signed into law. It stands as an
example of how we can find common ground to advance the
interests of all Americans in spite of differences. This
body truly will not be the same place without Ted Kennedy,
without his rhetoric and his strong voice, his abilities
as a legislator.
My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family and
friends.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I join today with colleagues
to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Senator Ted
Kennedy. Each of us has lost a friend with his passing,
and all Americans--but especially those in need--have lost
a champion of government's ability to bring light to dark
places. All of us stand in awe of the lengthy record of
accomplishment Senator Kennedy leaves us. It was a great
privilege to serve many years with Ted Kennedy on the
Armed Services Committee and to witness first hand the
traits so well known to Members of the Senate: the
tireless preparation, the intimate knowledge of the
legislative process, the relentless focus on justice and
equality.
Today our citizens are safer, our military more capable,
our troops better equipped because of his service.
Senator Kennedy approached his work with diligence and
dedication. But he also knew that work goes more smoothly
when it is accomplished with friendship and good humor. It
was possible to disagree with Ted Kennedy but never to
dislike him. His sense of humor was contagious, and his
concern for those around him, from fellow Senators to
staff, to the many often unheralded people who make the
Senate function, ensured that he was loved as well as
respected throughout this body. That love extends across
lines of party and ideology, in part because of that good
humor and genuine concern for others for which he is so
rightly known.
But it was not just these qualities that endeared Ted
Kennedy to figures of all political persuasions. It was
the seriousness and good faith with which he approached
ideas that differed from his own. In 1983, this liberal
Catholic from Massachusetts traveled to the conservative
Liberty Baptist College in Virginia where he told the
students:
The more our feelings diverge, the more deeply felt they
are, the greater is our obligation to grant the sincerity
and essential decency of our fellow citizens on the other
side.
Ted Kennedy lived out that sentiment every day. We
salute his ability to work across party lines to achieve
consensus, to work on a piece of legislation until
doubters became enthusiastic supporters. He excelled in
transforming nays to yeas. Senator Kennedy was a master of
our own specialized world, and his legislative legacy
stands with those of the giants of this Chamber. He
tackled what some see as the great game of politics with
gusto.
But Ted Kennedy's life's work was not a game. Politics
was not a contest staged for its own sake or in pursuit of
power or prestige. Ted Kennedy was a master not of the
politics of the moment but of the politics of meaning.
Ted Kennedy's task was to touch lives. He touched the
family whose children have health insurance because of the
Children's Health Insurance Program he helped establish;
the child who has a better chance at an education because
of his work on the No Child Left Behind law. More
Americans can fully participate in our democracy because
of the civil rights and voting rights legislation he
pushed forward.
We saw Ted Kennedy's passion for justice, tolerance, and
understanding again recently when we were working on the
Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes
Prevention legislation. I quoted him during that debate on
that legislation when the defense authorization bill was
on the floor, and I quote him again now. He said:
We want to be able to have a value system that is worthy
for our brave men and women to defend. They are fighting
overseas for our values. One of the values is, we should
not, in this country, in this democracy, permit the kind
of hatred and bigotry that has stained the history of this
Nation over a considerable period of time.
The children of our men and women in uniform have some
of the best child care available, thanks to the National
Military Child Care Act Ted Kennedy championed in 1989. He
was actively involved more recently following the outrages
at Walter Reed Army Medical Center when we passed the
wounded warrior legislation in 2008.
The lesson of Ted Kennedy's life and career is that
politics at its best is not a game to be refereed by TV
pundits. It is not a contest of poll numbers or a
scorecard of grievances to nurse and favors to return.
Senator Kennedy struck many deals. He brokered many
compromises. He won many votes. But the true majesty of
his career is not to be found in this Chamber, though his
work was done here. His lesson for us is that democracy is
best understood in the homes and lives of its citizens. It
is in the homes of families less burdened by want. It is
in the minds of children freed by education. It is in the
relief of parents who no longer fear for a child in need
of medical care. It is in the souls of Americans who find
inspiration in his triumph over tragedy and over his own
shortcomings. It is in the hearts of the colleagues he
leaves behind who will be inspired to rededicate ourselves
to a politics that recognizes our common humanity and
seeks common ground in the pursuit of justice.
My wife Barbara and I will always keep in our hearts
Vicki, the love of Ted's life, and we will always remember
Ted's love affair with the American people.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic whip.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, there was a historic moment
on Capitol Hill last night. The President of the United
States asked for a joint session of Congress to address
one of the most important and controversial issues of our
time. Emotions were running high in the House Chamber as
Members of the House and Senate gathered to hear the
President. We know they ran high because there were
expressions of support and disapproval during the
President's speech. I sat with Harry Reid and other
leaders from the Democratic side in the Senate and watched
carefully as the speech unfolded. I thought the President
was at his best, even under fire, with the high emotions
in the Chamber. I wondered what the ending would be and
how it would be received.
If Members will recall, at the end of the speech, the
President referred to a letter that had been sent to him
by the late Senator Ted Kennedy to be read after the
Senator had passed away. As the President referred to that
letter, an amazing thing happened in that Chamber filled
with hundreds and hundreds of people. The emotions quieted
down. At one point, one could have heard a pin drop in the
House Chamber as President Obama recalled the legacy and
the promise of the life of Senator Edward Kennedy.
I came today to this seat on the Senate floor. It is not
my ordinary desk, but it is the row where I sat for a
number of years as a new Member of the Senate. It was a
particularly good assignment to sit in this row because
behind me was Paul Wellstone and then Ted Kennedy. One
never had any better back-benchers than those two men. Now
they are both gone.
As I reflect on the absence, particularly of Senator
Kennedy, I recall for history his first speech on the
floor of the Senate. It was April 9, 1964. Here is the
amazing fact: This speech took place 16 months after he
took his Senate seat. That booming voice and presence,
which was so dominant in the Senate for decades, waited
patiently for his turn, 16 months after the special
election in Massachusetts that gave him the Senate seat
once held by his brother John. When he rose to make his
first speech on April 9, 1964, he said he planned ``to
address issues affecting the industry and employment in my
home state [of Massachusetts],'' a thoughtful decision by
someone recently elected, to make sure that your first
speech touches issues important to the friends at home. He
said he would make that speech one day. But he decided his
first speech would be much different.
On that day, with his first speech, conscience and the
cause of freedom compelled Ted Kennedy to speak instead in
eloquent support of the bill the Senate was then debating.
It was a measure President Kennedy proposed nearly a year
earlier. Now, less than 5 months after that terrible day
in Dallas, TX, when his brother was assassinated, the
youngest Kennedy brother stood at the same desk his
brother John had used when he served the Senate, the same
desk Ted Kennedy used for the nearly 47 years he served in
the Senate. He presented more than a dozen letters he had
received from religious leaders all urging Congress to
pass the Civil Rights Act and end the evil of segregation
in America. That was Ted Kennedy's first speech in the
Senate.
He said:
When religious leaders call on us to urge passage of
this bill, they are not mixing religion and politics. This
is not a political issue. It is a moral issue to be
resolved through political means.
He continued:
Religious leaders can preach, they can advise, they can
lead movements of social action. But there comes a moment
when persuasion must be backed up by law to be effective.
In the field of civil rights, that point has been reached.
He concluded by saying:
My brother was the first President of the United States
to say publicly that segregation was morally wrong. His
heart and soul are in this bill. If his life and death had
a meaning, it was that we should not hate but love one
another; we should use our powers not to create conditions
of oppression that lead to violence, but conditions of
freedom that lead to peace. It is in that spirit that I
hope the Senate will pass this bill.
That first speech by Ted Kennedy bore so many of the
qualities that would define his public career. The moral
courage to take on the most urgent moral question of his
time no matter how controversial, the determination to
pick up his brother's fallen standard, the prodigious
amount of work behind the scenes building alliances, and
an optimist's unshakable faith that his beloved America
would become an even more just and decent Nation.
Listening to Senator Kennedy's speech that day were some
of the giants of the Senate--Hubert Humphrey, a man who
more than anyone brought me to public life when he allowed
me to serve as an intern in his Senate office. The first
to speak was a man whom I would come to know well, Senator
Paul Douglas of Illinois. He said:
I have never heard an address of a more truly noble and
elevated tone.
He called the young Senator from Massachusetts:
A worthy continuer of the great traditions of the seat
which he occupies in the Senate, beginning, I believe,
with John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster and Charles Sumner
and through ... to his beloved and lamented brother ...
Senator Wayne Morse stood to speak as well, and he made
a prediction on the first day Ted Kennedy spoke in this
Chamber. He said:
[I]n my judgment, the junior Senator from Massachusetts
has already demonstrated that before he leaves the U.S.
Senate, he will have made a record in this body that will
list him among the great Senators in the history of the
Senate.
That prediction was made 45 years ago by Senator Wayne
Morse of Oregon.
Edward Moore Kennedy was one of the greatest Senators
not only of our time but of all time. There was no better
advocate and no more determined fighter for civil rights
and human rights. He was a son of privilege, but he was a
man, despite that background, who identified with the poor
and the dispossessed and the voiceless in America.
His fingerprints can be found on significant legislation
of the last half century: health care, voting rights,
women's rights, gay rights, immigration reform, worker
safety, fair housing, consumer protection, campaign
finance reform, sensible gun laws, national service,
minimum wage--the list goes on and on.
He was a protector of the vulnerable--of widows and
orphans, the wounded and maimed, the grieving and
dispossessed. He was a champion of people with
disabilities. He believed we should all be judged by what
we can do, not by what we cannot do.
When I was asked by my local media in Illinois, after
Ted Kennedy's passing, if there was something about him
that I knew that other people did not know, I said there
was one thing most people did not know. As a result of an
airplane crash early in his Senate career, when his broken
body was dragged out of the plane by his Senate colleague,
Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana, whose son now serves in
this Chamber, Ted Kennedy, with a broken back and ribs,
went through a long period of convalescence and a lifetime
of problems as a result of that almost fatal accident.
Those of us who were around him every day knew that Ted
was in pain a lot of the time--physical pain--because of
his back problems. If you had a press conference with Ted
Kennedy, you brought a little stool that he could perch on
because standing caused pain. You watched him as he
labored to get out of a chair trying to make sure he could
stand and speak. But never a word of complaint--not one. A
physical condition that might have created a total
disability for some other people did not stop him. In
addition to the intellectual part of this man, there was
this physical commitment that he would give whatever it
took to serve his people in Massachusetts and serve the
causes and values which motivated his public life.
He was an advocate for the elderly throughout his
career. Little did he realize his passion would eventually
affect him personally, as he served long enough to qualify
for Social Security and Medicare.
He believed education was the key to the American dream
and he worked tirelessly to extend it, helping to create
programs from Head Start for preschoolers to the Direct
Lending Program for college students.
He helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa and
violence in Northern Ireland.
His office wrote more than 2,500 bills and more than 300
of them became law. In addition, some 550 bills he co-
sponsored became law. Nearly every major legislative
achievement of his was advanced with a Republican partner.
He was a genius at compromise, principled compromise. As
someone said, he was able to maintain a sense of idealism
in setting goals and realism in achieving them. He had an
optimist's willingness to settle for progress, not
perfection.
It was from his bother Jack, he said, that he learned
the most important lesson: that you have to take issues
seriously, but do not take yourself too seriously. As we
all know, he was gracious and generous in sharing credit
for success. But he also, because of the suffering in his
life through his family and personally, developed this
heart of gold, this empathy for other people and their own
misfortunes.
If one of his colleagues in the U.S. Senate had
something bad come their way, you could almost bet the
first call they would receive would be from Ted Kennedy,
regardless of which side of the aisle you were on. He
would be the first to talk about some misfortune or
illness in your family. How he learned this so quickly we
never figured out, but the Kennedy network was there
gathering that information, making certain he always
offered a helping hand and a pat on the shoulder if you
needed it.
Health care was such an important part of his public
career--decent, affordable health care, as a right but not
as a privilege. And he did more than anyone in our
Nation's history to advance that noble cause.
He voted to create Medicare and Medicaid, protecting
those programs for decades. Community health centers were
a Kennedy initiative in 1966. How much good that has done
for America is incalculable.
He was the chief architect of the WIC Program, the COBRA
law, and the Ryan White Act. Fewer Americans are forced to
make the agonizing choice of keeping their job or caring
for a loved one who is sick because Ted Kennedy helped
pass the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Eleven million children of low-income working parents
are able to see a doctor this year--11 million of our
young kids in America--because Ted Kennedy helped create
the Children's Health Insurance Program.
He was the driving force behind cancer research and
speedier approval of drugs. He helped lead the fight to
end discrimination by insurance companies against people
with mental illness and addiction. His son Patrick has
managed to pick up that standard and help, with his
father, pass that legislation, a bill which meant so much
to Senator Paul Wellstone and so many others, Pete
Domenici included.
During the last few months of his life, he expended what
little energy he had left to urge us to pass health care,
and that is why the President's speech last night struck a
chord with so many people. He continued to work hard at
his job, even on the phone, during the last days of his
life.
His son Patrick said that while his father was
hospitalized this last year for treatment in North
Carolina and Massachusetts, he would roam the halls of the
hospital--you can just see him--asking other cancer
patients and their families how they were doing and how
they were managing their bills. Some of the answers, they
said, broke his heart.
He was ready to come back and vote on health insurance
reform if the vote was needed. Even in the closing days of
his life, Senator Reid, reaching out to Vicki, knew that
Ted would be there if his vote made the difference, even
if it was the last physical act of his life.
Just as he implored the Senate in his first speech so
many years ago to pass the civil rights bill in honor of
his brother, the fallen President, we all know that
Senator Kennedy, were he here today, would urge us to
finish the cause of his life and make affordable health
care for every American a right, not a privilege.
It is our obligation to search in good faith, as he did
so often, for the principled compromise that will enable
us to finish this urgent moral challenge of our time in
the name of Ted Kennedy.
I was fortunate to attend the memorial service in Boston
at Our Lady of Perpetual Help--a packed church with
hundreds standing in the rain outside, wishing they could
attend. Thousands had passed by to see his remains and to
pay a tribute to him over the final days. It was a great
sendoff to a great man.
I was so touched by his family--that extended Kennedy
family--starting with Vicki, his best ally in his life, a
woman who stood by him through those tough times in the
closing months of his life, his children, nephews, nieces,
grandchildren. All of them gathered. As they went to take
Communion, John McCain leaned over to me and said, ``You
can see the map of Ireland on all those faces.'' And you
could. It was a great gathering of the Kennedy clan.
I want to express my condolences not only to the family
but to the great Kennedy staff, always regarded as the
best on Capitol Hill. Ted Kennedy not only did great work,
he helped build great people, who continue to serve us in
public careers. They have done so much for this Nation.
They will continue to do so, inspired by his example.
We are saddened by his passing, but we are determined to
carry on. We know if he were here today his voice would be
booming on this floor for the extension of unemployment
benefits, making sure COBRA deductions are still there for
those who have lost work, not forgetting to increase the
minimum wage, making sure health care does not forget the
tens of millions who are being left behind without health
insurance in this country.
We are going to miss that booming voice, but he is going
to continue to be an inspiration to all of us.
Last year at the Democratic National Convention in
Denver there was a little breakfast for Ted. He gave a
great speech at the convention, even though there was a
question at the last moment as to whether he would be able
to physically do it. At that breakfast, Vicki, his wife,
came up to me and she handed me this little plastic
bracelet, and she said, ``I thought you might want to have
this. It has written on it one word: `Tedstrong.'''
Well, I put that bracelet on, and I just took it off for
the first time since then at this moment. I will not be
wearing this bracelet, but it will be in my Senate desk,
and each time I open it, I will remember that great man,
Ted Kennedy.
Thank you, Madam President.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, the assistant Democratic
leader, in his eloquent remarks, mentioned Ted Kennedy's
maiden address, which is a tradition we have here in the
Senate. We try to wait for an appropriate time before we
say much, and then we try to say something we think makes
a difference.
I waited an appropriate time and made some remarks on
the floor in support of legislation that would help put
the teaching of American history and civics back in its
rightful place in our schools so our children could grow
up learning what it means to be an American. I know the
Presiding Officer has a great interest in that subject as
well, and she and I have worked on that together. I
proposed that we create summer academies for outstanding
teachers and students of U.S. history.
Ted Kennedy was on the floor. He was the chairman or
ranking member of the committee that handled that at the
time. He came over afterward and said, ``I will get you
some co-sponsors. The next thing I knew, he had 20
Democratic co-sponsors for my little bitty bill that I had
introduced. However well I thought of him before that, I
thought even better of him after that. I think it is a
small example of why he was so effective here in what he
cared about.
I remember him talking about taking his family--his
extended family--once a year to some important place in
America, some place that made a difference. He was
especially taken with their trip to Richmond, I believe it
was, where they went to the place where Patrick Henry went
down on one knee and made his famous address. I guess one
reason he was so interested in U.S. history was because he
and his family were and are such a consequential part of
it, but he made a big difference in what we call the
teaching and learning of traditional American history.
On another occasion, he called me up to his hideaway--he
had been here long enough to have a great room somewhere;
I do not know where it is, but it has a great view of the
Capitol--to talk about Gettysburg and what we could do to
preserve that.
Then, we were working together, when he died, with
Senator Byrd, who has been such a champion through U.S.
history, on legislation that would tie the teaching of
American history to our national parks, which we are
celebrating this year, with Ken Burns' new movie, and with
other ways to try to help use those nearly 400 national
park sites we have to teach American history.
He and I and David McCullough had breakfast, for
example, and talked about David McCullough teaching a
group of teachers about John Adams at the John Adams House
in Massachusetts, as one example. Then, of course, that
turned to what was Ted Kennedy going to do about finding
an appropriate place to honor John Adams in Washington,
DC. That was another piece of unfinished business Ted
Kennedy left that others of us will have to continue to
work on. That is why he got along so well here.
When he cast his 15,000th vote, I remember saying the
sure-fire way to bring a Republican audience to its feet
was to make an impassioned speech against high taxes,
against more Federal control, and against Ted Kennedy, and
he laughed that great big laugh of his. But it was true.
But almost everyone on this side will say there was no one
on that side who we would rather work with on a specific
piece of legislation because no matter how much we might
disagree with him--and we certainly did on many issues--
when it got to the point where it was time to decide, Can
we do something?, he was ready to do something. His word
was good. And his ability to help pass an important piece
of legislation was unquestioned. Plus, we liked him. We
liked his spirit, and we liked his personality.
My first engagement with Senator Kennedy was as a very
young man when I came here in 1967 as a young aide to
then-Senator Howard Baker. Senator Baker, who was the son-
in-law of Senator Dirksen, then the Republican leader,
teamed up with Ted Kennedy, the younger brother of the
former President, and they took on the lions of the
Senate, Sam Ervin of North Carolina and Everett Dirksen,
and won a battle over one man, one vote. I was the
legislative assistant on this side and Jim Flug, the
longtime friend and aide of Senator Kennedy, was the
legislative assistant on that side.
I am here today, as we all are, to pay our respects to
Senator Kennedy. Maybe some of us can help with that
unfinished business, such as helping to make sure we
expand the idea of teaching American history in our
national parks to larger numbers of outstanding teachers
and to outstanding students of U.S. history; and
continuing the effort to do something about the long lines
of adults in America who are waiting to learn our common
language--English. Ted was very interested in that, as I
am. But most of all, what I wish to say is what I believe
most of us feel: We will miss him. We will miss his big
voice, we will miss his big smile, and we will miss his
big presence.
Thank you, Madam President. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I am deeply honored to pay
tribute to Ted Kennedy today and to honor his
extraordinary legacy.
I will always think of Ted Kennedy as many think of
him--as the lion of the Senate. From that seat, in that
seat in the back of this beautiful Senate Chamber, he used
his powerful voice to speak out for those whose voices
were rarely heard. I also have described Ted as the
drummer in a large orchestra. Ted Kennedy was a steady
drumbeat for justice, for fairness, for compassion, and
for progress. On days when the Senate wasn't that
interested in listening; on days when maybe the polls were
against him; on days when his compassion might not have
been in fashion, that drumbeat got louder and louder
because Ted Kennedy knew that at the end of the day, the
values he stood for would be embraced again.
Ted never let us forget why we are here--never. He
always reminded us to be courageous. He always reminded us
to be strong in fighting for the causes we believe in, not
by lecturing us about it but by being brave, being strong,
being courageous, taking on the tough issues. He spent 9
long years standing in the back of the Chamber talking
about raising the minimum wage and explaining why people
needed it--9 long years--but he knew the drumbeat would go
on until we passed it. And we did.
Ted Kennedy had genuine and deep friendships in the
Senate on both sides of the aisle. His greatest
legislative skill was to know every Senator and to know
their passions. When I first came to the Senate in the
early 1990s, I had spent 10 years in the House and Senator
Kennedy was already an icon, but he knew I was passionate
about health issues and, in particular, women's health
issues. So even though I was new to the Senate, he came to
me when he was managing a bill on the floor to protect the
rights of women who were trying to get into reproductive
health care clinics. At that time, protesters were
blocking the entrances to the health care clinics so the
women could not get in and get treated. So Senator Kennedy
wrote a bill that simply said: It is fine to express your
views, but you cannot block women or individuals from
entering those clinics. It is dangerous, it is wrong, and
you are denying women health care. Senator Kennedy asked
me if I would be his lieutenant--that was his word, his
``lieutenant''--and help him manage that bill on the floor
of the Senate. Well, clearly, I was so pleased. It was
such a thrill to watch him work and, as did so many of Ted
Kennedy's bills, it passed and it became the law of the
land and women can get health care without being
intimidated and frightened and harmed.
Later, when he was championing the bill to increase the
minimum wage--and he did it year after year after year--he
asked me and the other women of the Senate to come to the
floor and to organize and speak about the impact raising
the minimum wage would have on women and families across
the country. He said, ``Barbara, you know, 60 percent of
the people earning minimum wage are women. A lot of our
colleagues think it is teenagers. That is not true. It is
women. They are supporting their families. Can you help me
with this?'' I said, ``Senator, I am all over it. I am
with you.''
The women of the Senate had a special role to come to
the floor--unfortunately, for 9 years in a row--until we
made the case that it was important that America's
families, working so hard, can actually afford to live in
this, the greatest country of all.
Although Ted had deeply-held views, he worked
beautifully with Members across the aisle. We have
colleague after colleague coming down to speak about their
experiences. He was an expert at finding the thread of
common ground. Sometimes it was just a tiny little strand
of commonality, but he could weave it into something
bigger and bigger and come to an agreement without losing
his principles.
Ted's legislative work has touched the lives of every
American, and I think it is going to take 5, 6, 7, 10 of
us to pick up this void he has left. I am so proud that
Tom Harkin, who has come to the floor, will be the
chairman of the HELP Committee--because Tom shared with
Ted those deep feelings about us being here not to
champion the voices of those who have a strong voice and
are heard but for those who don't have a strong voice: the
middle class, the workers, the working poor, the families,
the children. They don't have a voice here.
Ted Kennedy worked to help get 18 year olds the right to
vote. He made it easier for Americans to change jobs and
keep their health insurance. He expanded Head Start
programs. He wrote the law creating Meals on Wheels. He
was a driving force behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and
Medical Leave Act. Many of these Senator Harkin and he
partnered up on. He led efforts to reform the Nation's
immigration system--never a popular issue, a tough, hard
issue. He worked to increase competition in the airline
industry. He worked to protect women from violent crime.
Virtually every major health care advance of the last
four decades bears his mark--whether it is the CHIP
Program, the Ryan White CARE Act, COBRA, the mental health
parity bill or increased funding for cancer research. The
list goes on and on.
Senator Kennedy was once asked what his best quality was
as a legislator, and he answered with a single word:
``Persistence.'' Persistence. That is a message to all of
us on both sides of the aisle. If you believe something in
your heart is right, you don't give up. You don't give up
because progress takes time. Piece by piece, every year,
for almost half a century, he advanced the causes he
believed in: expanding access to health care, educating
our children, extending civil rights, helping our
society's least fortunate.
I will say, if we were in danger of losing our way in
the Senate, Senator Ted Kennedy held steady. He stayed
true to his ideals. That is why it is fitting that his new
biography is entitled ``True Compass.'' In many ways, he
was a compass in the Senate.
I wish to thank the people of Massachusetts for sending
Ted Kennedy to us for these last nearly 47 years. He loved
his State. He fought for you and he fought for all
Americans.
I wish to thank his wife Vicki, who gave him so much
joy, and the entire Kennedy family for sharing Ted Kennedy
with us.
I will miss his warm and engaging presence, his sense of
humor, his bellowing laughter, and the way he reached out
to all Senators in friendship. No one person will ever be
able to fill his shoes. No one. He was one of a kind and
irreplaceable. But we know how to honor his legacy. We
know how to fill this void and that is by continuing his
life's work. I believe the most fitting tribute we can
give him is to carry on his fight for a quality education
for all our children, affordable health care our families
can rely on, and an economy that works for everyone.
Ted Kennedy came from a privileged and renowned family,
but he saw so much suffering in his lifetime, so much
loss. He saw what happens in your family when two of your
three children have cancer. Even though you have every bit
of financial stability to give them what they need, he saw
how hard it was. And then to have another child with an
addiction and the pain of that. So what Senator Ted
Kennedy understood is, if it is so hard for me to see my
children suffer, what must it be like for someone without
the financial resources or someone who had an insurance
company walk away from them at the time they needed it the
most.
Ted Kennedy could put himself in other people's shoes,
and that is what he did every single day. Even when it was
hard for him to get up from his chair, he stood and he
fought. As he said during his concession speech at the
1980 Democratic National Convention:
For all those whose cares have been our concern, the
work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and
the dream shall never die.
I say to Ted and to his family, I believe these words
are true. The hope still lives and the dream shall never
die.
Thank you.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, it is difficult to imagine
or accept the fact that Ted Kennedy is no longer serving
in the Senate. He was such a presence here, a big man with
a big smile and a bigger heart. He was sympathetic to
those in need and willing to do all he could to address
their needs. He got results, improving and expanding
Federal programs to make available education and nutrition
benefits to more Americans than ever before.
I first met the Senator from Massachusetts when he was
running in his first campaign for the Senate in 1962. It
was a happenstance meeting. I was an instructor at the
Naval Officer's Candidate School in Newport, RI, and a
friend had invited me up to Hyannis Port during the
weekend. I ended up at Ted and Joan Kennedy's house. He
was there working with his friends from Massachusetts on
fundraising activities. We exchanged greetings. He asked,
``You are in law school?''
I said, ``Yes, I am.''
He said, ``It is hard as hell, isn't it?''
I said, ``It sure is.''
Well, that was about all the conversation we had that
day and I had no idea, first of all, how his campaign
would turn out and certainly the most remote thing in my
mind would have been my being a Member of the Senate. But
he and his wife Joan were spending the summer in Hyannis
Port near the other Kennedy family members, so I was
getting to see some of them as well as enjoying the New
England weather; the ambiance in the summer was a real
treat. But instead of politics, we talked about how hard
law school was.
I didn't think I would ever see him again. I had no
reason to think I would, much less end up serving in the
Senate with him and serving the day he took charge as
chairman of the Judiciary Committee from my predecessor in
the Senate, James O. Eastland. It was a day that attracted
a lot of attention. The hearing room was absolutely full
of people. As a matter of fact, the news media was all
over the place. It was hard to get near the seats of the
committee members.
I remember when Alan Simpson and I were the two most
junior Republicans, and as we were trying to get situated
there at the end of the row of seats of committee members,
one of the cameramen bumped Al's head with his camera, and
Al told him he should not do that again because he might
have a hard time finding his camera--or some words to that
effect.
But what a day of excitement and interest. That is the
kind of excitement Ted Kennedy brought not only to the
Judiciary Committee and his leadership as a brand-new
chairman, but his entire career reflected that kind of
exuberance. People responded and reacted to him in a very
positive way in the Senate.
We could make a long list of the things he did in terms
of legislative accomplishments and political leadership in
the Senate. He was a good person. He was a thoughtful
person and generous with his house. He invited all the
members of the Judiciary Committee to come out for dinner
at his house in Washington. What a nice, thoughtful thing
to do, and what an exciting evening it turned out to be.
Everyone enjoyed it enormously.
Ted Kennedy became a very determined advocate for
serious reforms, and he left an impressive record of
legislative accomplishments and protecting and enlarging
the civil rights of ordinary citizens.
I came to respect Senator Kennedy and appreciate his
friendship over the years we served together in the
Senate. His personal qualities, his generosity, and his
serious commitment to fairness and assistance for those
who needed help from their government will long be
remembered and appreciated.
May he rest in peace.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont is
recognized.
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I thank my dear friend from
Mississippi for his kind words. I know they will be
appreciated by the Kennedy family.
Madam President, when I heard the Senator from
Mississippi, and before him the Senator from Illinois, the
Senator from California, the Senator from Massachusetts,
and others who have spoken, it brought back so many
memories. On August 26, very early in the morning, we
heard the news about Senator Kennedy. Marcelle and I knew
that day was coming. We knew the day was coming and that
we would lose a close friend of over 35 years, but our
farmhouse in Vermont was still filled with grief upon the
learning of the news. We walked back and forth on the road
in front of the house, looking out over the mountains and
finding it hard to put into words how we felt.
We left Vermont to come down and join Vicki, such a dear
and wonderful person, and all of Senator Kennedy's family
at the memorial service in Boston, where so many offered
touching stories of how they remembered Senator Kennedy.
Ted Kennedy, Jr., gave an incredibly moving tribute to
his father. I told him afterward that was the kind of
eulogy Senator Kennedy would have liked. It was so Irish.
Ted Kennedy, Jr., made us all laugh, and he made us all
cry, almost in the same sentence. How Irish, how Kennedy,
but how true were the emotions of every man and woman in
that church--from the President, to the Vice President, to
former Presidents, to Senators, to Members of the House,
to close friends, and to so many of the Kennedy family.
I think of being sworn into this body as a 34-year-old
nervous Senator. One of the first people who came up to
shake my hand after being sworn in was Ted Kennedy, then
Mike Mansfield and Howard Baker. I was awed to think I was
in the presence of such people.
After serving with Ted for 35 years and speaking with
him almost every single day, I look over at his desk, at
something I have seen over the 35 years when we have lost
colleagues, but I don't know of any time it has hurt so
much to see the black drape across the desk, to see the
vase of white flowers. I went by there yesterday and just
put my hand on the desk. I will admit I was overcome with
emotion and left the floor.
I have so many memories, as we all do, of my friendship
with Ted. Senator Durbin spoke about how Ted Kennedy had a
way--no matter who you were, if you had tragedy in your
family or an illness or something had happened, he would
call or write, and he would offer help. It made no
difference who you were.
I was very close to my father. He had met Ted a number
of times. When my father passed away, virtually the first
telephone call my mother received that morning was from
Ted Kennedy. I remember my mother taking comfort in that.
Senator Kennedy's office is just one floor below mine in
the Russell Senate Building. We both have stayed there all
these years. On many occasions, especially when he was
going for a vote, we could hear his great laugh echoing
down the halls, and it would change our whole mood, our
whole day. We often talked about the bond of the New
England Irish and spoke about that again when we came back
from Pope Paul John II's funeral and refueled the plane in
Ireland. It was like following the Pied Piper at Shannon
Airport. There were paintings of President Kennedy there.
The Senator from Iowa remembers that.
As we walked through, Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd were
telling Irish stories. There are memories of when Ted was
walking the dogs outside of the Russell Building, and we
would talk and chat, saying, ``How is your family? How is
this one or that one?''
After Ted died, one of our newspapers in Vermont had a
front-page picture that my wife Marcelle had taken back in
1968. It showed a young Ted Kennedy in Vermont campaigning
for his brother Robert and talking with an even younger
State attorney. We talked about Robert Kennedy--the two of
us--and I gave that photograph to Ted a few years ago
because I found it in my archives. He chuckled and talked
about how young we looked, and then he asked for another
copy so he could sign one to me. That day we sat there and
talked about his brothers--obviously, the President, John
Kennedy; Senator Robert Kennedy; and also his brother, Joe
Kennedy, who had died. I talked about being interviewed by
Robert Kennedy, who was Attorney General, when he invited
me down to the Department of Justice. I was a young law
student, and he talked to me about the possibility of a
career in the Department of Justice. That talk meant so
much to me, and his brother told me how independent the
Department of Justice must be, even from the President of
the United States. We never have enough time in this body,
and a roll call started and that conversation stopped. But
I remember every bit of that so much.
I remember after that time we campaigned for Robert
Kennedy, the next time I saw him was here when I was a
Senator-elect. As a former young prosecutor, I walked into
his office with trepidation and almost thinking I was
going into the inner sanctum. I was going to talk with him
about what committees I might go on. This great voice
said, ``Good morning, Senator.''
Coming from him, I turned around, assuming another
Senator was walking in behind me, and I realized he was
talking to me.
Ted's wonderful wife Vicki was part of a small book
club, and my wife Marcelle was in that. The days they
would meet, Ted would come up and put his arm around my
shoulder and say, ``Patrick, we are in trouble today. Our
wives are meeting, and tonight we are going to get our
marching orders.'' You know what, Madam President. He was
right.
All of the years I served on the Judiciary Committee,
until this past year, I sat beside him. I am going to miss
him on that committee. I am going to miss his help and
advice. I am going to miss him on the Senate floor because
not having him with us in the Senate is going to make a
huge difference in negotiations on legislation, whether it
is on the current issue of health care reform or any other
issue.
I remember one meeting with Ronald Reagan when he was
President. The President turned to Ted--and several of us,
Republicans and Democrats, were meeting with him--and
said, ``Thank goodness you're here, Ted. You are bringing
us together.''
That difference extended beyond our shores. He
personally made such a difference in bringing peace to
Ireland and ending apartheid in South Africa. I remember
going with President Clinton after the peace agreement,
and everybody--while they would thank the Prime Minister
of Ireland and Great Britain and President Clinton, they
all wanted to come over and thank Ted Kennedy.
His sense of history and of our country and his firm and
constant belief in America's promise and America's future
were inspiring. His willingness to spend time with the
most junior Senators, as with all others of both parties,
made him a Senator's Senator. I think every single
Senator, Republican or Democrat, would agree he was a
Senator's Senator.
It is easy in politics to appeal to the self-interests
in each of us. Ted Kennedy appealed to the best in us, to
the American verities that are written not on water but in
stone. He appealed to our sense of justice, to our sense
of responsibility to each other, and to our uniquely
American sense of hope and possibility. In the Senate, he
labored to help reach bipartisan progress on health care,
education, civil rights, voting rights, immigration
reform, and so much more.
Madam President, the powerful have never lacked
champions. Ted Kennedy was a champion for ordinary
Americans and for those who struggle, those who do not
have a champion. He believed everyone in this great land
deserved the opportunity to pursue the American dream.
I thought last night at the President's speech--I talked
before the speech with Mrs. Kennedy and after the speech
with Senator Kennedy's three children. It was just
impossible to fully put into words how much I miss him.
Marcelle and I miss our friend dearly, but we know it
was a privilege to call him our friend. It was a privilege
to serve alongside such a public servant dedicated as he
was to making the lives of millions of his fellow
Americans better.
It is a sad passing of an era, but Ted Kennedy would
also tell us it is a time to look to the future.
Madam President, I close with this. I always thought
when I left the Senate I would say farewell to this body
and Ted Kennedy would be here to wish me Godspeed. I wish
him Godspeed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I thank all of our
colleagues who have taken the time to come to the floor to
speak for and on behalf of our great friend and colleague,
Senator Ted Kennedy. I particularly enjoyed the remarks of
the distinguished Senator from Vermont who served with him
for 35 years. I only served 33 years with Ted. I thank
them for the remarks and the reverence most everybody has
had for our departed colleague.
I rise today to offer my remarks on the passing of my
dear friend and colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy. Over this
past recess, America lost one of its greatest leaders and
this Chamber lost one of its most dynamic and important
Members. I mourn the loss not only of a respected
colleague but of a dear personal friend. I think I speak
for all my colleagues when I say that Senator Kennedy will
be missed and that the Senate is a lesser place without
him here.
People have often remarked about the working
relationship I had with Senator Kennedy, oftentimes
calling us the ``odd couple.'' We used to laugh about
that. But the truth be told, he and I really didn't agree
on a lot of things. Over the years, Senator Kennedy and I
were on opposite sides of some of the fiercest battles in
this Chamber's history. While we have long been good
friends, we did not pull any punches on one another. If we
were opposing one another in a debate, Senator Kennedy
would come to the floor and, in his classic style, he
would lay into me with his voice raised--and he had a
terrific voice--and his arms flailing. Of course, I would
let him have it right back. Then, after he finished, he
would finally come over and put his arm around me and say,
``How was that?'' I would always laugh about it, as we
did. We laughed at each other all the time.
That is what set Senator Kennedy apart from many in
Washington. For him, politics rarely got personal. He was
never afraid to voice his disagreement with the views of a
fellow Senator. But, in the end, I believe he always
maintained a warm and cordial relationship with almost
every one of his colleagues. That is difficult to do
sometimes, particularly when partisan tempers flare up,
but it always seemed to come easy for Senator Kennedy.
Despite our tendency to disagree on almost everything,
Senator Kennedy and I were able to reach common ground on
many important occasions and on some important issues.
As I mentioned at the recent memorial service, one of my
defining moments as a Senator came when I met with two
families from Provo, UT. The parents in these families
were humble and hard working, and they were able to
provide food and clothing and shelter for their children.
But the one necessity they could not afford was health
insurance. Their children were children of the working
poor. The struggles of this family touched me and inspired
me to work with Senator Kennedy to create SCHIP, which
continues to provide health care coverage to millions of
children of the working poor and others throughout the
country, and which passed with broad bipartisan support.
Over the years, Senator Kennedy and I worked
successfully to get both Republicans and Democrats on
board for a number of causes. We drafted a number of
pieces of legislation to provide assistance to AIDS
victims, including the Ryan White AIDS Act. I named that
bill right here on the floor with Mrs. White sitting in
the audience. We worked together, along with Senator
Harkin, to craft and pass the Americans with Disabilities
Act. There was also the Orphan Drug Act, as well as the
FDA Modernization Act, and a whole raft of other bills
that would take too much time to speak about, all of which
bear the Hatch-Kennedy, Kennedy-Hatch name.
Our final collaboration came just this year in the form
of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which I was
pleased to name after Senator Kennedy right here on the
floor. He came up afterward, and we hugged each other.
Then we went back to the President's Room, and he had
pictures taken, even though he was not feeling well. He
had so many pictures with so many people who were
involved.
All of our bills passed because of the willingness of
Senator Kennedy and myself to put consensus ahead of
partisanship--something we see far too infrequently in
Washington.
It is axiomatic in politics that timing is crucial. No
one understood or practiced that principle better than
Senator Kennedy. He had a sixth sense and an open mind to
notice when the time was ripe for the key compromise. He
knew when to let events sit and when it was time to close
the deal. More important, he knew when he should stick to
his guns and when he needed to reach across the aisle to
get the help of his Republican colleagues. He was always
able to recognize and work with those who shared his
goals, even if they had different ideas on how to achieve
them.
I will never forget, after I had made the deciding vote
on civil rights for institutionalized persons--it was a
Birch Bayh-Hatch bill, and Birch had led the fight on the
floor, and so did I.
Later came the Voting Rights Act. I felt very strongly
about not putting the effects test in section 2. I had no
problem with it in section 5, but I did not want it in
section 2 so that it applied to all the other States. I
lost in committee. I voted for the bill out of committee
because I considered the Voting Rights Act the most
important civil rights bill in history.
The day they were going to have the bill signed at the
White House, he caught me right inside the Russell
Building where we both had offices, and he said, ``You are
coming with us, aren't you?''
I said, ``Well, I was against the change in section 2.''
He said, ``You voted for it and were very helpful in
getting that bill passed, and I know how deeply you feel
about it.''
I did go down with him. I would not have gone without
Senator Kennedy recognizing I did feel deeply about the
Voting Rights Act. And even though I lost on what I
thought was a pivotal constitutional right, the fact is I
voted for the bill.
At the risk of riling my more liberal colleagues in the
Senate, I would like to point out that Senator Kennedy
shared an utterly optimistic view of the American
experiment with President Ronald Reagan. They both deeply
believed that whatever the current trials or challenges we
must face as a Nation, America's best days were ahead of
her. That is something many people do not appreciate well
enough about Senator Kennedy.
Because of his optimism and hope for our Nation's
future, Senator Kennedy was, throughout his career in the
Senate, a great practitioner of the Latin motto ``carpe
diem,'' ``seize the day.'' Few worked harder day in and
day out than Senator Kennedy. As a result, every Senator
had to work a little bit harder, either to follow his lead
if you were on the same side of the issue or to stand in
his way if you were in the opposition. I have been in both
positions. I am not saying it was inherently difficult to
work with Senator Kennedy. But as anyone who has
negotiated a tough piece of legislation can tell you, it
can be sheer drudgery, even when you agree on most issues.
But Senator Kennedy brought a sense of joy even to the
most contentious negotiating sessions. And when you were
working with Senator Kennedy, you knew he would keep his
word. If after these long sessions an agreement was
reached, he would stick by it no matter how much heat he
would have to take.
All this was no doubt the result of his love for this
great institution and his commitment to the American
people. Political differences notwithstanding, there can
never be any doubt about Senator Kennedy's patriotism.
Few had a presence in the Senate as large as Senator
Kennedy's. More often than not, you could hear him coming
down the hall--a mini-hurricane with a bevy of aides in
tow, a batch of amendments in one hand and a stack of
talking points in the other. He was almost always
effective but seldom very quiet.
I also want to share a few thoughts about his staff.
While at the end of the day the full responsibility of the
Senate falls squarely on the shoulders of each Senator, it
is also true that during the day and often long into the
night and on many weekends, much of the work of the Senate
is conducted by a group of the most committed team of
staff members of any institution anywhere. Throughout his
career, it was known that the Kennedy staff was comprised
of one of the most formidable and dedicated collections of
individuals of the Senate. Many of them have gone on to
have distinguished careers, including now-Justice Stephen
Breyer; Dr. Larry Horowitz, who managed his health care
right up to the end and loved Ted Kennedy deeply; Nick
Littlefield, who ran the Labor Committee for Senator
Kennedy and was an adviser right up to the time Senator
Kennedy passed away; and, of course, Michael Myers--just
to name four, with no intention of leaving out the others.
Senator Kennedy would be the first to recognize how their
efforts contributed to his success. I salute them for
their hard work over the years. I cannot exactly say I
have always been totally pleased with all of the Kennedy
staff all of the time, but, as was true of their boss,
while we might have been frequent adversaries, we were
never enemies.
I am saddened by the loss of my dear friend Senator
Kennedy. I will miss him personally. I will miss the
fights in public. I will miss his sense of humor in
private and public. And perhaps more significantly, I
believe this Chamber will miss his talents as a legislator
and, most of all, his leadership.
While I cannot say I hope more of my colleagues will
adopt his views on policy, I hope more of us can adopt his
approach to the legislative process.
I was in California giving a speech at a fundraiser when
they came in with a cell phone and said, ``Senator Kennedy
is on the line, and he sounds very agitated.''
So I went out on the plaza and I said, ``Ted, what is
the matter?''
He said, ``Oh, I have great news for you.''
I said, ``What is that?''
He said, ``I am going to get married again.''
I said, ``Do I know her?''
He said, ``No, but you would love her. She is a
wonderful person, and she has two wonderful children. I am
going to adopt them and treat them as my own. And I am so
happy.''
I said, ``Ted, why would you call me in California?''
He said, ``Well, her daughter was bragging to her
elementary school teacher at that time that her mother was
going to marry Ted Kennedy.''
The elementary school teacher was married to a
Washington Post reporter.
So he said, ``I wanted you to become one of the first to
know. I am very happy. I am going to marry Vicki Reggie.''
I have come to know Vicki very well. She has made such a
difference in his life and in his family's life. She is a
tremendous human being, as are his children. They are
terrific.
I was happy to be in the Catholic Church where Teddy
went to pray for his daughter every day he could when she
was suffering from cancer. I know how deeply he feels
about Patrick and Teddy, Jr. I thought they did a terrific
job at the mass at his funeral. He has to be very proud of
them. I am very proud of them.
I think Vicki Kennedy deserves an awful lot of credit
for all of the later happy years of my friend Ted Kennedy.
I want her to know that I love her dearly for what she did
and as an individual herself.
I love Ted Kennedy's entire family. A number of them
have come to me at times where I was able to help them
because he could not as a member of the family. I have to
say that I was close to a great number of the members of
his family, and I really appreciate them as well and the
influence they had on him and he had on them.
He had a great influence on me as well. I want to
personally thank him for it and say to my dear friend and
colleague, as I look at his desk over there with the
flowers and the drape, rest in peace, dear Ted, and just
know that a lot of us will try to carry on, and hopefully,
with some of the things you taught us and helped us to
understand, we can do it better than we have in the past.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Burris). The Senator from
Maryland.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I wish to speak about
Senator Ted Kennedy. Clearly, I would have been proud to
be on my feet to give such a testimonial, but as many of
my colleagues know, I had a fall a few weeks ago coming
out of church. I am ready to be at my duty station, but I
can't quite stand to be 411" and give these remarks.
I do wish to speak and speak from my heart, speak from
my memory, and speak with my affection. I have known Ted
Kennedy a very long time. He has been my friend, my pal,
my comrade in arms. I have enjoyed everything from working
with him on big policy issues to sailing off the coast of
Hyannis. I have been with him in his hideaway while we
strategized on how to move an agenda of empowerment, and I
have danced at his famous birthday parties. We have had a
good time together.
I remember one of the first parties was a theme from the
1960s, and I came with a big wig, hoping I would look like
Jackie Kennedy. Ted was a chunky Rhett Butler because
Vicki and he were coming as Rhett Butler and Scarlett
O'Hara. As we jitterbugged, I said, ``Do you think I look
like Jackie?'' He said, ``Well, nice try.''
The last party we went to was a movie theme, and I came
with one of those big bouffants. It was to be a movie
theme, as I say, and I looked like something out of ``Hair
Spray.'' I will not tell you his comments, but, again, he
said, ``Your hair gets bigger with every one. I can't wait
until my 80th.''
Well, unfortunately, there will not be an 80th birthday
party, but we will always carry with us the joy of
friendship with Ted Kennedy.
It is with a heavy heart that I give this salute to him.
I first met him as a young social worker. I testified
before his committee. As a young social worker, I was
there to talk about a brand-new program called Medicare,
about what was working, what were the lessons learned--
once again from being on the ground; what was happening in
the streets and neighborhoods--and how to help people get
the medical and social services they needed. He listened,
he was intent, and he asked many questions. Little did I
know I would join him in the Senate to fight for Medicare,
to fight for health care, and to fight for those senior
citizens.
Similar to so many others of my generation, I was
inspired by the Kennedys to pursue a life in public
service. I chose the field of social work and then went
into politics because I saw politics as social work with
power. As a Congresswoman, I was on the Energy and
Commerce Committee. That was a counterpart to what Ted was
doing in the Senate. We got to know each other at
conferences working together. Those were the great days of
bipartisanship. As we would come in from the Energy and
Commerce Committee, there would be Ted Kennedy and Jacob
Javits working to make sure we could pass good
legislation. I saw there that good legislation came from
good ideas that could be pursued with good humor in an
atmosphere of civility.
As we got to know each other, I admired his verve, his
tenacity, and he admired me because I could dish it out
with the best of them as well. When he ran for President
in 1980, he asked me to nominate him at the Democratic
Convention. I was thrilled and honored to do so. Remember
the drama of that? Jimmy Carter was an incumbent
President. Ted Kennedy was an upstart. I backed Kennedy.
Well, it didn't work out and Ted called me and said, ``I
am withdrawing from the race. We are going to support
President Carter 100 percent. But though you are not going
to nominate me for President, I hope you will still
introduce me at the convention.'' I said, ``Absolutely.
But one day I hope to be able to nominate you.''
That night, as I took the podium, it was the famous
speech that everyone remembers--Ted Kennedy talking about
the work going on, the cause enduring, the hope still
living, and the dream never dying. What was amazing about
that speech was the way Ted Kennedy used a moment in his
life--which some viewed as a defeat--as a time to redefine
himself in public service and to claim the mantle of being
one of the best Senators America has ever seen. He used
that speech not as a retreat but as a reaffirmation and a
recommitment of what he would do.
That night I did introduce him. While all my colleagues
were in Boston, and I watched the funeral from my
rehabilitation room, mourning his death and feeling sad
that I could not join with my colleagues there, I had that
speech and I read it then and, as I looked at it, I
realized I could give it again and again. Because when I
took the floor of the 1980 convention, I first said, ``I
am not here for Barb Mikulski. I am here today for all
those people who would like to say what they knew about
Teddy Kennedy.'' I am going to say some of those words I
said then that would be appropriate for now.
I said, ``I am here on behalf of a lot of people who
want to be here but can't: Old women desperately trying to
use their Social Security checks to pay for food and
medicine and yet frightened about their energy bills.
Students whose tuition has gone up so much they are going
to have to work two jobs just to stay in school.''
I spoke of small business people trying to just keep
their doors open and the returning war vet who is
unemployed. While his brother has signed up for a tour of
duty, he is standing in the unemployment line.
I said during that speech that, day after day, Edward
Kennedy has spoken out for those people; that he has been
there talking about the economy, energy policy, and jobs,
long before many others. I talked about how Edward Kennedy
said that when Black freedom riders were being attacked
and beaten, he was the one who fought for racial justice
and helped to get the Voting Rights Act through. I said
that as a young social worker, working in the
neighborhoods during the dark Nixon years, and wondering
how old people were going to get the services they needed,
Ted Kennedy introduced the first nutrition program for the
elderly--a program that guaranteed senior citizens at
least one hot meal a day. It was Ted Kennedy, I said, who
won the passage of programs such as neighborhood health
centers, who fought the war on cancer, who led the fight
to save nurses' scholarships and save them he did. In his
fight for legislation, he was always there.
In my fight to help battered women, Senator Kennedy was
one of the first to be a strong and active ally. He said
he knew very early on that all American women work but
that too many women work for too little or are paid
unequal pay for their work. I said then, and I say again,
Ted Kennedy wanted to change Social Security to make it
fairer for women and to extend the Equal Rights Amendment
so we would be included in the Constitution.
It was amazing the issues he fought for then and that he
continued to fight for all his life. In the time I knew
him, I knew him not just as a newsclip, but I found him to
be truly gallant in public and in private--caring about
others and modest about himself, always about grace,
courage, and valor.
When I came to the Senate, I was the only Democratic
woman, and he was there for me, but I saw how he was there
for so many other people. In 2004, when we were in Boston,
Ted Kennedy and I had lunch in the North End. It was one
of our favorite things, to get together for a meal and for
conversation. What I realized then--as we enjoyed
ourselves with big plates of antipasto, always vowing that
we would eat more of the salad and less of the pasta, as
we got up and left and walked around the North End--is
that his best ideas came from the people. It was his
passion for people. I knew he represented those brainy
people in Cambridge who went to Harvard and who often came
up through the Kennedy School with those great ideas. But
as I walked around the neighborhoods with him, I saw he
actually listened to people, trailed by a staff person who
was actually taking notes.
As we walked down the street, there was the man who came
up and who talked about his mother's problem with Social
Security. ``Take it down,'' he said. ``Let's see what we
can do.'' We walked down a few feet more. ``Oh, my
grandson wants to go to West Point; how does he apply?''
He said, ``He is going to love it and he is going to love
my process. Let's see how we can do that.'' A few feet on
down, the small business guy said, ``Keep on fighting,
Ted. You know, I can't buy this health insurance. Can I
call you?'' ``Always call me,'' he said. ``And by the way,
don't forget to call Barbara''--the legendary Barbara
Souliotis. And all of us know Ted Kennedy had an
outstanding staff, whether it was the staff in
Massachusetts, who took care of casework and projects and
day-to-day needs, or the staff in Washington who helped
Ted Kennedy take the ideas that came from the people,
their day-to-day struggles, and converted them into
national policy. That is what it was--people, people,
people.
When I came to the Senate, it was only Nancy Kassebaum
and I. We were the only two women. He was a great friend,
along with Senator Sarbanes. They were people I called my
Galahads--people who helped me get on the right
committees, show me the inner workings of the Senate. Ted
was determined I would be on his Committee on Health and
Education to get the ideas passed, but he also was
determined I would get on the Appropriations Committee to
make sure we put those ideas into the Federal checkbook.
He was my advocate.
One of the things that was clear is, he was the champion
for women. He was a champion for this woman in helping me
get on those committees. And during those sometimes rough
days getting started, he would take me to La Colline with
Senator Dodd, and while he drank orange juice with a
little vodka--so no one would know he had a little vodka--
he was giving me shooters of Chardonnay to boost my
spirits. He and Chris would give me a pep talk, and I felt
like I was Rocky. They would say, ``Get out there, fight;
don't let it get you down. Pick yourself up.'' I felt like
I was going to spit in the bucket and get back on the
floor. He lifted my spirits, just like he lifted the
spirits of so many.
The story I wish to conclude with--because there are so
many issues we worked on together--is when I went to him
and said, ``Ted, did you know that women are not included
in the protocols at NIH?'' He said, ``What do you mean?''
I said, ``In all the research we do, women are not
included in the protocols. They just finished a famous
study which said to take an aspirin a day, keep a heart
attack away. It included 10,000 male medical students and
not one woman.'' I said, ``I want to change that.''
Teaming up with Nancy and Pat Schroeder and Olympia Snowe
and Connie Morella, who were in the House, he helped me
create the Office of Women's Health at NIH so women would
always be included in those protocols.
Then I spoke out and said, ``Ted, the health care
research for breast cancer is low. That is why they are
racing for the cure.'' He helped us, working with Tom
Harkin, to boost the money for research and to also get
mammogram quality standards through so that when a woman
would get her mammogram, it would be safe.
But here is one of the most profound things we did,
again working on a bipartisan basis. Dr. Bernadine Healy,
who was the head of NIH, wanted to do a study on the
consequences of hormone therapy. Ted and I and Tom did not
believe we should earmark NIH--and I believe that today--
but we made sure we put money and a legislative framework
in place so Dr. Healy could institute the famous hormone
therapy study. Well, let me tell you the consequences of
that. That study has changed medical practice. That study
has resulted in breast cancer rates going down 15 percent.
So when someone says: What did Ted Kennedy do to help
women? What did Teddy Kennedy do to work with Barbara
Mikulski? Tell them we worked together, and we worked to
save the lives of women, 1 million at a time.
This is my final salute to Senator Kennedy on the floor,
but I will always salute him every day in the Senate to
make sure we continue what he said about how the dream
will continue on.
I ended my speech at the Democratic Convention in 1980
when I said this--and I end my remarks today by saying
this: Edward Kennedy has kept his faith with the American
people. He hasn't waited for a crisis to emerge or a
constituency to develop. He always led, he always acted,
he always inspired.
God bless you, Ted. And God bless the United States of
America.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama is
recognized.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I would like to take a
moment to join with my colleagues, and I see quite a
number on the Senate floor now, to pay tribute to Ted
Kennedy. He was a truly remarkable force in the Senate, a
champion of liberalism--perhaps the Nation's leading
champion of liberalism. He believed government could serve
the people, and it ought to do more to serve people. On
that we sometimes disagreed, but he believed it with a
sincerity and he battled for it with a consistency that is
remarkable. He constantly sought to utilize the ability of
government to do good for the American people, and that is
admirable.
He also was a champion of civil rights. He was a force
during the civil rights movement, and his activities, his
personal leadership, truly made a difference in making
this a better country. Without his leadership, things
would have been much more difficult for sure.
I have a vivid memory of him--presiding as I did when I
first came to the Senate, a duty given to the younger,
newer Members--in the night, Ted Kennedy, alone on the
Senate floor, roaring away for the values he believed in.
It was just something to behold, in my view. I saw nothing
like it from, maybe, any other Member. He had served so
many years in the Senate--and I learned today from our
chairman on Judiciary, Senator Leahy, that he served on
the Senate Judiciary Committee longer than any other
Senator in history. But even as his years went by, many
years in the Senate, he did not lose the drive, the will,
the energy, the commitment to give of himself for the
values he believed in.
As I told one reporter after his death, I would just
hope to be somewhat as effective in promoting the values I
believed in as he was in promoting those values. If we
disagreed, and sometimes we certainly did, people
continued to admire him, I think, to a unique degree.
There were no hard feelings. You would battle away, and
then afterward it would be a respectful relationship
between Senators. I think that is pretty unusual and
something that is worthy of commenting on.
He talked to me about being a co-sponsor, his prime co-
sponsor on a bill. He said he wanted to work with me on
something important. It was a bill we commonly referred to
as the prison rape bill. There was a lot of concern that
in prisons, people who are arrested were subjected to
sexual abuse. That, in my view, is not acceptable. I know
the Presiding Officer, a prosecutor, knows people deserve
to do their time in jail, but they should never be
subjected to those kinds of abuses. So we passed a pretty
comprehensive bill. I was proud of it and proud to be with
him at the signing ceremony.
I also talked to him and we met and talked at some
length about a major piece of legislation to increase
savings in America, savings for the average working
American who had not been able to share in the growth of
wealth that so many have been blessed with in this
country. I thought we had some pretty good ideas. Savings
at that time had fallen below zero--actually 1 percent
negative use of people's savings which were going away. I
guess now we are at a 5 or 6 percent savings rate after
this turmoil we have had economically. I do not think the
idea should go away. Maybe it lost a little steam in the
fact that we have seen a resurgence of savings today, but
I was very impressed with his commitment to it, the work
of his fine staff, and his personal knowledge of the
issue.
I see my other colleagues. I will join with them in
expressing my sincere sympathy to Vicki and their entire
family for their great loss. The Senate has lost a great
warrior and a great champion of American values.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa is
recognized.
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the
period of morning business be extended to 2:30 p.m., with
Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes
each.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, as I look around this
Chamber, I see men and women of remarkable talents and
abilities. I also have a strong sense, we all do, that
there is a tremendous void now in our midst. A very
special Senator, a very special friend, a Member who
played a unique role within this body for nearly a half
century is no longer with us.
We have had many glowing and richly earned tributes to
Senator Ted Kennedy over these last couple of weeks. He
was not only the most accomplished and effective Senator
of the last 50 years, he was truly one of the towering
figures in the entire history of the Senate. Yet for all
his accomplishments, for all the historic bills he
authored and shepherded into law, for all the titanic
battles he fought, I will remember Ted Kennedy first and
foremost as just a good and decent human being.
I remember his extraordinary generosity, his courage,
his passion, his capacity for friendship and caring, and,
of course, that great sense of humor. I remember one time
I was in my office, and we had a phone conversation. It
was about a disagreement we had. It was right at St.
Patrick's Day, so we were having this discussion on the
phone and tempers got a little heated. I think I was
holding the phone out about like this. He probably was
too. I think our voices got raised to a very high decibel
level, sort of yelling at each other, and pretty soon we
just hung up on each other.
I felt very badly; I know he did too. So several hours
later, when I came on the Senate floor and I saw Ted at
his desk, I went up to him and pulled up a chair next to
him. He would get that kind of pixie smile on his face,
have a twinkle in his eye.
I said, ``Ted, I'm sorry about that conversation we had.
I should not have lost my temper as I did.'' I said, ``My
staff is a little concerned about our relationship.''
He sort of got that great smile and chuckled. ``Well,''
he said, ``forget about it. I just told my staff that is
just the way two Irishmen celebrate St. Patrick's Day.''
That is just the way he was. He could disarm you
immediately, and you would move on. He had a great
disarming sense of humor.
Ted came from a remarkable family--so many tough breaks,
so many triumphs, so many contributions to our Nation--
both in war and in peace. Ted and his siblings were born
into great wealth. They could have lived lives of luxury
and leisure, but they chose instead to devote themselves
to public service. They devoted themselves to making the
world a better place for others, especially those in the
shadows of life.
There are so many things I could focus on this morning
in my brief remarks, but I want to focus on just one
aspect of Ted Kennedy: all that he did to improve the
lives of people with disabilities in our country. I
thought about this: With the death of Eunice Kennedy
Shriver on August 11, and all she did to found the Special
Olympics now being carried on by her son Tim, then the
death of Ted on August 25, people with disabilities in
this country lost two great champions.
Their sister Rosemary lived her entire life with a
severe intellectual disability. The entire Kennedy family
is well acquainted with the joys and struggles of those
with disabilities. Those of us who were in the church in
Boston at the funeral--and those probably watching on
television--heard the very eloquent speech by Teddy, Jr.,
about his battle with cancer at a young age, losing his
leg and confronting his disabilities, and how Ted helped
him get through that.
In 1975, Senator Kennedy helped to pass what is now
called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act--
IDEA. In 1978 he passed legislation expanding the
jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect
people from discrimination on the basis of disability. In
1980 he introduced the Civil Rights for Institutionalized
Persons Act, protecting the rights of people in government
institutions, including the elderly and people with
intellectual and mental disabilities.
Nineteen years ago he was one of my most important
leaders and partners in passing the Americans with
Disabilities Act--1990. I will never forget, after I had
been in the Senate for 2 years, Republicans were in
charge, and then in 1986 Democrats came back, took charge,
and Senator Kennedy wanted me on his Education and Health
Committee. I sort of played a little hard to get.
I said, ``Well, maybe, but I am really interested in
disability issues.'' He knew about that. He knew about my
work on some of the stuff I had done in the House before I
came here, especially for people with hearing problems. I
said I would like to come on his committee, but I said I
would be interested in working on disability issues.
He got back to me and said, ``Tell you what, I have the
Disability Policy Subcommittee, and you can chair it.''
I am a freshman Senator. He didn't have to do that for
me. I was astounded at his great generosity. So I have
always appreciated that. He already had this great,
extensive record on disability issues. Yet he let me take
the lead. Then when the Americans with Disabilities Act
came up, he could have taken that himself. He was the
chairman of the committee.
As I said, he had this long history of championing the
causes of people with disabilities. Yet he knew how
passionately I felt about it, and he let me author the
bill. He let me take it on the floor. He let me be the
floor manager of it and put my name on it. He didn't have
to do that. He was the chairman. He could have had his
name on it. He could have floor-managed it. But he let me
do it in spite of the fact that I was just a freshman
Senator.
He was an indispensable leader in bringing disparate
groups together to get the Americans with Disabilities Act
passed. I will never forget that great act of generosity
on his part in letting me take the lead.
Ted always insisted that our focus should be not on
disability but on ability; that people with disabilities
must be fully included in our American family. Americans
with disabilities had no better friend, no tougher
fighter, no more relentless champion than Ted Kennedy.
Yesterday I accepted the chairmanship of the Senate HELP
Committee, the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee. It is a great honor and a great challenge and,
I must add, somewhat daunting to carry on the legacy of
Senator Ted Kennedy. He dedicated his life to making our
economy work for all Americans, to secure a quality
education for every child and, of course, securing
quality, affordable health care for every citizen as a
right and not a privilege.
In the Democratic Cloakroom, there is a page from the
Cape Cod Times with a wonderful picture of Ted and a quote
from him. Here is the quote:
Since I was a boy I have known the joy of sailing the
waters of Cape Cod and 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 have heard many eloquent tributes to Senator Kennedy.
But the tribute that would matter most for him would be
for his colleagues to come together, on a bipartisan
basis, to pass a strong, comprehensive health reform bill
this year.
It is time for us to sail ahead on this next great
voyage to a better and more just and more caring America.
So as we sadly contemplate the empty desk draped in black,
we say farewell to a beloved colleague. He is no longer
with us, but his work continues. His spirit is here. And
as he said, the cause endures.
May Ted Kennedy rest in peace. But may we not rest until
we have completed the cause of his life--the cause he
fought for until his last breath--ensuring quality,
affordable health care for every American.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, today is a day to remember a
colleague, a friend, someone whom it was a challenge to
oppose and a joy to work with, and I wish we were not here
today talking about the passing of Senator Kennedy.
We disagreed on most things but found common ground on
big things. And everyone has a story about Senator
Kennedy. There has been a lot of discussion about his
life, the legacy, his human failings, which we all have,
his self-inflicted wounds, and his contribution to the
country. But I want to talk about what will be missing in
the Senate.
We had a giant of a man who was very principled and
understood the Senate as well as anyone I have ever met;
he understood the need to give and take to move the
country forward.
My experience with Senator Kennedy was, I used his image
in my campaign to get elected, like every other Republican
did. We do not want another person up here to help Ted
Kennedy. And he loved it. He got more air time than the
candidates themselves. He loved it.
I remember him telling me a story about Senator
Hollings. The tradition in the Senate is when you get
reelected, you have your fellow Senator from that State
follow you down to the well. He went over to Senator
Kennedy and said, ``I want you to come down and escort
me.''
He said, ``Why? I am not from South Carolina.''
Senator Hollings said, ``In my campaign you were. You
were the other Senator from South Carolina.''
Ted got a lot of fun out of that. I think he appreciated
the role he played, and Republicans, almost to a person,
would use Senator Kennedy in their campaigns.
But when they got here, they understood Senator Kennedy
was someone you wanted to do business with. If you had a
bill that you thought would need some bipartisan support,
Senator Kennedy is the first person you would think of.
And you had to understand the limitations on what he could
help you with. He was not going to help you with certain
things, because it ran counter to what he believed in. But
where you could find common grounds on the big issues, you
had no better ally than Senator Kennedy.
We met in the President's Room every morning during the
immigration debate, and at night he would call me up and
say, ``Lindsey, tomorrow in our meeting you need to yell
at me because you need to get something. I understand
that. I will fight back. But you will get it.''
The next day he would say, ``I need to yell at you.'' It
was sort of like all-star wrestling, to be honest with
you, and that was fun. Because he understood how far I
could go, and he challenged me to go as far as I could.
But he never asked me to go farther than I was capable of
going. And, in return, he would walk the plank for you.
We had votes on the floor of the Senate on emotion-
driven amendments designed to break the bill apart from
the right and the left. I walked the plank on the right
because I knew he would walk the plank on the left. He
voted against amendments he probably agreed with, but he
understood that the deal would come unraveled.
The only thing I can tell you about Senator Kennedy,
without any hesitation is if he told you he would do
something, that is all you needed to hear. A handshake
from him was better than a video deposition from most
people. I do not know how to say it any more directly than
that.
Opposing him was a lot of fun because he understood that
a give-and-take to move a ball forward was part of
democracy, but standing your ground and planting your feet
and telling the other side, in a respectful way, to go to
hell, was also part of democracy. And he could do it with
the best of them. He could also take a punch as well as
give one.
So what we are missing today in the Senate is the spirit
of Ted Kennedy when it comes to standing up for what you
believe and being able to work with somebody who you
disagree with on an issue very important to the country.
If he were alive today, the health care debate would be
different. That is not a slam on anybody involved, because
this is hard. I do not know if he could deliver, but I
think it would be different, and I think it would be more
hopeful.
The immigration bill failed. But he told me, ``I have
been through this a lot. Hard things are hard for a
reason, and it will take a long time.'' He indicated to me
that the immigration debate had all the emotion of the
civil rights debate. And that was not something he said
lightly.
We sat in that room with Senator Kyl and Senator Salazar
and a group of Senators who came and went, and the
administration officials, Homeland Security Secretary
Chertoff, and Commerce Secretary Gutierrez, and we wrote
it line by line with our staffs sitting by the wall.
It was what I thought the government was supposed to be
like in ninth grade civics. It was one of the highlights
of my political life to be able to sit in that room with
Senator Kennedy and other Senators and literally try to
write a bill that was difficult.
We failed for the moment. But we are going to reform our
immigration system. And the guts of that bill, the balance
we have achieved, will be the starting point for a new
debate. Most of it will become law one day, because it is
the ultimate give and take and it made a lot of sense.
I say to his wife Vicki, ``I got to know Ted later in
his life. Through him I got to know you. I know you are
hurting now. But I hope that all of the things being said
by his colleagues and the people at large are reassuring
to you, and that as we move forward as a Senate, when you
look at the history of this body, which is long and
distinguished, around here there are all kinds of busts of
people who have done great things during challenging
times.''
I will bet everything I own that Senator Kennedy, when
the history of this body is written, will be at the top
echelon of Senators who have ever served. The point is
that you can be as liberal as you want to be, you can be
as conservative as you want to be, and you can be as
effective as you want to be. If you want to be liberal and
effective, you can be. If you want to be liberal and
ineffective, you can choose that route too. The same for
being conservative. You do not have to choose. That is
what Senator Kennedy taught this body, and, I think, what
he demonstrated to anybody who wants to come and be a
Senator. So if you are a left-of-center politician looking
for a role model, pick Ted Kennedy. You could be liberal,
proudly so, but you also could be effective.
What I am going to try to do with my time up here is be
a conservative who can be effective. That is the best
tribute I can give to Senator Kennedy--being somebody on
the right who will meet in the middle for the good of the
country.
Ted will be missed, but he will not be forgotten.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, this corner of the Senate
has become a lonely place. I sat next to Ted Kennedy here
for a number of years. We miss him. We miss his
camaraderie, his humor, his candor, most of all his
courage. And though he will not be here to join us in the
future, the things he did will last for decades because
they were so powerful. He was a constant presence here. It
is hard to imagine the Senate without Ted Kennedy's
vibrant voice resounding throughout this floor or his
roaring laughter spilling out of the Cloakroom.
Without doubt he was one of the finest legislators ever
in this Chamber's history. Throughout his more than 46
years of service, Ted introduced 2,500 bills and co-
sponsored more than 550 of those into law. He was a man of
many gifts, but his greatest had to be his remarkable
affinity for ordinary people.
I saw that gift first hand in 1982 when I was making my
first run for the Senate. A rally was being held for me in
Newark, NJ, and it drew a crowd of thousands. I wanted to
think that they were there for me, but it was obvious that
they were there for Ted Kennedy.
The warmth, the affection with which he was received in
this city far from the borders of Massachusetts, far from
the halls of power in Washington, was amazing to witness.
It was fitting that Ted came to Newark to help me campaign
because he inspired me to devote myself to public service.
He encouraged my entry into the Senate.
As soon as I joined the Senate, Ted Kennedy became a
source of knowledge, information, and wisdom. He was a
seatmate of mine here in the Senate, and freely offered
ideas on creating and moving legislation that I thought of
or sponsored.
Even though he was born into privilege and was part of a
powerful political family, his fight was always for the
workers, for justice, and for those often forgotten. He
was never shy to chase you down and demand your vote or to
call you on the phone and insist on your support.
Sometimes he would try to bring you to his side through
reason, other times it was through righteous fury. Ted was
such a tenacious fighter for a cause in which he believed
that he would often put on the gloves no matter who the
opponent might be.
But he never let disagreement turn into a personal
vendetta. No matter how bitter the fight, when it was
done, he could walk across the Chamber ready to shake
hands with his opponents, and was received with affection
and respect.
Despite his reputation as a divisive figure, he was at
the top of the list of popular Senators beloved by both
Republicans and Democrats. He carried a great sense of
humor. He liked to play pranks, one of which I saw up
close and personal. One Thursday night after a long series
of votes, we chartered an airplane to take Ted Kennedy,
John Kerry, Senator Claiborne Pell, and me north to join
our vacationing families in the area.
A week later we were here in the Chamber, and Claiborne
Pell came over to me, hands shaking, with a letter in his
hand. I looked at the letter. It was my stationery. On
that stationery it asked for Claiborne Pell, a frugal man,
to pay a far greater share of the total than was
originally agreed to. I was embarrassed, mortified. I
quickly declared that it was wrong and apologized
profusely. And then I went to Ted to assure him that if he
got a letter such as that, the letter was incorrect. Ted
turned belligerent. He reminded me of the help he provided
in my first election and asked: How could I nickel and
dime him after all of that help? He turned on his heel,
walked away red-faced, and then I realized it was part of
the creation of a plot to embarrass me. The two of us
broke into laughter so loud, so boisterously, that the
Presiding Officer demanded that we leave the Chamber.
Ted Kennedy's love of life was always obvious in the
Senate. Even though he could rise above partisan division,
his life's work was deeply personal. It was Ted Kennedy
who inherited the family legacy when two brothers were
slain by assassins' bullets. He met that challenge by
battling the powerful special interests to pass the Gun
Control Act of 1968, which made it illegal for criminals
and the mentally ill to buy guns.
Together, Ted and I joined the fight to keep our streets
safe from the scourge of gun violence. For decades, he was
a force that shaped the national political landscape. He
crafted life-changing legislation year after year, always
fighting to shape public opinion toward his causes. He
believed public service was a sacred mission, and the role
of a leader was to make progress. No matter how hard, no
matter how long the journey, he persisted.
In fact, Ted Kennedy's signature talent was his precise,
unmatched ability to get legislation passed. And he did
that through the timeless requirements of this profession:
preparation, integrity, fairness, patience, hard work, a
little bit of table pounding and a profound respect for
his colleagues and his constituents.
I had the privilege of working with Ted Kennedy on many
pieces of groundbreaking legislation. We worked closely on
fighting big tobacco and their attempts to seduce children
into a lifetime of addiction. We reached the high-water
mark in that struggle earlier this year, when a law was
passed that gives the FDA the power to regulate tobacco.
It was something we worked on together for a long time. We
stood together on other struggles, from the creation of
the Children's Health Insurance Program to the Ryan White
Act, to the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Think about it: Without Ted Kennedy, nearly 7 million
children would not have health insurance. Think about it:
Without Ted Kennedy, half a million Americans suffering
with HIV would not be receiving vital services to cope
with their disease. Think about it: Without Ted Kennedy,
more than 60 million workers would not have the right to
take time off from their job to care for a baby or a loved
one or even receive personal medical treatment.
And he did more. He gave people assurance that the
government was on their side.
Ted Kennedy was the guardian of opportunity. Look at his
decades-long campaign to increase the minimum wage.
He will forever be remembered as a leader who persevered
despite some frailties, who remained a tower of strength
despite crippling personal tragedy.
Nothing symbolized his fortitude more than his first
major speech on the Senate floor, which came on the heels
of President Kennedy's assassination.
Then, despite all he was facing personally, he fought
for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to outlaw
discrimination in employment, education, and public
accommodations.
From there, Ted Kennedy became inextricably tied to the
struggle for equal rights.
He was the chief sponsor of the Civil Rights Act of
1991.
Ted Kennedy was also a leader in the passage of the
Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This law abolished literacy tests at the polls and
guaranteed the protection of all Americans' right to vote.
In 1982, he was the chief sponsor of the Voting Rights
Amendments Act which led the way to greater minority
representation in Congress and State legislatures.
That law, in no small way, made it more likely that
Barack Obama would become President of the United States.
We are grateful the last Kennedy brother had a chance to
see America rise above racism, above prejudice. He had a
chance, the last of the Kennedy brothers in office, to see
President Obama take that oath. It was a proud moment for
him and for all of us.
As his life came to an end, Ted said he saw a new wave
of change all around us. He promised us that if we kept
our compass true, we could reach our destination. In the
days and the weeks and the months to come, the years to
come, and the decades to come, we have to keep Ted
Kennedy's cause alive. It is the cause of breaking
gridlock to get things done. It is the cause of expanding
health care as a right and not a privilege. It is the
cause of bringing hope and justice and prosperity to all.
We are likely never to see the likes of a Ted Kennedy
again. But I am confident we can rise to the challenge the
people's Senator set for us and carry on for those who
remember him, for those, yes, who miss him, for those who
loved him, and for those who will always need a champion
like Ted Kennedy.
Finally, if there was a demonstration of his humanity,
the funeral tribute was one of enormous love and respect.
It was enunciated particularly, because I rode with other
Senators on the bus, by the hordes of people standing by
the curbside with signs of gratitude for his contribution
to the life and well-being of America. We are thankful for
that.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
Mr. BYRD. I thank the Chair.
Mr. President, on August 25, a towering figure on our
national political landscape left us. Edward Moore Kennedy
succumbed to a malignant brain tumor after an 18-month
battle for his life. As I look now at his desk, draped
with black cloth and covered with flowers, I still have
difficulty believing that he is gone. My ebullient Irish-
to-the-core friend has departed this life forever. How
bleakly somber. How utterly final. How totally unlike Ted
Kennedy in life.
Ted Kennedy in life was a force of nature--a cheerful,
inquisitive, caring man, who never accepted somberness for
long or the finality of anything. His energetic adherence
to perseverance, his plain dogged determination, his
ability to rise from the ashes of whatever new horrific
event accosted him, always with grace, and usually with a
liberal dose of humor, were his trademarks. It was almost
as if Ted Kennedy were at the top of his form when coping
with adversity. Life itself inspired him. He believed that
life was a contact sport, but that it should never be
played without joy in the game itself. That is how he saw
politics as well.
Ted Kennedy and I were friends and, yet, we were the
oddest of odd couples. He was the scion of a wealthy and
storied family. I am a coal miner's son who had no bottom
rungs in my ladder. In earlier years we were rivals.
What Ted and I discovered, though, was that somehow we
had many things in common--a love of history; an affection
for poetry; a fondness for dogs; a commitment to the less
fortunate in our society. Many will speak of Ted's
stunning Senate career, his huge and lasting impact on our
culture, his domination of the political scene for so many
decades. By all means, let us never forget Ted Kennedy's
extraordinary contribution to this great country. It is
largely unmatched.
But I will especially cherish the personal side of this
big man, with his infectious laugh, his booming voice, and
his passion for the things and the people that he cared
about. I will remember the dog lover who brought Sunny and
Splash to my office to visit. I will recall a considerate
friend who sent dozens of roses to mark my wedding
anniversary or a special birthday. I will again enjoy a
very special recitation of the ``Midnight Ride of Paul
Revere.'' By habit, I shall immediately look for Ted
Kennedy whenever I enter this Chamber. In a thousand ways,
large and small, he will simply be deeply, deeply missed.
My heart goes out to his steadfast wife Vicki and to his
wonderful family. His spirit surely lives on in all of
you.
Not long ago, I picked up a book of poetry which Ted
Kennedy had given to me in July 1996. It bore this
inscription: ``To Bob, the master of our legislative
poetry who has already left so many extraordinary
Footprints on the Sands of Time.'' After that, Ted had
written, ``See page 371.''
I close with a few stanzas from ``A Psalm of Life'' on
page 371 of Ted's gift to me:
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul ...
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I have been very fortunate
in my life in public service to witness a lot of
historical events, but none parallels the tribute that was
just paid by one icon of the U.S. Senate to another Member
of the U.S. Senate.
I rise to pay my respects to the late Senator Ted
Kennedy. As one of my colleagues said earlier, it is a
little bit ironic, when you come to the Senate you find
out that those with whom you have significant political
disagreements are folks you get to know well and you have
the opportunity to work with.
I am sure during my political campaign for the U.S.
Senate Ted Kennedy raised a lot of money for me by virtue
of the fact that I would cite him in my fundraising
mailouts because, coming from a very conservative part of
the country, it was popular to cite the liberal Members of
the Senate and say you needed to be there to counteract
them. But when I came to the Senate--and certainly Senator
Kennedy and I do come from opposite ends of the political
spectrum--I learned very quickly from Senator Kennedy what
the Senate is all about.
I was here about, gee, it could not have been but a
couple of days--something less than 48 hours--when I was
notified that I was going to be on the Judiciary Committee
and that I would be the chairman of the Immigration
Subcommittee on Judiciary and my ranking member would be
Ted Kennedy.
Senator Kennedy came to me on the floor, within a few
hours of me being notified of that, and he said, ``Saxby,
you and I need to sit down. Let's discuss some immigration
issues that we want to accomplish during the next 2 years.
I just want to talk with you about it, get your thoughts
and give you my thoughts.''
I said, ``Well, sure, Ted, that will be great. I will be
happy to come to your office and sit down with you.''
He said no. He said, ``Saxby, that is not the way the
Senate works. You are the chairman. I will come to your
office.''
So the next day, a Senator who had been in office for
well over 40 years came to the office of a Member of the
Senate who had been here a little over 40 hours and sat
down and had a conversation. That was a lesson about the
way the Senate works that I will never forget.
We began working together on the Immigration
Subcommittee, and we worked for about a year--it was in
excess of a year, I guess--on an issue we talked about the
very first day in my office. It involved the expansion of
the L-1, H-1B visas. At that time, our economy was booming
and businesses across our country needed access to more
employees who had a specialized expertise.
We were successful in ultimately striking a compromise.
It was difficult for Ted because the left wing of his
party was very much in opposition to what we were doing,
and it was somewhat, although a little bit less, difficult
for me because the right wing of my party was in
opposition to what we were doing.
Ted called me up one day after we had finished our
negotiations, and he was laughing, and he said, ``Saxby, I
have to tell you, we have entered into an agreement on
this, and I am going to do exactly what I told you I would
do, but, boy, am I ever getting beat up by the far left in
my party. They are just killing me.'' He said, ``It is to
the point where I am up for reelection next year, and you
may have to come to Massachusetts and campaign for me.''
We kind of laughed about that.
Well, 2 days later, I had been besieged with phone calls
from ultraconservative folks from my State, and I called
Ted up, and I said, ``Well, Ted, you will not believe
this, but I am getting beat up over that same issue by
ultraconservatives in my party. But don't worry, I don't
need you to come to Georgia to campaign for me.''
Well, he laughed about that like I had never heard him
laugh. The very last conversation I had with him to any
extent was when he was here for President Obama's
inauguration, and he reminded me of that story. He never
forgot that.
I also have a very fond memory of Ted by virtue of the
fact that my grandchildren were 8 and 6 years old when I
first came to the Senate, and we had this ice cream social
out in the park across from the Russell Building where his
office was and my office is. In fact, his office was
directly below mine. I am walking back from the ice cream
social with my grandchildren--who were here for that
because it happens at the same time as the White House
picnic--and Ted is driving off in his car, and he sees me
coming across with my grandchildren. He stops the car,
gets out, and he says, ``Saxby, these must be your
grandchildren.''
I said, ``They are.''
He said, ``Well, I want my dogs to see them and them
have a chance to meet my dogs.''
So he got out of the car and got the dogs out, and my
grandchildren just loved playing with those dogs.
Every year after that--I never called him--he called me
because he knew that when the White House picnic was going
on, my grandchildren would be here, and he would insist on
bringing the dogs up when the grandchildren were here so
they would have a chance to play with them. That is just
the kind of guy Ted was. It was a much softer side than
what we have seen so many times with Ted with his
passionate debates and whatnot.
Last, let me mention another anecdote I will always
remember. I was going down to speak to the Hibernian
Society in Savannah, which has the second largest St.
Patrick's Day parade in the United States. It is a big
deal. We have about 1,000 folks who are at the Hibernian
Society dinner that I was going to speak to. All you do is
you go in and you tell jokes.
Well, I needed a bunch of Irish jokes, so I called up
Ted and I told him what I was doing, and I said, ``I know
you must have a book of Irish jokes.''
He said, ``I do. I am going to send it to you.'' And he
said, ``I will tell you something else you need to do. I
know Savannah is a very conservative part of the world,
and you are going to see in these jokes that you will have
an opportunity to point out somebody to kind of poke fun
at.'' He said, ``Every time you have an opportunity in
telling these jokes, you use my name.''
Well, I took him at his word, and I did. And, boy, did I
ever get a rousing welcome from all those Irishmen in
Savannah, GA.
So I have very great and fond memories of a man who
certainly came from a different part of the country than
where I come from, who came from a very different
political background than where I come from, and somebody
who certainly had much more political experience than I
will ever have. But the thing I appreciated in Ted Kennedy
was--and I have said this often--he was the best
legislator in this body. When Ted Kennedy told you
something, you could take it to the bank. You never had to
worry about it thereafter.
While we disagreed on many things, we agreed on some
things and were able to work together in a very unusual
way. Even when we disagreed, we were able to walk out of
this Chamber and still be friends.
To Vicki and Patrick and the children, Ted was a great
American, a great guy, and he is going to be missed in
this body. He was a true inspiration to a lot of us, and
we are going to miss that compromising aspect of Ted
Kennedy that will not be here, even though someone else
will take up the mantle.
With that, Mr. President, I yield back.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California is
recognized.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, as I sit here and listen
to the remarks of my colleagues and I look over at that
black velvet-draped desk, with the pristine white roses,
and the poem by Robert Frost, and I think about the past
17 years I have been here and have looked up--and perhaps
it is late at night, perhaps it is in the morning, perhaps
it is in the afternoon--and Senator Kennedy is at his desk
and he is talking about a bill he cares a great deal
about--and, as Senator Lautenberg had said earlier, he co-
sponsored 550 bills that became law. Around here, you can
introduce a bill, and maybe it goes somewhere and maybe it
does not. You can introduce a bill, and maybe it is a
small bill, but introducing a big bill that goes
somewhere, that passes the House and is signed by the
President of the United States, is not a small feat.
I listened to Senator Byrd, and in the past he has
spoken about lions of the Senate. Ted Kennedy was a lion
of the Senate.
During 47 years--and this morning in the Judiciary
Committee, we learned he had been the longest serving
member--during 47 years, if you look at the big bills: the
Mental Health Systems Act of 1980, which enabled people
with mental illnesses to live in their communities with
minimal hospital care; the Children's Health Insurance
Program, which has been spoken about, which provided
health insurance to uninsured children of low-income
families; the commitment to health care reform that did
not diminish even as he suffered through terminal illness;
his dedication to education; he was a leader in the
landmark Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which
established the Federal Government's commitment to fund
school for poor children in public schools; No Child Left
Behind, widely hailed as the greatest example of
bipartisan cooperation during the Bush administration; the
bill he did with Orrin Hatch, the Serve America Act, the
greatest expansion of national service since the New
Deal--it goes on and on, big bills, bills that changed
people's lives, not just in a county or a city but all
across this great land.
In civil rights, as you look across at that desk, he had
no peers. He would stand up, and I would watch. The lower
jaw would quiver slightly, and he would begin, and there
would be the thunderous tones, either in the Judiciary
Committee or here on the floor, that would fill the room,
filled with passion, filled with conviction, filled with
determination.
He played a major role in every civil rights battle in
this Congress for 40 years. Who else can say that? He
fought for people of color, for women, for gays and
lesbians, for those seeking religious liberty. His
amendments to the Voting Rights Act in 1982 led to
significant increases in minority representation in
elective office. He was a major sponsor of the Americans
with Disabilities Act to ensure that millions of disabled
Americans could live productive lives. These are not small
bills; these are big bills--the Civil Rights Act of 1991,
which strengthened civil rights protections against
discrimination and harassment in the workplace; again, a
big bill that became law.
I was part of that small group of Senators who met on
immigration reform hour after hour in small hot rooms. I
watched Senator Kennedy with his sleeves rolled back, when
he would sit back and wait for just the right time to move
or change the tenor of the discussion. True, that was one
that was not successful, but it wasn't because he did not
try.
Seventeen years ago, Joe Biden asked me if I would be
the first woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee. I had
the honor of doing it. Ted Kennedy was No. 2 in seniority
sitting on that committee. I saw his commitment first
hand. It was very special. You see, I was a volunteer in
the campaign for John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I was a full-
time volunteer for Bobby Kennedy for his campaign. I saw
the Nation ripped apart by these double assassinations. I
saw Senator Kennedy, in addition to being a lion in the
Senate, become a surrogate father to nieces and nephews. I
saw him accept this mantle with great enthusiasm, with
great love, and with a commitment that spanned the
decades. That is very special. It is a very special human
dimension of a great individual.
I lost my husband Bert to cancer, and I know well what
the end is like. I know the good times that grow less and
less and the bad times that become more and more. Ted
Kennedy's life was enriched by a very special woman, and
her name is Vicki Kennedy. For me, she is a mentor to
others of what a wife should be. I have watched her
sitting with him, writing speeches. I have watched her at
weekend retreats. I have watched her fill his life with
love, companionship, understanding.
I know a little bit about what the last months of a
cancer victim are like. I can only say to her that we will
do everything we can in this body to end cancer in our
lifetime.
Yes, Ted Kennedy leaves very big shoes, shoes that
probably will never be filled in quite the same way, from
a family that will probably never be replicated.
I wish to end my remarks with a passage in the Prayer
Book of the High Holy Day services for Reform Judaism. It
was written when I was a teenager by a young rabbi I very
much admired, and I wish to share it at this time:
Birth is a beginning and death a destination.
And life is a journey:
From childhood to eternity and youth to age;
From innocence to awareness and ignorance to knowing;
From foolishness to discretion, and then, perhaps, to
wisdom;
From weakness to strength or strength to weakness--and,
often, back again;
From health to sickness and back, we pray, to health
again;
From offense to forgiveness, from loneliness to love, from
joy to gratitude, from pain to compassion, and grief to
understanding--
From fear to faith; from defeat to defeat to defeat--
Until, looking backward or ahead, we see that victory lies
not in some high place along the way, but in having made
the journey, stage by stage, a sacred pilgrimage.
Birth is a beginning and death a destination.
And life is a journey, a sacred pilgrimage--
To life everlasting.
Ted Kennedy leaves a giant legacy in this body and we
should not forsake it.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Udall of New Mexico). The
Senator from Montana is recognized.
Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, following the passing of
President John F. Kennedy, Senator Mike Mansfield said,
``He gave us of his love that we, too, in turn, might
give.''
These words ring true today as we remember the life of
our late colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy.
So much of this country's history in the past half
century can be attributed to this one man. But Ted Kennedy
was also a modest man, and he would not have put it that
way.
Speaking almost 30 years ago at the 1980 Democratic
National Convention, he quoted Tennyson:
I am a part of all that I have met ...
Tho much is taken, much abides ...
That which we are, we are--
One equal temper of heroic hearts ...
Strong in will
To strive, to see, to find, and not to yield.
In the more than 46 years that Senator Kennedy served
this body, he did not yield and, in turn, he affected each
and every American.
During his career in the Senate, Senator Kennedy
authored thousands of bills, and hundreds of them became
law. From championing civil rights to advocating equal
opportunity and higher education, to fighting for access
to affordable health care for all Americans, Senator
Kennedy's work has quite simply improved the quality of
life for millions of Americans. Over the past 2 weeks we
have heard many speak of his accomplishments.
It didn't take long for me to realize when I came to
this body, and more and more as each year passed, that Ted
Kennedy was probably the greatest legislator in modern
American political history. The guy was amazing,
absolutely amazing; an inspiration for me personally to
try to be a very good legislator. Many people have also
said that. I am not the only one who has recognized his
talents and that he is probably the best legislator in
modern American political history.
Let me just say why that was true for me. First of all,
it was the passion of his convictions. His moral compass
was set so true: for the average person, the little guy,
the person who didn't have representation, health care,
the poor, civil rights. He just believed so passionately,
so steadfastly. His moral compass was just so firmly set.
There is no question of what Ted Kennedy was and what he
believed in, and it made him alive. It was his dream to
fulfill the lives of the people he worked so hard for.
All of us remember Ted Kennedy working so hard to
fulfill his dreams. From his desk over here, he would
stand up and he would thunder, red-faced. He would get so
involved, so passionate, speaking so loudly, almost
shouting what he believed in. You couldn't help but know
that here was a guy who believed what he said and, by
gosh, let's listen to him. He also had terrific staff. Ted
Kennedy's staff had him so well prepared. All of these
briefing books--I will never forget the briefing books Ted
took, and he read them. He studied them. He was so well
prepared. Along with his passion was his preparation, and
his staff just helped him prepare because they were all
one team. They were working so closely together for the
causes they believed in.
I also was impressed and found him to be such a great
legislator because after the speeches he believed in so
thoroughly and passionately, he would sit down with you
and start to negotiate, try to work out an agreement, try
to work out some solution that made sense for him and made
sense for you if you happened to be on the other side. It
was amazing to sit and watch him work, a different
demeanor, a different temperament. He would sit there and
cajole, talk, tell jokes, all in good spirit, all in an
attempt to try to get to the solution.
On the one hand he would be here in the Chamber and he
would be thundering, but in the conference room he would
be saying, ``OK, let's figure out how to do this. How do
we get this done?'' It was amazing. It was such a lesson
to learn, just watching him legislate.
I think he is also one of the best legislators in modern
American political history because he had such a light
touch. He really cared individually for people, not just
groups but individually. We have heard references to a
book he gave Senator Byrd, a poetry book, and how Senator
Kennedy would bring his dogs over to Senator Byrd's
office; and listening to Senator Chambliss, how Senator
Kennedy made sure he knew when Senator Chambliss'
grandchildren would be here so the grandchildren could see
his dogs. He loved his dogs, and he had that very light
touch.
I remember not too long ago--and Senator Byrd referred
to it--I think it was Senator Byrd's 67th wedding
anniversary, and Senator Kennedy had the foresight and the
caring to send 67 roses to Robert Byrd and Erma Byrd. It
was one of the things he just did, as well as all the
letters he wrote, the handwritten letters he wrote.
Here is this wonderful guy who probably never used a
BlackBerry; didn't know what they were. We know what they
are. We use them. He wrote notes, hundreds of notes,
thousands of handwritten notes, tens of thousands of
handwritten notes. It was incredible. He would write a
note to anybody at any time--just a light touch--on their
birthday or call them on their birthday or call somebody
who was in the hospital. He would just do that, more than
any other Senator here I can think of, and I would venture
to say probably more than most Senators combined. He was
just that way.
Let me give one small example. Several years ago, in my
hometown of Helena, MT, I was at a meeting and came back
late at night after the meeting, and my mother said,
``Max, Ted Kennedy called.''
``Really?''
``Yes,'' Mom said. ``Well, I told him you were out, but
we had a nice chat, Ted Kennedy and I.''
``What did you talk about?''
``We talked about the Miles City bucking horse sale.''
It is an event in Montana that comes up every year. Ted
came and rode a horse at the Miles City bucking horse sale
back in 1960.
A few days later I was back on the floor of the Senate,
and I walked up to Ted and I said, ``Ted, I understand you
talked to my mother.''
``Oh,'' he said. ``Sometimes on the telephone you are
talking to somebody, you can tell who the person is. Your
mother, she is such a wonderful person, so gracious,'' on
and on, talking about my mother and the conversation the
two of them had.
They had never met before. My mother is a staunch
Republican, and here is Ted Kennedy.
So I went back home a few days later, and I told my
mother, I said, ``Mom, Ted was sure impressed with the
telephone call you had.''
``Oh, gee, that is great. That is wonderful.''
My mom wrote Ted a note thanking him for being so--for
praising her so much to me, her son, just a few days
earlier.
Well, the next thing I knew, my mother and Ted were pen
pals. Ted wrote a letter back to my mother, and they were
back and forth and back and forth. I would be at a
committee hearing someplace and Ted would say, ``Hey, Max,
look. Here is the letter I am writing your mother.'' Just
out of the blue. Basically, they were just reminiscing
about Montana and again about the bucking horse sale,
which is another reason Ted was such a great guy.
He lived life so fully. He just loved life. He embraced
life in all of the ways that life is available to a man.
He was just wonderful that way.
Back in 1960 when his brother was running for President,
Ted was assigned the Western States in the 1960
Presidential campaign. So Ted was out in Montana, and they
went to a Democratic gathering. There wasn't anybody
there, so he went to the Miles City bucking horse sale. We
in Miles City, MT, have this bucking event. We take these
horses off the prairie and buck them. You bid on the
horses and, obviously, the best bucking horses get the
highest bid and go off with the rodeo operators and they
use them.
Anyway, the long and the short of it is, Ted was there
and he went to the bucking horse sale and got in the booth
because he wanted to speak on behalf of his brother. The
announcer said, ``Well, young man, if you want to speak,
first you have to ride a horse.''
Ted said, ``Why not?''
So Ted got on a horse, and there is this wonderful photo
of Ted at the Miles City bucking horse sale in Montana
that somebody took. So there is Ted on his bronco. I don't
think he made the full 8 seconds, but he sure had a great
time on that horse.
The long and short of it is, he is a great man for so
many reasons, and we love Ted for all he was. Again, I
think he was the greatest legislator I think, in modern
American political history.
I am touched by what a family man he was. As the years
went by, after his brothers were tragically lost and all
that happened in the Kennedy family, Ted was a rock to
others in the family. He experienced so much and he went
through so much tragedy and it has built so much
character.
Ted was more than a Senate icon who fought for causes,
more than a voice for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
As I mentioned, he was a loving son, brother, husband,
father, uncle, grandfather, and friend. Working with him
for the past 30 years is one of the greatest honors I have
had as a Senator.
Ted, as far as I am concerned, we are going to take up
your last great cause, health care reform. We are, in the
Senate, doing all we can to get it passed. I, personally,
pledge every ounce of energy at my command to help get
health care reform passed for all the American people and
for Ted Kennedy.
He was a wonderful man, and he will be sorely missed. I
don't think there is going to be another man or woman in
the Senate who will be a giant such as Ted Kennedy. He was
that great a guy.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming is
recognized.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I appreciate having this
opportunity to join in the celebration of the life of Ted
Kennedy. His loss was deeply personal to all of us because
he was a strong and vital presence not only in the day-to-
day work of the Senate but in our day-to-day lives as
well. He was interested and concerned not only about his
colleagues but our staffs and all those with whom he
worked on a long list of issues that will continue to have
an impact on our Nation for many generations to come. That
was the kind of individual Ted was--active and completely
involved in all things that had to do with the work of the
Senate.
For my part, I have lost a Senate colleague who was
willing to work with me and with Senators on both sides of
the aisle. He was my committee chairman and my good
friend.
For those across the country who mourn his passing, they
have lost a trusted and treasured voice in the Senate, a
champion who fought for them for almost 50 years.
The political landscape of our country has now been
permanently changed. I think we all sensed what his loss
would mean to the country as we heard the news of his
passing. Now we take this time to look back to the past
and remember our favorite stories and instant replay
memories of the Senator from Massachusetts.
In the more than 12 years I have had the privilege of
serving Wyoming in the Senate, I had the good fortune to
come to know Ted on a number of levels. As a Senator, he
was a tremendous force to be dealt with on the floor. If
you were on his side, you knew you had a warrior fighting
alongside you who went to battle without the slightest
fear of failure or defeat. If you had to face him from the
other side of the arena, you knew you had a tremendous
battle on your hands because, when it came to the
principles he believed in, no one said it better or with
more passion or more depth of understanding of the issues
involved. As a result, he was able to notch an impressive
list of legislative victories.
During his long and remarkable career, there were few
initiatives that didn't attract his attention and his
unique spirited touch that often turned them from faint
hopes for change to dreams at long last come true. Whether
it was an increase in the minimum wage, equal rights for
all Americans or the effort to reform our Nation's health
care system, which was his greatest dream, Ted operated at
one speed and one direction--full speed ahead--and it
always found him making progress on the task at hand.
Over the years I was fortunate to have an opportunity to
work with him on a number of issues of great importance to
us both. He knew what he had to have in a bill to get his
side to agree on it, and I was fortunate to have a sense
of what it would take to get votes from my side. So,
together, we were able to craft several bills that we
moved through committee and to the Senate floor.
When I served as the chairman of the Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee, the partnership we had
forged over the years helped us to compile a record of
which we were both very proud. We passed 35 bills out of
committee, and 27 of them were signed into law by the
President. Most of them passed unanimously. I remember
attending a bill signing during which the President
remarked, ``You are the only committee sending me
anything.'' We checked, and he was right, and that was
due, in large part, to Ted's willingness to work with us
to get things done.
I will always remember two stories about Ted. One was a
time when we were working together on a mine safety law.
Nothing had been done in that area for almost 30 years.
The average bill takes about 6 years to pass around here.
Thanks to Ted, we got that one done in 6 weeks, and it has
made a difference.
Another had to do with my first legislative initiative
after I arrived as a newly sworn-in freshman Senator. I
knew Ted had quite a good working relationship with my
predecessor, Alan Simpson. So as I began to work on an
OSHA safety bill, I started to discuss the bill with Ted
and other colleagues and go through it section by section.
I knew Ted's support would be instrumental if my efforts
to pass the bill would be successful. So I arranged to
meet with him.
Ted opened our meeting by presenting me with some press
clippings he had collected for me about my mother's award
as ``Mother of the Year.'' That impressed me and showed me
how he kept up on anything that was of importance to those
people he worked with--members and staff.
Then he spent a great deal of time going over the bill
with me section by section. He helped me to make it a
winner. Although the bill, as a whole, didn't pass,
several sections made it into law. I found out later that
this wasn't the way things are usually done around here,
and in all the years Ted had been in the Senate, nobody
had gone over a bill with him a section at a time. I
probably didn't need to.
That started a friendship and a good working
relationship with him we both cherished. I tried to be a
good sounding board for him, and he always did the same
for me. Our friendship can best be summed up when Ted came
to my office and presented me with a photo of a University
of Wyoming football helmet next to a Harvard football
helmet, with the inscription, ``The Cowboys and the
Crimson make a great team.'' We did, and I will always
remember his thoughtfulness and kindness in reaching out
to me.
Ted was one of those remarkable individuals who made all
those he worked with more productive. He was a man of
exceptional abilities, and he was blessed to have a truly
remarkable helpmate by his side. Vicki is a woman of great
strength, who brought a renewed focus and direction to
Ted's life. She was his most trusted confidant, his best
friend, and a wellspring of good advice and political
counsel. He would have never been all that he was without
her, and she will forever be a special part of his life's
story.
For the Enzis, we will always remember how thoughtful he
was when my grandchildren were born. He was almost as
excited as I was. He presented me with a gift for each of
them that will always be a cherished reminder that Ted had
a great appreciation for all of us, and he treated both
Members and staff with the same kindness and concern.
Actually, we got Irish Mist training pants for each of
them as they were born.
When Ted was asked, during an interview, what he wanted
to be most remembered for, he said he wanted to make a
difference for our country. He was able to do that and so
much more. He will be missed by us all, and he will never
be forgotten. All those who knew and loved him will always
carry a special memory with them of how he touched their
lives as he tried to make our Nation and the world a
better place.
Now he has been taken from us, and it will always feel
like it all happened too soon. He has a record of
achievements and success that will probably not be matched
for a long time to come. He was a special friend and a
mentor who had a lot to teach about how to get things done
in the Senate. I know I will miss him and his willingness
to sit down and visit about how to get something through
the Senate and passed into law. Now he is at peace and
with God. May God bless and be with him and continue to
watch over his family for years to come.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington is
recognized.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, when I was young, Ted
Kennedy was larger than life. I was just 12 years old when
he was first elected to the Senate as the youngest son of
a political dynasty that seemed to dominate the television
each night in my house and the newspapers every day.
At first, he served in the shadow of his older brothers.
But as I grew up, the youngest brother of the Kennedy
family did, too--in front of the entire Nation.
For me and so many others, Ted Kennedy became a symbol
of perseverance over tragedy--from his walk down
Pennsylvania Avenue at the side of Jacqueline Kennedy, to
the heartbreaking speech he delivered at his brother
Bobby's funeral, to his pledge to carry on the causes of
those who had championed his bid for the Presidency.
Ted Kennedy routinely appeared before the American
people with great courage at the most trying times. And
all the while, he was also standing in this Chamber each
day with that same grit and determination to fight for the
people of Massachusetts and the Nation.
On issues from protecting the environment, civil rights,
increasing the minimum wage, and health care, he was a
passionate and unmatched advocate and leader.
So it was with a lifetime of watching Senator Kennedy
with admiration from afar that I arrived here as a
freshman Senator in 1993. By the time I was elected, Ted
was already on his way to becoming one of the most
powerful and influential Senators of all time. So I
couldn't believe it when I first walked out onto this
floor, and he walked over to personally welcome me. For
me, that would have been enough--the lion of the Senate
reaching out to a rookie--but to Ted Kennedy it wasn't.
Through calls to my office, discussions on the floor,
and by taking me under his wing on the HELP Committee, he
became a friend, a mentor, and sooner than I could have
ever imagined, a courageous partner on legislation that I
cared deeply about.
As a State senator in Washington, I had worked very hard
before I got here to successfully change the State laws in
Washington on family and medical leave. It was an issue
that was extremely personal to me. My father had been
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was very young.
Since that time, my mother had always been his primary
caregiver. But a few years before I ran and became a
senator, my mother had a heart attack and had to undergo
bypass surgery.
Suddenly, my six brothers and sisters and I were faced
with the question of who was going to take time off to
care for the people we loved the most, the people who
cared for us for so long.
A family leave policy would have allowed any of us just
a few weeks necessary to see them through their medical
crisis. But at the time, none was available.
So after running and winning and coming to the Senate,
the Family and Medical Leave Act was a bill I wanted to
stand and fight for. As it turned out, it was the first
bill we considered.
Senator Kennedy was here managing that bill on the
Senate floor, and I found out that he, too, had a personal
connection to that bill.
I well remember one day when Senator Kennedy pulled me
aside to tell me about how he had spent a lot of time with
his own son in the hospital fighting cancer and how he met
so many people at that time who could not afford to take
time off to care for their loved ones and how some were
forced to quit their jobs to take care of somebody they
loved because they were sick. He told me that, together,
we were going to work hard and get this bill passed. Then
he showed this rookie how to do it.
Week after week, he fought against bad amendments to get
the votes we needed to pass it.
He blended the right mix of patience and passion. He
spoke out loudly in speeches when he needed to, and he
whispered into the ears of colleagues when that was called
for. A few days after Senator Kennedy pledged to me we
would get it done, we did.
Through that effort, and many more battles on this
floor, I learned so much from him and so have all of us
because, more than almost anyone, Senator Kennedy knew the
Senate. He knew how to make personal friends, even with
those he didn't agree with politically. He knew how to
reach out and find ways to work with people to get them to
compromise for the greater good. He knew when not to give
up. He knew when to change the pace or turn the page to
get things done. He knew when to go sit down next to you
or pick up the phone and call you. He knew how to
legislate. Because of that, he built an incredible legacy.
It is a legacy that will not only live on in the Senate
Chamber, where he was so well loved and respected; it is a
legacy that will live on in the classrooms across America,
where kids from Head Start to college have benefited from
his commitment to opportunities in education; on
manufacturing floors, where he fought for landmark worker
safety protection; in our hospitals, where medical
research that he championed is saving lives every day; in
courtrooms, where the legacy of discrimination was dealt a
blow by his years of service on the Judiciary Committee;
in voting booths, where he fought for our most basic
rights in a democracy to be protected and expanded for
decades; and in so many other places that were touched by
his service, his passion, and his giant heart.
Senator Kennedy fought for and won so many great
battles. But for many of us who worked with him every day,
it may be the small moments that will be remembered the
most--the personal touch he brought, not only to
legislating but to life.
As I mentioned a moment ago, my mom had to take care of
my dad for most of his life. His multiple sclerosis
confined him to a wheelchair and she could not ever leave
his side. One of the few and maybe the only time she did
leave my dad is when I was elected to the Senate and she
flew all the way from Washington State to Washington, DC,
to see me be sworn in.
To my mom, Ted Kennedy and his family were amazing
individuals whom she followed closely throughout their
lives, through their triumphs and, of course, through
tragedy. After I was sworn in, and my mother was up in the
gallery watching, we walked back through the Halls of
Congress to my office. Shortly after that, we had a
visitor. Senator Kennedy unexpectedly came over to my
office and gave my mom a huge hug. I will never forget the
look on her face, the tears in her eyes, the clear
disbelief that she had met Ted Kennedy, and it was
overpowering. It was a moment with my mom I will never
forget, and it is certainly a moment I will never forget
with my friend Ted Kennedy.
I am going to miss him. I know our country is going to
miss him. But as he reminded us in his courageous speech
that he delivered last summer in Denver, the torch has
been passed to a new generation, and the work begins anew.
So today, as we honor all of his contributions to the
Senate and the Nation, we must also remember to heed that
brave final call and continue his fight for all of those
who cannot fight for themselves.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, first, I thank my friend and
colleague Senator Murray for her heartfelt words, and all
of my colleagues. The love we all felt and feel for Ted
Kennedy is genuine. It is person to person because that is
how he was.
There is so much to say. I know we are limited in time.
We could speak forever. I think every one of us could
speak forever about Ted Kennedy because he had so many
interactions with each of us. It is amazing that every
person in this body has a long list of stories and
thousands of people in Massachusetts and thousands more
throughout America. One would think there were 20 Ted
Kennedys. He had so much time for the small gesture that
mattered so much, such as the hug, going out of his way to
go to a reception and hug Patty Murray's mom. It happened
over and over again. So we could each speak forever.
I know time is limited. My colleague from Oregon is
waiting. We are going to shut off debate soon, and others
want to speak. I will touch on a few things.
I could speak forever about Ted Kennedy. I thought of
him every day while he was alive; I think of him every day
that he is gone. I had a dream about him the other night
where typically he was taking me around to various places
in Boston and explaining a little bit about each one with
a joke, with a smile, with a remembrance.
There is also nothing we can say about Ted Kennedy
because no one is going to replace him. No words can come
close to equaling the man.
You read about history, and you read about the great
people in the Senate--the Websters, the Clays, the
LaFollettes, the Wagners. What a privilege it was for
somebody such as myself, a kid from Brooklyn whose father
was an exterminator, never graduated from college, to be
in the presence of and was actually a friend to a great
man. I don't think I can say that about anyone else. It is
amazing.
What I want to tell the American people--you all read
about him. There were the good times and the bad times and
the brickbats that were thrown at him, not so much
recently but in the early days. But here in the Senate,
when you get to know people personally and when you are in
our walk of life, being a Senator, you get to know a lot
of people personally. You get to meet a lot of famous
people. Some of them, frankly, are disappointing. The more
you see them, the less you want to know them. But with Ted
Kennedy, the more you got to see him, the closer you got,
the better he looked.
He had flaws, but he was flawless. He was such a genuine
person and such a caring person and such an honorable and
decent man that I wish my children had gotten to know him,
that my friends had gotten to know him, that all of my 19
million constituents had gotten to know him a little bit
the way I did.
What a guy. There are so many stories and so many
memories. One day Ted and I sat next to each other--I used
to sit over there. I think it was one of the vote-aramas,
a long session. We occasionally would go up to his
hideaway to talk. I said, ``Why don't we bring some of the
freshmen?'' This was a couple of years ago. I regret that
you, Mr. President, and the Senator from Oregon in the
class of 2008 did not have that experience. We would go up
to his hideaway, and he would regale us with stories. He
would talk about the pictures on the wall and tell each
person in caring detail what each picture meant, what each
replica meant. He would tell jokes and laugh. His caring
for each person in that room, each a new freshman, was
genuine, and they knew it. We would go up regularly. It
sort of became a thing, freshman Members of the Senate.
Ted didn't need them. He could get whatever he had to get
done, and they would support him. But he cared about them
as if they were almost family.
Whenever we had a late night, we would sort of gather--I
would be the emissary and I would go over to Ted and say,
``Can we go upstairs?'' ``Of course.'' Amy Klobuchar,
Sherrod Brown, Claire McCaskill, Bobby Casey--their faces
would light up, and there we would go to hear more stories
about the past, the Senate, the individuals. It is a
memory none of us will forget.
Ted Kennedy would size people up early on, and he would
care about them. He was very kind to me, but he also knew
I was the kind of guy you had to put in his place a little
bit. I would get hazed by Ted Kennedy. Jay Rockefeller
told me he went through the same thing when he got here.
He knew who I was but would deliberately not mention my
name. He would be standing there saying, ``Senator
Mikulski, you will do this, and Senator Harkin, you will
do this; Senator Conrad, you will do this--I was the last
one--and the others will do this.'' It was fun. He did it
with a twinkle in his eyes. We loved, he and I, the give
and take, Brooklyn-Boston.
The first year I was here, the Red Sox were playing the
Yankees in the playoffs. Ted and I made a bet. He said,
``The loser will have to hold the pennant of the winning
team over his head and recite `Casey at the Bat' on
Capitol Hill.'' We had a bet. The Yankees won. I went over
to him--and he was feigning fear, this man who had been
through everything. When we went out on the steps, he was
hiding behind me. I have a picture of it on my wall. We
were joking and laughing. And then he did his duty.
I was only a freshman Senator, sort of like Patty or
anybody else. He went out of his way for all of us. He
would tell me to remember the birthdays and the individual
happenings in each person's life, in each Senator's life,
and go over and say something to them. It was his way of
teaching me. It was done like a father. An amazing person.
As I said, the closer you got to him, the better he
looked. As a legislator and as a giant in our history--and
all the history books record it--people have referred to
all his accomplishments. But I want to share with people
how it was in person, one on one. You could be a Senator
or you could be two guys on a street corner. He was fun
and he was caring and he was loving. He was a big man, but
his heart was much bigger than he was.
He loved almost everybody. He saw the good in people and
brought it out. He saw the faults in people, and in a
strong but gentle way tried to correct them. He was great
on the outside, and he was even more great on the inside.
Again, I see my colleagues are waiting. I will part with
this little memory that I will never forget. Ted and I
became good friends. We spent time together in many
different ways. When he got sick, I felt bad, like we all
did. I would call him every so often. This was October of
last year. He was ill, but he was still in strong health.
I called him a couple of days before it was October. I
said, ``We have a DSCC event a couple days from now in
Boston.'' I thought I would call and say hello, let him
know I was going to be in his State, his territory.
He said, ``What are you doing before the event? Why
don't you come out to the compound at Hyannis?'' I did. He
picked me up at the airport. I flew in on a little plane.
I will never forget, he had his hat on. He was happy as
could be, pointing out everything, full of vim and vigor.
It is obvious why the man was not afraid of death. When
you know yourself and you know you have done everything as
he did on both a personal basis and as a leader, you are
not afraid of death. Anyway, he was not at all talking
about that.
We were supposed to go out sailing, but it was too
windy. So we had lunch--he, Vicki, and I--clam chowder and
all the usual stuff. Then he said, ``I want to show you
something.'' He lived in the big house on the compound,
the one you see in the pictures. He took me to the house
by the side. That was the house where President Kennedy
lived because when President Kennedy was President, Joseph
P. Kennedy, Ted's father, lived in the big house.
For about 3 hours, he opened all these drawers and
closets, things on the walls, and with each one in loving,
teaching detail talked to me about the history of the
family and of Boston, what happened from Honey Fitz, the
mayor, through his father, and Ted growing up in all these
pictures, laughing and reminiscing, and then about
President Kennedy as he was growing up, and then as
President in this little house and through to Ted. He was
sort of passing on the memories. He did it again out of
generosity, spirit, love, and friendship.
As I say, he was a great man and every one of us knows
his greatness was not only in the public eye but in the
private one on one. A great man. The term is overused.
There are not many. He was one. I was privileged to get to
know him, to get to be his friend, to stand in that large
shadow, learn from him, enjoy it, and to love him.
So, Ted, you will always be with us. They may take those
flowers off that desk, and they may take the great black
drape off the desk, but you will always be here for me,
for all of us, and for our country.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). The Senator from
Oregon is recognized.
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to remember and
honor our colleague Senator Edward Kennedy. I first had
the pleasure of hearing Senator Kennedy speak in 1976. I
wanted to come out to Washington, DC, to see how our
Nation operated. I had the great privilege of serving as
an intern for a Senator from my home State, Senator
Hatfield. My father had always talked about Senator
Kennedy as someone who spoke for the disenfranchised,
someone who spoke for the dispossessed, someone who cared
about the working man. So I was looking forward to
possibly meeting him or at least hearing him, when lo and
behold, I found out he was scheduled to speak as part of a
series of lectures to the interns that summer. So I made
sure to get there early, and what followed was exactly the
type of address you might anticipate--a roaring voice, a
passionate spirit, a principled presentation of the
challenges we face to make our society better. I walked
out of that lecture and thought: Thank goodness we have
leaders like Senator Kennedy fighting for the working
people, the challenged, the dispossessed in our society.
Through that summer, each time I heard Senator Kennedy
was on the Senate floor I tried to slip over and go up to
the staff section so I could sit in and see a little bit
of the lion of the Senate in action. During that time I
never anticipated that I would have a chance to come back
and serve in the Senate with Senator Kennedy. But 33 years
later, this last January, when I was sworn in, that
unanticipated, miraculous event of serving with him
occurred.
I wanted to talk to him about the possibility of joining
his Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee--a
committee where so many battles for working Americans, so
many battles for the disenfranchised Americans are waged.
So with some trepidation I approached him on the Senate
floor to speak with him and asked if he thought I might be
able to serve on that committee, if he might whisper in
the ear of our esteemed majority leader in that regard, if
he thought I might serve well. It was with some pleasure
that weeks later I had a message on my phone in which he
went on at some length welcoming me to that committee.
That was the first committee to which I received an
assignment here, and I couldn't have been more excited and
more pleased.
I didn't have a chance to have a lot of conversations
with Senator Kennedy. I was very struck when a bit more
than a month ago his staff contacted me and said, in
conversation with Senator Kennedy, they were wondering if
I might like to carry on the torch on the Employment Non-
Discrimination Act, a civil rights measure he cared a
great deal about. They were asking me because it was a
battle I had waged in the Oregon Legislature. It had been
a hard battle, fought over a number of years, and a battle
we had won.
I was more than excited, more than honored to help carry
the torch on such an important civil rights measure, and I
hope I will be able to do that in a way he would have been
satisfied and pleased.
The Senator from New York, Mr. Schumer, talked about the
many conversations that took place in Senator Kennedy's
hideaway with freshmen Senators and the stories that were
passed on. I didn't get to share much in those types of
conversations, but as we were working on health care,
Senator Kennedy invited a group of us to his hideaway to
brainstorm. Through the course of about 2 hours, we went
through many of the features and many of the challenges
and how we might be able to go forward and finally realize
that dream of affordable, accessible health care for every
single American.
When the meeting concluded, I had a chance to speak with
Senator Kennedy about the picture he had on his wall of
his beautiful yacht--the Mya. Senator Kennedy and I both
have a passion for sailing. It connected us across the
generations, it connected us from the west coast to the
east coast, it connected us between the son of a
millwright and the son of a U.S. ambassador. It was magic
to see the twinkle in his eye as he started to talk of his
love of sailing and some of the adventures he had on
various boats over time and with family.
I asked him if he was familiar with one of my favorite
stories--an autobiography written by Captain Joshua
Slocum. Joshua Slocum had been raised in a large family
and, to my recollection, a family of no great means. He
had gone to sea when he was a young boy--as a cabin boy or
a deckhand--and he learned to sail the tall ships. Over
time he advanced through the ranks until eventually he was
the captain of a merchant tall-masted ship. He had amassed
some considerable amount of investment through loans to
put up his share of that ship. When the ship went down, he
lost everything. He saved his life, but he lost all of his
possessions.
He was up in New England wrestling with how to overcome
this tragedy and what to do with his life, and Captain
Slocum had a kernel of an idea. He was offered the gift of
a ship. Not really a ship, a modest boat between 20 and 30
feet long, single-masted. He later overhauled it and added
an after-mast. But he thought: I can rebuild this ship. He
said he rebuilt it, in his story, Captain Slocum. He
rebuilt it, all but the name. The Spray stayed from the
beginning to the end. He rebuilt it and went to sea to
fish. But it wasn't much to his liking, and so Captain
Slocum had an idea that he was going to perhaps sail
around the world.
He thought: Why not just sail right out across the
Atlantic. It was a revolutionary idea because no one had
ever tried to sail around the world by themselves, just a
single person. But he set off and he went to Europe.
I tell you this story at some length because Senator
Kennedy knew this story well, and we enjoyed sharing
pieces of it back and forth.
He had gone forth in 1895 and taken 3 years to
circumnavigate the globe and came back to New England 3
years later, in 1898. So this was well more than a century
ago, and people around the world were astounded to see him
sail into a harbor all by himself having crossed the broad
expanse of an ocean.
In some ways, the life of Captain Slocum represents a
version of the life of Senator Kennedy--someone who faced
great adversity, who faced great tragedy, but looked at
all of it and said: ``I am going to go forward and do
something bold, something important.''
For Senator Kennedy, it wasn't literally sailing around
the world but it was sailing through a host of major
issues that affect virtually every facet of our lives--
certainly the issue of public service, the National
Service Act, the issue of mental health, and the issue of
health care, and the issue of education.
Others who have served with him have spoken in far
greater detail and more eloquently than I ever could, but
I just want to say to Senator Kennedy: Thank you for your
life of service. Thank you for overcoming adversity to
undertake a bold journey, a journey that has touched every
one of our lives. Thank you for reaching out to converse
with this son of a millworker from Oregon who felt so
privileged to be on the floor of the Senate and to have
had just a few months with this master of the Senate and
who will hopefully carry forward some of the passion and
the principle he so embodied.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from North
Dakota is recognized.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to remember our
colleague, Senator Kennedy. There is a newspaper in the
Cloakroom that has Ted's picture, and it has a quote from
Ted. It reads this way:
Since I was a boy, I have known the joy of sailing the
waters off of Cape Cod. And for all my years in public
life, I have believed that America must sail toward the
shores of liberty and justice for all.
He went on to say:
There is no end to that journey, only the next great
voyage.
I like to think that Ted is on that next great voyage
now. What a man.
I remember so well being elected in 1986 to the Senate
and being sworn in in 1987. I held a reception in a little
restaurant close by with friends and family from North
Dakota. I will never forget it. It was packed. You
couldn't move; so many people had come from North Dakota
to be with me, family members from all over the country,
and a cousin of mine came up to me, so excited, and he
said to me, ``Senator Kennedy is here.'' I hadn't known he
was coming. But that was so typical of Ted, reaching out
to the most junior of us because he knew what his presence
would mean. My family had been longtime supporters of the
Kennedys, and it meant so much to my family for him to be
there that day. That was so typical of him, taking time to
do things he knew would mean a lot to others, even when it
was inconvenient for him.
The thing I remember and will remember most about Ted is
his humanity: that smile, that twinkle in his eye, that
kind of mischievous grin that would come over his face
when he would be commenting on what was going on here,
late at night sometimes--you know this place defies
description. Yet he always maintained that sense of humor,
that joy in life. He communicated it. He made all of us
feel as if we were part of something important, something
big.
When somebody in this Senate family had a problem, had a
challenge, had a medical issue, very often Ted was the
first to call. I had someone in my family who had health
issues, and somehow Ted found out and kind of sidled up to
me one day on the floor and said, ``You know, I heard you
have somebody who has a serious health issue. I suppose
you already have doctors, but if you are looking for
additional assistance or a second opinion and you want to
find people who are experts in this area, I would be glad
to help.'' That was Ted Kennedy, over and over reaching
out to others, trying to help, trying to provide
encouragement, trying to provide the lift. That was Ted.
I remember so well about a decade ago when we were
engaged in legislation on tobacco, we had a circumstance
in which there was an important court decision, and there
had to be laws passed to deal with it. I was asked to lead
a task force here in the Senate to try to bring together
different sides to deal with that legislation. Of course,
for a long time Ted Kennedy had been a leader on those
issues, as was Senator Frank Lautenberg, and there were
others as well. Ted far outstripped me in seniority. Yet I
was asked to lead this task force. He came to me and said,
``Sign me up as a soldier in your effort.'' We had dozens
of meetings, and Ted was always there, pitching in,
helping to make a difference even when he was not the
person leading the effort--it was somebody much more
junior. Of course, he had many other responsibilities, but
over and over, he was coming up, stepping up, helping out.
There was nothing small about Ted Kennedy. He had big
plans, big ambitions, big hopes, and a big spirit. He was
always reaching out to even the most junior of us to help
out, to connect, to be supportive, and to show how much he
cared about what we were doing and to give us a sense of
how we were fitting into making history. Ted also had a
big view of the importance of the role of the Senate in
making history and a sense of how critically important the
decisions were that were being made in this Chamber. There
was nothing small about Ted Kennedy.
When he was engaged in negotiations--I will never forget
him saying to me, ``Keep your eye on what is possible. You
know, we might want to accomplish more, but take what you
can get to advance the cause, to make progress, to improve
the human condition, to make this a better place.'' That
is what Ted Kennedy had in mind.
I want to close. I see colleagues who are here wishing
to speak as well.
My favorite lines from a speech by Ted Kennedy are from
the 1980 convention, when he closed with these words:
For all those whose cares have been our concern, the
work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and
the dream shall never die.
Ted, the dream will never die. You are always in our
thoughts.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan is
recognized.
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I appreciate the
opportunity to be here with colleagues, and I so
appreciate the words of the Senator from North Dakota and
those of the Senator from New York and all of our other
colleagues who have been here, talking about our friend
and colleague, the great Senator from Massachusetts.
I think for me, being in my second term and still a
relative newcomer here, one of the greatest honors of my
life was the opportunity to work and become friends with
Senator Ted Kennedy.
I often have been asked what was the most surprising or
exciting thing about being in the Senate. I always
referred to Ted Kennedy, not only knowing him and the
larger-than-life way he has been described, which was also
true, but for me the images are of sitting in a small room
going over amendments on the patients' bill of rights when
I was in my first term and having the great Ted Kennedy--
not his staff but Ted Kennedy--sitting in a room with
advocates talking about how we needed to mobilize and get
people involved and what we needed to do to get votes or
how to write something--doing the work behind the scenes.
Ted Kennedy, because of who he was--his family, his
certainly great leadership and knowledge, and his length
of time here--could have simply stood on the floor and
made eloquent speeches, which he always did--the booming
voice in the back that would get louder and louder as he
became more involved in what he was talking about. He
could have just done that, and that would have been an
incredible contribution to the Senate. But that is not
what he did. He was as involved behind the scenes in
getting things done, more so than in the public eye. He
worked hard and showed all of us an example of someone who
was dedicated to the details, to the advocacy as well as
to what was happening on the floor of the Senate. It was a
very important lesson for all of us.
As chair of the Steering and Outreach Committee for our
Senate majority, one of my responsibilities is to bring
people with various interests together, usually on a
weekly basis, to meet with Members on issues from
education to health care, clean energy, civil rights,
veterans. People always wanted to have Ted Kennedy in the
room. Again, as a very senior Member with tremendous
responsibilities, chairing the HELP Committee and all of
the other responsibilities he had, he could have easily
said to me, ``You know, I am just not going to be able to
do that. We will have more junior Members come and join in
these meetings.'' But he came, over and over again.
One of the things we joked about all the time was that
he would see me coming and say, ``I know, there is a
meeting tomorrow. I will be there.''
He was someone who gave his all at every moment. He also
understood that people needed and wanted to see him, to
hear him, with the important leadership role he had here.
It was important to people. And he treated everyone the
same.
He was committed to a vision of making America the best
it could be, where every child would have the chance to
grow up and be healthy, succeed in life, have a job, at
the end of life a pension and retirement, and be able to
live with dignity. His service was great, but his legacy
is even greater.
I believe his challenge to each of us is even greater.
It is true that nearly every major bill that passed in the
last 47 years bears some mark from Senator Ted Kennedy--
the Civil Rights Act; the Voting Rights Act; Meals for the
Elderly; the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition
Program; the Violence Against Women Act; Title IX, which
is giving so many women and girls the opportunity to
participate and move through education's highest levels,
including the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as the wonderful
athletic abilities we have seen; the Children's Health
Insurance Act; AmeriCorps; the National Health Service;
the American Health Parity Act; legislation to allow the
FDA to regulate tobacco; the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS
Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act--it goes on and
on. These are just a few of the hundreds of bills Senator
Kennedy sponsored or co-sponsored during his time in the
Senate, and each and every one of those bills made America
a little bit better.
His commitment to achieve the best for America, for
every child, every family, every worker was unmatched. We
have lost the lion of the Senate, and he will be sorely
missed. Personally, I have lost a friend, someone for whom
I had the highest personal respect and someone I cared
deeply about as a person.
To Vicki, to the family, we give our love and affection
and thanks for sharing him with us. In his maiden speech
in the Senate, Senator Kennedy spoke of his brother's
legacy. Today, the same words can be spoken about him.
``If his life and death had a meaning, it was that we
should not hate but love one another; we should use our
powers not to create the conditions of oppression that
lead to violence, but conditions of freedom that lead to
peace.''
Ted, we will miss you.
Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, it is with a heavy heart that
I take to the floor of the U.S. Senate today. For each of
the past 47 years, this Chamber has rung with the words of
a man who came to be known as the lion of the Senate. But
today, that familiar voice has fallen silent.
For the first time in half a century, this Senate
returns to its work without Edward M. Kennedy. With his
passing, our country has lost a true giant--a
compassionate public servant who became a legend in his
own time, a man whose legacy is bound up in the history of
the U.S. Senate, whose life and works have touched
everyone in America since the day he entered public
service almost 50 years ago.
Over the course of his career, he influenced more
legislation than just about anyone in history. He argued
passionately for voting rights and helped extend the
promise of our democracy to a new generation. He spoke out
in defense of our Constitution and the principles of
fairness we hold so dear. Time and again, he raised his
booming voice on behalf of the less fortunate. He
protected the rights and interests of the disabled. He
extended health insurance coverage to children and fought
to improve the American health care system, a struggle
that would become the cause of his life. But perhaps his
greatest single achievement came early in his career when
he stepped to the center of the national debate and led
the fight against segregation. He became a champion of the
civil rights movement, lending his full compassion to a
difficult and divisive issue.
Today, we live in a Nation that is more free, more fair,
and more equal because of Edward Kennedy. He was the
single most effective U.S. Senator of our time. He did
more good for more people than anyone in the Senate has
done before. And it will be a very long time before we see
the likes of him again. Ted Kennedy reminded us of the
greatness that lives in our highest aspirations. He
enjoyed wonderful triumphs and endured terrible tragedy.
Through it all, he taught us to keep the fire burning, to
confront every challenge with passion and hope and with
undying faith in the country we love so much.
He reached across the aisle time and again. When
everyone said compromise was impossible, Ted Kennedy did
the impossible. When partisan politics divided
conservatives from liberals and Republicans from
Democrats, Ted Kennedy was always there to bring us
together in the service of the American people.
I first met Ted Kennedy in 1962 when his brother was
President and Ted was a young man running for the U.S.
Senate. I was a legal intern at the White House and a
second-year law student at Howard University. For me, the
chance to serve the Kennedy administration--and meet all
three Kennedy brothers--was a remarkable and inspiring
part of my early career in public service.
I had the good fortune to meet Senator Kennedy one more
time when I was running for reelection as State
comptroller of the State of Illinois, having become the
first African American ever elected statewide to office in
my State. I was up for reelection, and I had a major
fundraiser and I needed a big draw to come and help me
raise funds.
Someone said, ``Well, there is a Senator from
Massachusetts named Ted Kennedy. He will come and help
you.''
I said, ``No, no Senator of his caliber would come down
to our capital for a fundraiser for a person who is
running for State comptroller.''
Needless to say, I contacted the Senator's office.
Without hesitation, Senator Ted Kennedy appeared at the
fundraiser in our State capital to help me maintain my
seat as State comptroller.
During that same time, we had a little tragedy taking
place that evening when our 15-year-old son in Chicago had
been admitted to the hospital, and it was a question of
whether I would be there at the fundraiser or go to
Chicago to be with my son because my wife, his mother, was
in Minnesota. So Senator Kennedy understood the dilemma
but went on with the fundraiser. We got our son taken care
of, but after my son was out of the hospital and home,
guess who I got a call from days later wondering how my
son was doing? It was Ted Kennedy. You just don't see a
man of this caliber each and every day in this country.
After I came to the U.S. Senate myself, I had the honor
to serve with Ted only briefly. In all the time I knew
Senator Kennedy, I came to see him as more than a living
legend, more than a senior statesman, more than the lion
he had become. For me, and for all who were fortunate
enough to meet him over the years, he was a genuine human
being, a remarkable ally, and a compassionate friend. He
displayed nothing but kindness and respect for everyone he
met, from his good friends to his bitter opponents.
But for his many accomplishments and for all that he
accomplished over the course of a lifetime in public
service, there was at least one victory that eluded him.
As I address this Chamber today, we stand on the verge of
health care reform only because we are standing on Ted
Kennedy's shoulders.
And when the time comes, I plan to honor his legacy and
pay tribute to his service by casting the vote he did not
live long enough to see.
When Senator Kennedy departed this life on August 25, he
left more than an empty desk in this Senate Chamber. He
left a fight for us to finish--a standard for us to bear.
Long ago, he picked up the legacy of his fallen brothers
and carried it forward into a new century.
Ronald Reagan once said:
Many men are great, but few capture the imagination and
the spirit of the times. The ones who do are
unforgettable.
He was talking about President Kennedy. But his words
ring just as true when applied to John Kennedy's youngest
brother.
They speak to Ted's enormous vitality--to his towering
impact on the lives of so many for so long. He is gone
now, but his presence lingers in these halls.
In the many Senators to whom he has been a friend and
mentor, in the dedication, faith, and love of country that
he inspired, in the wood and stone and soul of this Senate
Chamber, his legacy is very much alive.
Now, that legacy has been passed to each of us. And it
is time to take up the standard once again. This is a
moment to look to the future, not the past--to meet
difficult problems with bold solutions.
As the lion of the Senate told us a year ago, at the
Democratic National Convention, ``the work begins anew,
the hope rises again, and the dream lives on.''
Mr. President, no single voice can fill this Chamber as
his once did. But together, we can carry this refrain.
Mr. President. I yield the floor.
Mr. BROWN. I heard the eloquent speeches of Senators
Stabenow, Schumer, Conrad, and Senator Merkley also about
Senator Kennedy.
I wish to tell two quick stories about him. I had the
pleasure of serving on his committee from 2007 on. But
early in my first year in the Senate, the Senators, as
some know around the country, certainly all Members of the
Senate know, we choose our desks on the Senate floor by
seniority. And so in the first month or so of 2007, the
freshmen, the other 9 members of my class, the 10 of us
were choosing our seats on the Senate floor. You can look
around the Senate Chamber. There is no bad place to sit.
I heard from a senior Member that Senators carve their
names in their desk drawers; sort of like high school,
perhaps. So I began to pull the drawers open in some of
the desks that had not yet been chosen. I pulled open this
drawer, and it had Hugo Black of Alabama, who was FDR's
favorite Southern Senator, who introduced legislation for
the 8-hour workday, making President Roosevelt's 8-hour
workday bill seem a little less radical, and successfully
made its way through the Senate; Senator Green from Rhode
Island, who came here in the 1960s and served more than
two decades; Senator Al Gore, Sr., from Tennessee. And
then it just said ``Kennedy,'' without a State and without
a first name. So I asked Ted to come over, and I said,
``Ted, which brother is this?''
He said, ``It's Bobby's desk, I have Jack's desk.''
And I, of course, fell in love with this desk and got
the opportunity to sit here for the last 3 years.
The other real quick story about Senator Kennedy: I know
Senator Kyl is scheduled to speak. I and others were
invited, from time to time, to go up to his study just off
the Senate floor, one floor above us outside the Chamber,
and to talk to him and hear him tell stories late in the
evening as we were voting sometimes until midnight or 1 or
2 a.m.
What struck me about his study were the photos on the
wall. The photos were pictures we all recognized:
President Kennedy, Joe Kennedy, Rose Kennedy, Ethel
Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver; all the
people whom we recognized.
But Ted Kennedy said to us, ``These are my family
photos.''
These were people we recognized in the photos, but I had
never seen those photos, none of us had. These were not
the photos in Life magazine; these were the photos of the
Kennedy family.
But what impressed me about that was they were the
Kennedys at Hyannis Port, the Kennedys sailing, the
Kennedys in the Capitol, the Kennedys at the White House.
What impressed me was Ted Kennedy so easily could have
given up; he could have gone back to a very easy life,
particularly after the assassination of Robert Kennedy in
1968. Ted had been in the Senate for 6 years. It would
have been so easy for him to walk away from this job, from
this kind of life, from the danger he faced.
Instead, he stayed and he fought. He had everything
anybody could hope for in life. He had a loving family who
cared so much about him. He had all the wealth he needed
and the lifestyle so many would have been so tempted by.
But, instead, he stayed and served right up until his
death.
That says to me everything I love about Ted Kennedy and
everything we all should need to know about Senator
Kennedy.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown.) The Senator from
Arizona.
Mr. KYL. I would say to my colleague from Ohio, I
commented on the same point. It is pretty obvious Senator
Kennedy could have, because of who he was, done just about
anything.
He certainly would not have had to work as hard as he
did. But I have never known a harder working Senator than
Senator Kennedy.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to my
friend, our colleague, civil rights icon of the Senate,
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, our lion in the Senate. I have
lost someone who has been a mentor, a friend, and one of
my heroes. The Nation has lost a great leader. To his
family, he was a rock. To his wife Vicki, his children,
Kara, Edward (Ted, Jr.), and Patrick, my former colleague
when I was in the House, and to his sister Jean and the
entire Kennedy family, we extend our deepest condolences.
To his Senate colleagues and his constituents in
Massachusetts, he was a beacon of hope and perseverance
for a better day in America.
When I came to the Senate in 2007, I was frequently
asked during my first year--I am sure the Presiding
Officer has been asked this by people in his State--what
is the highlight, what is the difference, what makes this
place a special place? What did you find different in the
Senate than you did in the House? The example I gave
during my first month in the Senate is when I was sitting
by myself on the floor of the Senate, Senator Kennedy came
by and sat next to me. He said, ``Do you mind if we talk
for a moment?'' He sat next to me, a new Member of the
Senate, and he said, ``Ben, can you tell me what you think
we should be doing in health care?'' He wanted my views.
He was looking to find out what this new Senator from
Maryland thought was possible in health care reform. That
was Senator Kennedy. Senator Kennedy engaged each Member
of the Senate to find a common denominator to move forward
in solving the major problems of America. It was truly a
unique experience for me to see one of the most senior
Members of the Senate, a person known internationally for
his legislative skills, seek out a new Member.
I remember one of my constituents asking me during my
first year which Senator I most admire for his or her work
ethic. I said immediately: Senator Kennedy. They were
taken aback because they didn't realize that this senior
Senator, this person who had served for over 40 years in
the Senate, was a person who dedicated every day to doing
his very best. Whether it was working with staff or
meeting with Members or working his committee or making a
speech on the floor of the Senate, his work ethic was one
of not wasting a single moment in order to deal with the
Nation's problems.
Senator Kennedy served for 47 years in the Senate and
had a tremendous impact on the issues that have shaped our
Nation for almost a half century. He authored over 2,500
pieces of legislation. All Americans have been touched by
Senator Kennedy's work. He dedicated his life to the
nameless, the poor, and the minority voices in America,
and that dedication is legendary. He has touched the lives
of all Americans by his work in the Senate, whether it was
what he did for voting rights or improving educational
opportunities, dealing with the rights of immigrants,
minimum wage laws, national service, help for the mentally
ill, equality for women, minorities, the disabled,
children, the gay and lesbian community. The list goes on
and on. He was there fighting for those who otherwise
would not have had a voice in our government. He did it
whether it was popular or not in the State or Nation. He
was true to his principles. The list goes on and on of
what he did.
I had the great pleasure of serving with him on the
Judiciary Committee for 2 years. What a legacy he has
created on that committee. It was a great honor for me to
be able to serve those 2 years on the committee with him
and to listen to him engage. There has been no greater
Senator on the Judiciary Committee to fight on behalf of
civil rights than Senator Kennedy.
He was clearly the conscience of the Senate, to make
sure we used every opportunity to advance the rights of
all Americans so they could achieve their best. He was a
legislator's legislator. He had a gift. He had the ability
to work across party lines and get work done.
He believed in progress and doing the right thing. He
had a voice that carried through the Halls of the Senate
with such passion and yet with such grace.
Senator Kennedy once said, ``We know the future will
outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live
in the future we make.'' Senator Kennedy stood for and
fought for a better America--even when it was not the
popular thing to do. Senator Kennedy stayed true to his
principles throughout his entire life.
With great loss and much sadness, I give much thanks for
his service, his friendship, and his dedication. Senator
Edward Kennedy will never be forgotten.
I thank my dear friend, Senator Kennedy, for the
contributions he made to this institution, the U.S.
Senate, where I now have the great honor of serving the
people of Maryland. Senator Kennedy's legacy will live
forever, and we thank him for his service to our Nation.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
my friend from Massachusetts, Senator Edward Moore
Kennedy, who improved the lives of so many people during
his 47 years of service in the Senate. My warm aloha and
prayers continue to be with Vicki Kennedy, staff members,
the Kennedy family, and his many friends.
Senator Kennedy's extraordinary lifelong commitment to
public service produced a proud legacy that has included
expanding access to quality of health care and education,
protecting and empowering our Nation's workforce, ensuring
civil and voting rights, and protecting our Nation's
natural and cultural resources.
Before outlining several of Senator Kennedy's important
achievements, I want to share a story that demonstrates
our shared commitment to helping working families and his
optimistic outlook about the future despite temporary
disappointments. A beaming Senator Kennedy flagged me down
on the morning of March 2, 2005. He asked me if I had seen
the Washington Post. In an editorial criticizing the
bankruptcy overhaul under consideration in the Senate, the
Post indicated the bill could be made more fair by the
inclusion of several amendments by Senator Kennedy
intended to protect consumers and my amendment to better
inform consumers about the true costs associated with
credit card use. After my amendment was defeated, Senator
Kennedy was the first Member to approach me. He
complimented me for my work and told me that we would win
on the amendment one day. Senator Kennedy was right. It
took me another 4 years, but my credit card minimum
payment warning and credit counseling referral legislation
was enacted this May as part of the credit card reform
law.
As an eternal optimist, Senator Kennedy never stopped
advocating for the causes so important to working
families, such as increasing access to quality health
care. Senator Kennedy helped establish community health
centers, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and
programs that assist individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS.
These are just a few of the many health accomplishments
that Senator Kennedy helped bring about that improve the
quality of life for millions of people in our country.
Despite continuing to battle cancer, Senator Kennedy's
passion to expand access to quality health care never
ceased.
Senator Kennedy had an enormous impact on education
policy. He championed early childhood education through
his support of Head Start and creation of Early Head
Start. His work in reauthorizing the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act included improvements such as the
Star Schools Program Assistance Act, which improves
instruction in critical areas such as mathematics,
science, and foreign languages, as well as the No Child
Left Behind Act, which requires standards-based
assessments for elementary and middle school students
among other reforms. With regard to higher education,
Senator Kennedy supported the creation of the Pell Grant
Program, the Direct Lending Program, and the Ensuring
Continued Access to Student Loans Act to aid Americans in
paying for college. Throughout his efforts in education
policy, he recognized the needs of underserved
populations, and endeavored to make education more
affordable. I also appreciated his working with me on the
Excellence in Economics Education authorization and
subsequent funding requests so that more children could be
better prepared for the financial decisions they will have
to make as consumers, investors, and heads of households.
I also greatly appreciate all of the work done by
Senator Kennedy to improve the lives of members of our
Nation's workforce. Senator Kennedy helped increase the
Federal minimum wage 16 times. He fought for strong
workplace health and safety standards, promoted equal pay
for equal work, and secure retirement benefits. Senator
Kennedy believed the right of workers to unionize and
bargain collectively was fundamental, and he was always a
tireless advocate for this cause. In addition, Senator
Kennedy was a champion of our Federal workers and opposed
efforts to outsource Federal jobs and erode workers'
rights. I recall his staunch opposition to weaken the
rights of Department of Defense and Department of Homeland
Security employees and his strong statements in support of
granting Transportation Security Administration security
officers real rights and protections.
Senator Kennedy's career-long dedication to ensuring
civil and voting rights helped bring about numerous
changes that have made our country stronger, more
equitable, and just. He condemned the poll tax, led
efforts to lower the voting age to 18, and removed voting
barriers. His fierce and noble opposition to
discrimination by race, ethnicity, gender, age,
disability, sexual orientation, or religion guided much of
his work.
Senator Kennedy's advocacy for natural and cultural
resources helped advance the protection of our environment
for our benefit now and into the future. He was an
important supporter of energy efficiency programs,
including those that aid Americans most in need, and he
helped improve fuel economy standards and energy research
and development. His work led to the enhanced preservation
of numerous treasured resources in Massachusetts,
including the Minute Man National Historic Park, the
Taunton River, the New England Scenic Trail, the Freedom's
Way National Heritage Corridor, the Boston Harbor Islands,
the Quinebaug-Shetucket National Heritage Corridor, the
Essex National Heritage Area, and the Lowell National
Historical Park.
In addition to his accomplishments and advocacy on
behalf of the people of our country, I will remember Ted
Kennedy as a true friend, always generous with his
assistance and time. For many years, my desk was next to
Senator Kennedy's. He welcomed me to the Senate and always
provided sound advice and guidance.
In 1990, despite the long journey, Senator Kennedy came
to Hawaii to help me during my first Senate campaign. I
remember the rally that we held in Honolulu at McKinley
High School as being one of the largest ever held in
Hawaii. We also had a memorable visit to an early
childhood development program. Footage of the event was
recently replayed on the news in Hawaii, showing Senator
Kennedy and me singing ``Itsy Bitsy Spider'' with the
children.
We toured Kapiolani Children's Hospital where we saw the
devastating effect that crystal meth was having on
families.
Senator Kennedy visited the University of Hawaii's John
F. Kennedy Theatre, where he received an award for his
work on health care. He spoke eloquently about our great
country, congressional debates, civil rights, and economic
empowerment programs.
I, along with every Member of this body, will very much
miss our friend from Massachusetts. Senator Kennedy's
extraordinary work has improved the quality of life for so
many people.
We can honor his memory by continuing to work to address
the issues Senator Kennedy was so passionate about such as
meaningful health care and immigration reform.
I say aloha to my good friend and colleague, Senator
Kennedy.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, there are no words to express
the sadness of the great loss of our dear friend Senator
Edward M. Kennedy. America has lost a great patriot and a
great leader. I have lost a good friend.
While it is difficult to say goodbye to a dear friend, I
am consoled with the certainty that Ted's spirit and
message will continue to resonate in the Senate. The
solemn but joyful celebration of Ted's life reminded one
and all that we should remember to help the poor, to heal
the sick, to feed the hungry, and to be compassionate with
those who are less fortunate than us. I will do my best to
keep Ted's spirit alive.
I offer my deepest condolences to the Kennedy family.
Mr. President, as America mourns, I ask my colleagues to
join me in paying tribute to this magnificent Senator.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, the 1955 football season was
not a good one for the Harvard Crimson. With only three
victories, it was somewhat surprising that no less a team
than the mighty Green Bay Packers reached out to a senior
end with a professional job offer. ``No thanks,'' replied
young Ted Kennedy, ``I have plans to go into another
contact sport--politics.''
Few have played this rough-and-tumble game with as much
energy, determination, and joy as Senator Edward Kennedy.
He served the people of his State and our Nation through 5
decades and under 10 Presidents. He authored more than 300
bills that became law and co-sponsored another 550. His
remarkable record of legislation has touched the lives of
virtually every American, always with a focus on improving
lives, bringing justice, and creating opportunity.
As we recall what he gave to our Nation, we also reflect
upon what we have lost. It is my sincere hope that the
Kennedy family will find comfort in the thoughts and
prayers offered by so many around the country and the
world. To those who have lost a friend and to his
outstanding staff, which has lost an inspiring leader, I
extend my deepest condolences. I considered him a dear
friend as well as an esteemed colleague.
When I first came to the Senate in 1997, I knew Senator
Kennedy only by reputation. It was a reputation that was
not entirely flattering, based upon such labels as
``ultra-liberal'' and ``utterly partisan.'' That was not
the Senator Kennedy I came to know and admire. He was easy
to work with, and his heart was always in the right place.
I worked closely with Ted on many education issues,
particularly by increasing Pell grants which help our
neediest students. In our work together on the Armed
Services Committee, we teamed up to strengthen our Navy as
members of the Seapower Subcommittee.
I found him to be a partner who always sought solutions.
I saw in him the same traits that drew the attention of
the Green Bay Packers--a tough competitor and a great
teammate.
The lion is a symbol of courage. Certainly, Senator
Kennedy possessed great political courage. He fought for
his convictions, but he was always willing to reach across
party lines. He never, as he often said, let the pursuit
of the perfect become the enemy of the good.
But he also possessed courage at the most fundamental
level--the willingness to face danger. His historic trip
to South Africa in 1985, conducted against the stern
warnings of the pro-apartheid government and in defiance
of violent demonstrations, helped tear down the wall of
racial separatism in that country.
Senator Kennedy often said that a day never went by that
he did not think of his brothers. He did more than merely
think of them; he strove always to emulate them. Like
Jack, he asked what he could do for his country. Like
Bobby, he dreamed things that never were and said why not.
The end of a life so devoted to public service brings to
mind the Parable of the Talents. The master, leaving on a
journey, entrusts a servant with a portion of his
treasure. Upon his return, the master is delighted to find
that his wealth has been wisely invested and multiplied.
Edward Moore Kennedy was entrusted with the great
treasure of convictions, energy, and passion. He invested
that treasure wisely and multiplied its benefits to all.
Like the master in the New Testament, to him we say,
``Well done, good and faithful servant.''
Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the
memory of one our Nation's most dedicated public servants.
For most Americans, Ted Kennedy was an icon--part of an
esteemed family that raised strong leaders and committed
patriots. Much has been said since his passing of his
contributions to our country and his love for his wife,
children, grandchildren, and extended family. Those who
eulogized him, at his funeral and on main streets across
America, have done so with great admiration and respect.
From my position on the opposite side of the aisle in
this Chamber, I saw Senator Kennedy as every bit the
legendary and tireless advocate that he was portrayed as.
I may have been advocating the opposing view on many
issues, but in this country we should always be able to
join together to recognize someone who has--with the best
intentions--dedicated his life's work to improving
opportunities.
I had the privilege of working on a very significant
piece of legislation with Senator Kennedy a few years ago.
It was the America COMPETES Act. I was, and continue to
be, passionate about making sure that our children remain
competitive in this increasingly global economy. Students
in Nevada aren't just competing against students in
Massachusetts anymore. They are all competing against
students in India, China, and around the world. If we
don't give our students the tools to compete, the
innovative fire and spirit that has always fueled America
will be lost.
Ted Kennedy understood this. We put together bipartisan
legislation that was signed into law to increase
investment in scientific research; strengthen educational
opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics from kindergarten through graduate school; and
help develop an innovative infrastructure for the 21st
century. I am confident that the impact of this law will
be felt for generations to come.
I am also confident that Ted Kennedy's decades of
service, his passion for health care and education, and
his deep love for this country will inspire a new
generation of public servants. When you look at the legacy
of Ted Kennedy and at how he dedicated his life to
service, you can't help but be moved to do more for this
country.
Senator Kennedy will be missed in this Chamber and in
the Halls of Congress. God bless you, Senator Ted Kennedy.
Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, I rise to join the chorus of
those celebrating the life of our dear friend and
colleague, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
So much has already been said about him, his life, and
his contribution to our Nation, but I would like to take a
few minutes to reflect upon the legacy he left as a warm
individual and an exemplary statesman.
His life was, to borrow the words of Robert Frost, ``a
gift outright.'' Ted Kennedy was ours before we were his.
As a young man and a young Senator, history bequeathed
to him weighty expectations. He became the accidental
shepherd not only to a flock of nephews and nieces but
also to a storied legacy.
An ordinary person would have been daunted by such
expectations. But Ted Kennedy was extraordinary. He
confounded them and, in the process, defined his life not
by what others had left him to complete but by the goals
he set for himself.
For all of the rhetoric recently about Ted Kennedy as
the Senate's lion, we can never forget that he was also a
deeply caring man with a gentle spirit. It was this dual
nature of his to fight passionately and to befriend
heartily that transformed adversaries into admirers and
endeared him forever to his friends.
In February 1988, I was serving as chief of staff to
then-Senator Joe Biden when he suffered a serious brain
aneurysm. After two precarious surgeries, the doctors said
that Senator Biden would need to avoid work completely for
a few months while in that first stage of recovery or risk
another aneurysm.
When President Reagan called to check up on him, we knew
that if he took that call, Senator Biden would be obliged
to take all the calls that would follow. It would have
been too much for him, so his family made the decision
that he would not take any calls, even from the President.
Ted Kennedy kept calling to check on his friend, but our
office wouldn't put him through. One Sunday, while Senator
Biden was resting at home in Wilmington, Jill heard a
knock on their back door. To her surprise, Senator Kennedy
was standing there, holding a framed etching of an Irish
stag. He had personally taken it upon himself to bring the
gift in order to lift Senator Biden's spirits. He also had
with him a bathing suit, ready to relax with his friend
and keep him company without discussing Senate business.
We shouldn't have been surprised, though. That was
classic Ted Kennedy.
With him there was always a personal touch, especially
with those he represented. In the words of one of his
constituents, ``Teddy was Massachusetts.''
But his constituency was always larger than just the
residents of the Bay State. He felt that it was his
responsibility to speak for those who could not. Ted
Kennedy was, first and foremost, a representative of the
poor, the young, the silenced, and the oppressed. He
fought tirelessly for the rights of the disabled and those
suffering discrimination. Throughout decades of public
service, he proved to be their faithful champion at every
turn.
For nearly 47 years, Ted Kennedy was the Senate's steady
compass through uncertain waters. When others coasted
along, satisfied with the status quo or set uneasy by the
prospect of change, he trimmed his sails and pushed
forward.
He pushed forward by building strong, meaningful
relationships with his colleagues on both sides of the
aisle. He was committed to civility in politics.
That he so genuinely befriended those who debated
vigorously against him on this floor testifies to
Kennedy's greatest gift to his colleagues. As his son
Teddy, Jr. said so eloquently at his father's funeral
mass, Kennedy taught us all that all of us who serve in
government, regardless of party, love this country
dearly--that we share a common bond of responsibility and
commitment to public service.
My hope is that the lessons Ted Kennedy taught his
colleagues about bipartisanship will guide the Senate
today and in the future.
Just outside this Chamber is the Senate Reception Room,
ornately decorated by the 19th century immigrant and
master painter of the Capitol, Constantino Brumidi. He
adorned the ceiling with four allegorical scenes depicting
what today we would call Justice, Security, Peace, and
Prosperity--four virtues a great Senator should promote.
It was decided that portraits of the greatest Senators
ever to serve would cover its walls. In the 1950s, the
Senate established a panel to choose the first five to be
so honored. Chaired by a young, energetic Senator from
Massachusetts, who had authored a Pulitzer Prize winning
book on political courage, this ``Kennedy Commission''
selected five Senators whose portraits now grace those
walls.
The commission chose to recognize Henry Clay, Daniel
Webster, John C. Calhoun, Robert La Follette, and Robert
Taft. A few years ago, the Senate voted to extend this
honor as well to Arthur Vandenberg and Robert F. Wagner.
All seven earned their place in this pantheon by placing
the good of the Nation above political interest. All but
one ran unsuccessfully for President, distinguishing
themselves not as Commanders-in-Chief, but as brilliant
legislators and versatile statesmen. Each exemplified a
commitment to the four virtues depicted by Brumidi on the
Reception Room's ceiling.
Ted Kennedy was a champion of all four of these virtues;
indeed, he set a new standard by which future Senators
will be judged.
Whether it was leading the charge for the Civil Rights
Act, enfranchising young people of military age, or
promoting human rights around the world, Kennedy pursued
justice without relent.
Ted Kennedy was committed to ensuring our Nation's
security by advocating for nuclear disarmament, leading
the way on energy conservation, and supporting legislation
to punish sponsors of terrorism.
He worked tirelessly to bring peace to troubled regions,
including Northern Ireland.
Throughout his career in the Senate, Ted Kennedy did all
he could to open the doors of prosperity to millions of
Americans seeking fair wages, health insurance, or job
opportunities.
Furthermore, he fought to expand education access, fund
scholarships, and promote community involvement. Kennedy's
efforts have helped invest America in a bright future in
fields such as science, technology, business, and the
arts.
Even with the seven distinguished Senators now
immortalized, the walls of the Senate Reception Room
remain mostly bare. They await future Senate commissions,
following in the tradition of John F. Kennedy's panel, to
honor those serving from our generation or from
generations yet to come.
I am certain that, if I could cast my vote today for the
next to be so honored, I would proudly and unhesitatingly
choose Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today with great sadness
to pay tribute to my friend, colleague, and great
statesman, Senator Ted Kennedy.
As many of my colleagues have noted here today, over his
nearly 47 years of public service in the Senate, Ted
Kennedy displayed exemplary leadership, a commitment to
progress, and the vision that by working together, this
body could truly better the lives of Americans.
For many years as a member of the Judiciary Committee, I
had the privilege to work with and learn from Senator
Kennedy. Since 1997, I sat just one seat away from him,
then-Senator Biden to my right and Senator Kennedy next to
him. Senator Kennedy was always so encouraging. A simple
``good job'' or pat on the back might be expected from a
busy Senator like him, but from time to time he would take
a moment to write a note and offer encouragement for a
bill I was trying to move through committee or a concern I
was expressing about an issue important to the people of
Wisconsin. We have heard so much over the past weeks about
what he gave to our country throughout his long Senate
career. Just as important, he gave all of us on the
committee and in the Senate an example of how to be an
effective legislator, a fair negotiator, and a friend to
allies and foes alike.
As has been noted by many of those who worked alongside
him, Senator Kennedy masterfully negotiated with others in
the long process of shaping policy but refused to retreat
from his principles--or from his quest toward equality and
social justice for all. His tireless advocacy on behalf of
those Americans most in need of an advocate--children,
senior citizens, the sick, disabled and mentally ill,
students, workers, and families--has changed the course of
this Nation and impacted millions of lives. Senator
Kennedy's many legislative battles--for civil rights,
voting rights, and workers rights, among others--
illustrated that although we may differ in our politics
and our ideologies, it is still possible to work with each
other, across the aisle and across the political spectrum,
toward the common good. Although I am sad today to realize
that we will never hear another of his fiery speeches,
many of them given just a few desks away from mine in the
back row of this Chamber, he leaves a legacy behind that
will endure.
I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Victoria and
to the rest of his family during this difficult time.
Senator Kennedy's passion, diligence, good humor, and
kindness will be greatly missed, by me and by many others,
in this body and across the Nation.
Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak
about the passing of our dear colleague and friend,
Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Our great Nation has lost a true statesman, and the
Kennedy family has lost its beloved patriarch. Senator
Kennedy's unparalleled leadership and decades spent in
service to his fellow Americans will be missed by all,
especially here in the U.S. Senate. No one can deny that
Ted was a man of convictions, passion, and resolve for
doing what he felt was best for the country. While I was
not always in agreement with him on policy, I always knew
he was my friend.
His willingness to reach across the aisle and find
common ground serves as an inspiration to all of us during
this pivotal moment in our Nation's history. Senator
Kennedy and I shared a passion for early childhood
development, and together with Senator Gregg, we worked on
legislation to improve the quality and availability of
early education for all children.
On a more personal note, Ted was a guiding light for me
during my late nephew's treatment for bone cancer. His
uplifting spirit and thoughtfulness helped steer my family
through a very difficult time, and I will never forget the
words he shared with us: ``Even when it's sometimes stormy
one day, the sun always seems to shine the next.''
Janet and I will keep Victoria and the entire Kennedy
family in our thoughts and prayers during this trying
time, as they mourn the loss of both Ted and his sister
Eunice. Senator Kennedy's great shadow of leadership which
loomed so large across the U.S. Senate will continue for
years to come, and I hope the Kennedy family and my
colleagues can find solace in the fact that Ted has joined
our Heavenly Father.
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to remember
and celebrate Edward Moore Kennedy.
Senator Kennedy passed away, as we know, on August 25.
The American people, in more ways than they will ever
know--as so often happens in history with historic
figures, people don't know what they had when they had it,
and then when they no longer have it, they discover how
great that person really was if one deserves to be so
identified, and surely Ted Kennedy did--the American
people lost a touchstone. The cause of justice lost one of
its bravest and boldest champions, and I lost a very close
friend.
I met Ted Kennedy around 1964, which is quite a long
time ago, in Hyannis Port. His family invited me to come
there for the weekend. He was still recovering from his
back injury. He broke his back in 12 places. He was in one
of those old-fashioned circle things where they sort of
turned you so you wouldn't get bed sores. We had a nice
conversation, and he wrote and thanked me with his hand
for coming to see him.
Obviously, I have and will always be thinking about
Vicki, his incredible wife, his children, and the entire
Kennedy family who operates as one unit.
Because of Ted, I think all of us are better. I know I
am. I think we are stronger. We are more inclusive as a
Nation. He caused us to be that way.
For more than 46 years, he was a legislative lion, as
they say, who gave voice to the voiceless. That is not a
cliche; that is an extraordinary and powerful deep fact
from the junior Senator from the State of West Virginia.
The people of West Virginia were given voice, and Ted
Kennedy gave them that voice. He fought for working
families, civil rights, women's rights, health care for
all, and transformed the lives of children, seniors,
Americans of all ages, all colors, all backgrounds.
Everybody was part of his sphere, part of his
responsibility.
In his private life he worked tirelessly to touch so
many people with endless human acts of kindness that came
naturally to him. He had to do it. I don't think he chose
to do these things; he just had to do them and, therefore,
did do them. People forget, those who didn't know about
what he did, but he never stopped reaching out to help
people at every turn, in sometimes very small ways.
Ted and his family reached amazing heights, and they
inspired a Nation. Each and every day of his life he
honored the fallen heroes we always cherish.
This needs to be said: Ted traveled to West Virginia
often. I was personally very grateful for that. It is a
small State, not unlike that of the Presiding Officer. Our
State has always had very close communication with the
Kennedy family. We are them; they are us. You know, we put
them over the top, we feel, in the 1960 election, and we
did. When President Kennedy returned to West Virginia, he,
at the State's centennial, said that classic phrase which
we have heard so many times in West Virginia: ``The Sun
does not always shine in West Virginia, but the people
always do.''
People are still to this day moved by that statement. It
is a sentiment I have always held near to my heart, that
he and his brothers felt the way they did about West
Virginia. I remember a picture of Bobby Kennedy sitting on
a slag heap, a sort of pile of coal in southern West
Virginia, just sort of thinking. He wasn't shaking hands,
he was doing a typical Bobby Kennedy-type thing: thinking,
deep in thought; philosophical, wondering about what to do
in the world.
Over the last four decades, Ted's frequent visits not
only strengthened West Virginia's bond with him and the
Kennedy family, but he also provided enormous color,
interest, and fun. I remember him at political rallies in
West Virginia where some politician was going on and on. I
have an album of photographs that were taken sequentially
of different faces, very long and large speeches, and he
is this way, he is wiping his brow. He enjoyed all of it.
He just loved it.
Everywhere he went he found common ground. He spoke
honestly. People came out to see him. He didn't hesitate
to plunge into the crowd or jump on the back of a pickup
truck. Indeed, the American worker knew a strong friend in
Ted Kennedy. That much was clear in the tireless work he
did as an advocate for our miners, for our seniors, for
all of our people.
He has been with us in some of our very darkest hours.
We had a mining tragedy several years ago. Johnny Isakson,
who was speaking not long ago, was there as were several
members of the HELP Committee, the Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee. We had a cave-in and a
blowup in a mine in Sago in Upshur County. He came down
there. He sat with those families and watched them. I
watched his hurt resonating against their hurt, and the
words he spoke to them had deep comfort to them. As a
result, we had the first major overhaul of mine safety
laws at the Federal level since 1977. He, obviously, was
driving the committee and driving that, as were Senator
Johnny Isakson and Mike Enzi.
People liked Ted. They were drawn to his energy and his
fundamental belief that America's best days were always
ahead. I love that attitude because you can always pick it
out. I just did a TV appearance and everybody was asking
me about the person who spoke out last night, interrupting
the President and saying something rather unusual, and the
President just went right on ahead. He had bigger things
to do. Ted was that way.
He had hard parts of his personal life and his own
family life. He was the father of endless numbers of
nieces and nephews, as well as his own children. Nothing
ever stopped him.
People wanted to work with him. He never, ever talked
about his own achievements. That is the incredible thing
about him. As a result of the plane accident, he broke his
back in 12 places. That is a lot of places to break a
back. He never spent another day the rest of his life, he
once told me fairly recently, without being in pain. You
could see him walking across the floor of the Senate. He
was always bent, and he walked quickly, sort of
subconsciously, to cover up the fact that he was hurting.
But he never said anything about it. He never said
anything about himself. It was always: What is going on in
your life? What is happening with you? What are your
thoughts? What do you think we should be doing on such a
subject? That was simply the way he was.
He refused to be slowed. He brought that iron will to
everything he did. He never quit. He never gave up. He was
a happy fighter. He loved life. He loved the battle,
driven not out of anger but out of passion for people and
the individual parts of their lives he wanted to improve.
It just drove him. He didn't do it out of duty; he did it
because he had to. It was a natural thing. For Ted, every
day was new. Everything could be made better through hard
work and dedication. Nearly every piece of legislation
that has passed in this body bore his imprint or bears his
imprint and reflected his commitment to making life better
for every American.
It has been my honor to lock arms with him in our
efforts, including the Children's Health Program.
Interestingly--we just found it--Senator Kennedy called it
the most far-reaching step that Congress has ever taken to
help the Nation's children and the most far-reaching
advance in health care since the enactment of Medicare and
Medicaid a generation ago. Now, in the Finance Committee
we are trying to decide whether we are going to cast them
into the melting pot along with all the other plans and
take away the defined benefits. I am obviously very much
against that. Eleven million children's health care is at
stake.
Ted worked on the Higher Education Act of 1965 and to
protect Federal student loans. Again, let me get back to
the personal side.
I have a daughter. We only have one daughter and three
sons. She is a teacher, and she is trained in special ed.
She taught at Jackie Robinson Junior High School in
Harlem. Ted was in New York. His chief of staff at that
time was my daughter's best friend. She said, ``You know,
Jay Rockefeller's daughter teaches there.''
Ted said, ``Let's go in.''
So here is my daughter teaching class in junior high
school and in walks Ted Kennedy. Of course, the whole
place just falls apart with happiness. He loved doing it.
He does it in the District of Columbia; he does it in
Massachusetts. He is always interacting with students. He
greets them, talks with them, and learns from them.
The principal gave my daughter a very hard time. He
said, ``Don't you ever bring a U.S. Senator into my school
without telling me in advance.''
Well, of course, that is the beauty of it. There is no
way she could, because it was just a natural act of Ted
Kennedy.
It was that commitment to service that we celebrated
just this spring when the President signed the Serve
America Act which inspires young people to serve their
country through public service. There are a lot of ways to
remake America, but I think people, as the Presiding
Officer has been in a variety of situations--people going
abroad, people meeting other people who are unlike them,
living with them, eating with them, sharing with them,
coming to know them, coming to have very strong feelings
about them--it is that kind of thing which makes people
want to get into public service.
So he doubled the Peace Corps, he doubled Legal Aid, he
doubled Vista, he doubled all of those programs, a lot of
which were run by his brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, who
is one of the great men of America who is never discussed.
He is a Kennedy, but he doesn't bear that as a last name.
He changed my life--the Kennedy family did. When I went
to West Virginia as a Vista volunteer, I was trying to
figure out what I was going to do in life, and I kind of
wanted to be a Foreign Service officer. Frankly, I wanted
to be America's first Ambassador to China. This was back
in 1961, so it does really make sense. I had studied
Chinese for a year, so I thought I was on my way. But
Vista started and Sargent Shriver called me and said,
``Come work for me at the Peace Corps.'' And I did that.
Then I went to southern West Virginia as a Vista
volunteer, and it told me what I wanted to do in life.
This part of your gut knows when you are doing something
that is meaningful to you and is something that you want
to dedicate your life to. That was the effect of the
Kennedys.
Ted Kennedy was a giant. There was not and never will be
anyone like him in American history. He shaped this
institution for decades by honoring its history and
pushing us forward to be a better institution.
Now that he is gone, I know his legacy and inspiration
make him a giant greater still, moving us to reach across
the aisle, hopefully, and make a difference in people's
lives. He was a great friend. We are all forever grateful
for his service and his kind heart. We will miss him very
dearly. Now he belongs to the ages.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, this would be a
particularly opportune, important time for me to say a
word about our friend, Senator Kennedy. I had not planned
on doing so at this particular juncture, but someone very
important to him, and in a very different way to me, is
now in the gallery. So I will speak very briefly, but I do
want to, as I have said before, thank Senator Kennedy for
his kindness to me.
As a very senior and distinguished Senator, a person
with a national and, indeed, international reputation, a
person whose standing in this body was unmatched, a person
whose legislative prowess and capability were unmatched,
he did not need to pay any attention to a new Senator of
no particular seniority, clout, or renown from Rhode
Island. Yet he did, I think in large part due to the
friendship the new Senator from Rhode Island had with his
son, a very talented and able Member of the House of
Representatives, who is senior to me in our Rhode Island
delegation and who represents Rhode Island with
exceptional distinction over in the House of
Representatives. For that reason, and for the reason of a
number of other family friendships, he was particularly
kind to me. I appreciate that more than he could have
imagined.
It is a bit daunting to come here as a new Senator not
knowing whether you will find your way, not knowing
whether you will evince any ability, not knowing whether
you will have any effect, not knowing whether, indeed, you
will be very welcome. You have to fight yourself through
that stuff as a new Senator.
I can remember when I was presiding, where the
distinguished junior Senator from Alaska is now sitting,
and a colleague of ours who shall remain nameless was
giving a speech of some length. Senator Kennedy was
waiting to speak, and he sent a note up to me inquiring
whether I felt that the standards of the speech we were
then being treated to met the high standards of our common
alma mater, the University of Virginia School of Law. I
could not help but smile back and return the note, saying:
No, I do not think so, but that is OK because I am waiting
for a great speech from you.
There is one particular kindness I wanted to mention.
Senator Kennedy was very important to Rhode Island, not
just because of his son Patrick but because Rhode Island
pays a lot of attention to Massachusetts. There is a lot
of overlap in the constituencies of Massachusetts and
Rhode Island, and Rhode Islanders have long admired
Senator Kennedy. When he came on behalf of candidates, on
behalf of his son, on behalf of me, on behalf of others,
there was always an atmosphere of celebration around him
and around the events he attended. Other speakers have
spoken of his ability to rev up a crowd and get people
fired up and enthusiastic, and he was really remarkable in
that respect. We never tired of his visits, and Rhode
Island always welcomed him with open arms.
He had a special place for Rhode Island, and in
particular he had a special place for somebody who was
very dear to both Congressman Kennedy and to myself; that
is, a predecessor of mine here in the Senate from Rhode
Island, Senator Claiborne Pell. Senator Pell was a
political legend in Rhode Island, in many ways an
improbable candidate.
Senator Kennedy's brother, President Kennedy, at one
point said, publicly enough that it became a matter of
sort of common discussion in Rhode Island, that Claiborne
Pell was the least-electable candidate he had ever seen.
So when Claiborne Pell ran ahead of President Kennedy in
Rhode Island in the election, it was a matter of great
pride to Claiborne Pell and one that he was fond of
reminding all Kennedys about.
It was, I guess as they would say in ``Casablanca,'' the
beginning of a beautiful friendship. The friendship began
back then. It continued long after Senator Pell had left
the Senate. It continued long after Senator Pell had lost
his ability to walk around and became confined to a
wheelchair. It continued even long after Senator Pell
could barely speak because of the consequences of his
illness.
One of the ways it manifested itself is that every year
Senator Kennedy would take the trouble to sail his
sailboat, the Mya, from wherever it was in New England to
Newport, RI, and there take Claiborne Pell out sailing. I
had the pleasure to be on that last sail, and you could
just imagine the scene, with the heaving dock and the
heaving boat and Senator Pell in his wheelchair and a
rather hazardous and impromptu loading of Senator Pell
into the sailboat. And then, of course, it got under way.
Because Senator Pell was having such trouble speaking, he
really could not contribute much to a conversation. But
Senator Kennedy had the gift of being able to handle both
sides of a conversation and have everybody feel that a
wonderful time was being had. So he carried on in a full,
roaring dialog with Senator Pell, essentially providing
both sides of that dialog, and Senator Pell was smiling
from ear to ear.
It said a lot about what I appreciate so much about
Senator Kennedy. First of all, Rhode Island mattered to
him, as it matters to Patrick Kennedy, as it matters to
me. Second of all, as powerful as he was and as important
as he was, friendship mattered more than authority or
clout or power. There was nothing any longer that Senator
Pell could do for Senator Kennedy. There was nothing that
could be done to advance his legislative interests or his
political interests or his fundraising interests or any
other aspirations he may have had. But it mattered to him
to do this because he was loyal and because friendship
counted.
In a body in which opportunism and self-promotion and
self-advancement are not unknown, it was remarkable of
Senator Kennedy to give so much of his time to this
particular pursuit, to this particular visit, taking his
old, now disabled, friend out for a sail and giving him so
much pleasure, with no hope or hint of reward or return to
Senator Kennedy himself.
So I will conclude with that. I guess I will conclude
with one other thing. He loved Robert Frost. On his desk
here right now is a poem from Robert Frost, ``The Road Not
Taken.''
I know he was fond of Frost's work in particular. I keep
a little book of poems and things that matter to me,
quotations, and one of them is a poem by Robert Frost. It
is not ``The Road Not Taken,'' which is the poem on
Senator Kennedy's desk. It is a different one. But I will
close by reading it. It is called ``Acquainted with the
Night.''
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain--and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat.
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
O luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, once again, we mourn
another Kennedy, the last brother, a friend, a colleague,
a Senator's Senator, larger than life even in death,
certainly the most effective legislator of our time and
arguably the most effective Member of this body in the
whole of American history.
Across this Nation and across the political divide, we
have seen the impact of his life and work in the tearful
eyes of millions of Americans. Each faces a challenge to
continue his long and lasting legacy of hard-fought, hard-
won battles for hard-working families everywhere. His is a
legacy of hope for the unemployed, the dispossessed, the
downtrodden, the undereducated, the uninsured; a legacy of
hope for Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans, all
Americans who have come to this country, often with little
more than the clothes on their backs and a glorious dream
for a better life.
Ted Kennedy will be remembered by my generation as more
than the last brother, more than the end of an era. He
will be remembered as America's preeminent leader on fair,
responsible, humane immigration policy that always put
people first. For all of us, he was the standard-bearer of
headier days, of Camelot, of intellectual vitality,
political energy, and a deep and abiding commitment to
public service and to this beloved Senate. He taught us
through actions and deeds, in times of great personal
pain, the power of the human spirit to endure and prevail.
He symbolized the best of an era of progressive,
compassionate leadership in this country and a deep belief
that we must always ask what we can do for the country, a
torch unexpectedly passed to him which he carried with
dignity and humility through great tragedy as well as
great triumph.
He understood our personal struggles, however profound,
``make us stronger in the broken places,'' as Hemingway
said. For every Hispanic American and every American
across this Nation whose family came here to find a better
life, whatever their ethnicity or political views, Ted
Kennedy was a leader. His deep and abiding concern for the
struggles of hard-working people was not political. It is
simply part of the Kennedy DNA.
I remember the images of his brother, Bobby Kennedy, in
1967, 6,000 people surrounding him on the flatbed truck
that held a severely weakened Cesar Chavez. Bobby Kennedy
shared a piece of semita with Chavez and the crowd
cheered. They grabbed at Bobby to shake his hand and thank
him. He stood in front of the crowd and said:
The world must know from this time forward that the
migrant farmworker, the Mexican-American, is coming into
his own rights ... .
You are winning a special kind of citizenship; no one is
doing it for you--you are doing it yourselves--and
therefore, no one can ever take it away.
Fast forward to Washington, DC, in 2006, walking in his
brother's footsteps, Ted Kennedy stood in front of
hundreds of thousands of marchers on the same ground his
brothers had stood upon decades earlier. He stood with
immigrants and faith leaders and organizers. He called for
comprehensive immigration reform. The crowd of hundreds of
thousands roared, and he roared back, ``Si se puede. Si se
puede.'' Yes, we can.
Now he is gone, having fought his last battle with
courage and dignity, as he fought all others. But the
memories remain. I remember first coming to the Senate,
sitting down with him, his presence as commanding as I
thought it would be. I looked at him to learn all I could
from him about the Senate and, frankly, there was no more
patient or willing teacher. When I first sought to come to
the Senate, the one Member of the Senate who gave me the
most time and gave me the most encouragement and the
greatest opportunity to understand how to be successful in
the Senate was a person I could do the least for. It was
Ted Kennedy. I will never forget his kindness.
We worked together to protect the Senate restaurant
employees when their jobs were privatized. I learned what
made him such an effective legislator--because even as he
was dealing with the most incredible issues the country
was facing and leading on many of them, he had time to
remember the importance of that little person, people in
the Senate restaurant who might have been unemployed.
We all know no one can belt out an Irish ballad quite
like Teddy could. One of my favorite memories was of him
and me in New Jersey in a campaign where we sang Irish
ballads together. I learned then what made him the unique
person he is. I will never forget the sound of that voice
and the warmth of that heart. Each of us has had our own
memories of the man. Each of us has had our own deep
emotions when we heard of his death.
The editorial cartoonist, Lalo Alcaraz, said when his
wife heard that Ted Kennedy had lost his battle with
cancer, she pulled out one of her old buttons that her
mother had worn during the Presidential campaign in 1960.
That day, Lalo Alcaraz drew a cartoon of a much younger
Ted Kennedy. It is captioned with two simple words on the
campaign button: ``Viva Kennedy.''
As I sat in the Basilica in Boston with our colleagues
last week, I thought of all Ted Kennedy did to better the
lives of so many Americans, and I thought of those two
words over and over again: Viva Kennedy. He was a man who
truly believed in the idea and ideal that is America.
Although we may have come from different backgrounds,
different places, different cultures, though we may speak
different languages, we are one Nation, indivisible,
forged from shared values and common principles, each of
us united in our differences working for the betterment of
all of us, and no one worked harder for the betterment of
all of us than Ted Kennedy.
It is my sincere belief that in his passing he has once
again worked his magic and given us an opportunity to come
together, united in a deep and profound feeling of loss
and emptiness as we are even at this day. It would be like
him to be looking down upon these tributes today, nodding
his head and smiling, but he would be saying: Don't wait
for my memorials to be laid. He would say: Don't wait for
my words to be chiseled in marble at Arlington. Don't wait
for some bronze statue in Washington or a bridge named
after me in Boston. Stand up, do what is right for the
American people now. Do what is right for hard-working
families in your States, for hard-working families in my
State--in New Bedford, Brockton, Fall River, or Worcester.
I can see him standing over there where he always stood,
committed, informed, imposing, pounding on his desk,
shouting at the top of his lungs. You could hear it when
you were outside of the Chamber when he was in one of
those moments.
Those families don't have time to wait for a decent job
and wages. They don't have time to wait for a better job.
They don't have time to wait for decent, affordable,
quality care that is a right and not a privilege. That
booming voice would echo through this Chamber, and I think
it will echo through this Chamber for eternity.
When it comes down to it, we are his legacy. We in the
Senate are his memorial. We are the burning candles, and
he would tell us to have them burn brightly: Stand against
the wind. Stand against the storm. Stand against the odds.
For it is up to us now to light the world, as he did.
In this past week, I think we have all found new meaning
in those familiar words of Aeschylus, when he said:
And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls
drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair,
against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of
God.
Today, in our despair, let wisdom come. Let us honor the
memory of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy by not only
remembering the man but by continuing the good work he has
done.
I yield the floor.
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I am honored to be here to
add my voice to so many of those who today have eloquently
remembered Senator Ted Kennedy. Like so many who have
spoken today, I was the beneficiary of so many personal
kindnesses from Senator Kennedy.
I first met him on the campaign trail. In 1980, I was
actually on the other side in New Hampshire when he was
running against Jimmy Carter. Despite the fact that was a
very hard-fought campaign, and we won and he lost, when I
ran a winning campaign 4 years later in the New Hampshire
primary, Senator Kennedy was one of the first people to
call and congratulate me.
After that, I had the opportunity to campaign over the
years with Senator Kennedy. There was no one who could
fire up a crowd as he could. In 2000, I remember he was
there for Al Gore when times were tough in New Hampshire.
He was there for John Kerry in 2004. And I had the
opportunity to travel around the country with him in
support of John Kerry, his very good friend.
But I really got to see the difference he made in so
many lives when I worked with him at the Institute of
Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. I
had the opportunity to be chosen to be the director there,
and Senator Kennedy was one of those people who helped
make that decision and make that happen for me. What was
so impressive was that it did not matter how busy he was
with the work in Washington or with what he was doing in
Massachusetts; he never missed a meeting. His first
concern was always: What are the students doing? What is
going to excite them? What is going to get them involved
in politics and public service, because that was the
mission of the Institute of Politics. It was one of two
memorials that were established by the Kennedy family to
remember his brother, President John Kennedy. It was
always amazing to me to see someone who was so busy, so
prominent in national life, who never missed an
opportunity to talk with the freshman student who was
there who wasn't quite sure what they wanted to do, to
talk with and encourage the young people who were involved
at the institute to get involved in politics, in
government, in public service.
I know Senator Kennedy will be remembered for so many of
the kindnesses he provided to people. He will be
remembered by the tens of thousands of people whose lives
he touched. But I think one of his most significant
legacies will be those young people who are encouraged to
get involved in politics, who appreciate that public
service in government is an honorable profession because
of his leadership and the work he did.
I feel very honored and privileged to have worked with
him and to have had the opportunity to serve with him,
however briefly, in the Senate. I know we will all
remember for future generations what Senator Kennedy has
done.
PRINTING TRIBUTES FOR SENATORS KENNEDY AND MARTINEZ
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent
that the tributes to Senators Kennedy and Martinez in the
Congressional Record be printed as separate Senate
documents and that Senators be permitted to submit
statements for inclusion until Friday, October 9, 2009.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, it is equally a
solemn subject on which I rise to remember our friend and
colleague Ted Kennedy who died at the young age of 77. I
say ``young age'' because it was another one of our
colleagues, Senator John Glenn, who flew on a 10-day space
flight at age 77. Today, 11 years later, he still looks as
young as he looked back then. So 77 is way too young an
age for cancer to take our friend Ted Kennedy.
From the funeral and the remembrances, we know that he
was the youngest of nine children. He had three brothers.
He was born in 1932 and elected to the Senate in 1962. He
spent more than 46 years in the Senate, longer than all
but two of our colleagues. He loved this institution, and
he loved his fellow Senators. Of course, there are so many
pieces of major legislation affecting the well-being of
the American people, if they don't have his name on it,
they certainly bear his fingerprints. Many of those pieces
of legislation reflect the work of his pen.
He fought tirelessly for the sick, the poor, the
disabled, the children, the old. He was the driving force
behind efforts to guarantee rights to the disabled, to
provide family and medical leave, and to ensure a fair
minimum wage. He also remembered individuals, both his
colleagues, his staff, and his constituents. He was the
first person to call during hard times. Why do you think
that yesterday, our most esteemed colleague, Senator Byrd,
in his bent-over, physically disabled condition now, was
wheeled to this floor in his wheelchair, and his voice
rose to the occasion in memorializing his friend. I
remember Senator Byrd telling me how thoughtful Senator
Kennedy was on a major birthday in his eighties, when
Senator Kennedy had sent him the requisite number of
roses.
Of course, no matter what your political persuasion, you
could see Ted Kennedy as an example of public service. He
devoted his entire life to public service. He did so
despite his easy financial condition. He did so despite
numerous opportunities elsewhere. He did so despite seeing
his three brothers sacrifice their lives in service to
their country.
I want to quote from our colleague Ted Kennedy, from
April 2006. He said:
The defining aspect of our country is opportunity--the
hope that you can do better, that your children can do
better. But you need an even playing field. To do that,
you can't be sick and in school. You've got to have health
care. You've got to have an economy working to give people
a chance to get ahead. It is not guaranteed. But you do
have to have an opportunity. Our country is big enough and
strong enough and wealthy enough to give that kind of
opportunity to everybody. That's what I work on every day.
What an example for all of us. There is something else I
wish to say about our colleague, because much has been
made of his flaws. But who among us does not have flaws?
Maybe Senator Kennedy realized so much his flaws that he
decided despite those, he was going to do the best he
could do for his fellow humankind. So he dedicated his
life to the poor, the sick, the young and old, and the
disabled. He fought against discrimination of all types.
Indeed, he stood up for the least among us. Who cannot
admire that, in being a champion for the least among us.
Godspeed, Ted Kennedy.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I join my colleagues today
in remembering the amazing life of Senator Edward Kennedy,
a man beloved in the Senate and beloved in America.
My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Vicki, his
children, and his whole family.
Like so many others, I consider myself lucky to have
worked with him. He was more than a colleague, he was a
mentor and a friend.
I remember that he used to send me a message, ``The
lantern is lit,'' when we would have late night votes. It
was his way of beckoning me and a small group of
Senators--Senator Schumer, Senator Cantwell and maybe one
or two others--to his office in the Capitol where he would
regale us with stories as only an Irishman would.
Ted Kennedy's wit and stories, his passion for a cause
and his country and his love for the Senate made me want
to go to work every day. He never gave up and he had a
fiery zest for the legislative battles that was always
tempered by a bipartisan pragmatism.
I remember last year when we were working on the
Medicare improvements bill, which was absolutely critical
to Medicare recipients across the country.
Seniors were counting on us to pass this bill, but we
were just one vote short of the 60 we needed. But Harry
Reid knew how to find that last vote. The afternoon of the
vote, the doors of the Senate swung open and in walked
Senator Kennedy.
I will always remember watching him walk onto the Senate
floor with then-Senator Obama and his son Patrick on
either side of him. Every single Senator had made their
way to the floor, and the gallery was full. Applause
erupted as he walked in, even though it is against the
Senate rules. Each of us gave him a tearful hug and kiss
as he made his way to cast his vote.
His very presence seemed to open the floodgates.
Suddenly, a bill that was about to fail by one vote passed
by nine as Republicans who had spent weeks blocking the
bill suddenly switched their votes after Senator Kennedy
voted.
His presence was so persuasive that day because his
colleagues knew these were issues he believed in deeply,
and had spent his life fighting for. He never gave up on
the good fight.
Ted Kennedy, with his booming voice, gave a voice to the
voiceless and stood up for those who had no one standing
with them. As he said, ``We are all part of the American
family and we have a responsibility to help members of
that family when they are in need.''
Ted Kennedy did more than just speak these words; he
lived them. Day in and day out on the Senate floor, he
fought for justice and equality and opportunity for all
Americans.
I will give you just one example: After we tragically
lost our friend and colleague Paul Wellstone, Senator
Kennedy picked up his torch and helped get the Mental
Health Parity Act through the Senate.
His many achievements will be etched in the history
books and his legacy will live on in the hundreds of laws
that bear his name.
But Ted Kennedy will be remembered for more than just
his legislation; he will remembered for his heart and his
humor and his zest for life.
On a snowy winter day in Washington, DC, one year, one
of my friends took his family to go sledding and who
should he see? Senator Kennedy and Senator Dodd across the
way, sledding down by the National Cathedral.
This is the Ted Kennedy I will remember: a man who made
the most of life, a man who loved his friends and his
family and a man who worked each and every day to make
this country stronger.
While he will no longer walk onto the Senate floor, he
will remain with us through the lessons he taught us and
the memories he blessed us with.
Today, let us honor his life by picking up his torch and
continuing to fight the good fights, while also respecting
those on the other side of us.
Let us fulfill his dream of ``an America where we can
all contend freely and vigorously, but where we will
treasure and guard those standards of civility which alone
make this Nation safe for both democracy and diversity.''
Ted Kennedy loved this country and was willing to work
with anyone and find common ground in order to open the
doors of opportunity for all Americans.
He carried the weight of history on his shoulders, but
rose up to become the lion of the Senate and one of the
greatest legislators in our country's history.
Although he is no longer with us, he will continue to
inspire us.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, like all Americans, I will
never forget where I was on September 11, 2001, and I will
never forget the way our country responded. In the face of
great tragedy, Americans came together with courage and
unity.
Eight years later, we continue to face great challenges.
As a government--and as a Nation--we are working to
improve our safety and tackle the many difficulties facing
us today. The safety of all Americans remains priority No.
1 for everyone in government. We still have troops working
hard to protect and defend our Nation. At the same time,
we continue to recognize that our diversity is also
America's greatest strength. Despite our many differences,
in times of need we are always one Nation united.
This year, for the first time, 9/11 has been designated
a National Day of Service and Remembrance. It is with a
heavy heart that I stand on the floor of the Senate today,
marking this day with a cloak and white roses on the desk
of our departed colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy.
Ted worked to designate this day as one of service, and
in April the President signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve
America Act making that goal a reality. Ted would be proud
of each and every American who took up that call.
The mission of this new designation is:
[T]o honor the victims of 9/11 and those who rose to
service in response to the attacks by encouraging all
Americans and others throughout the world to pledge to
voluntarily perform at least one good deed, or another
service activity, on 9/11 each year. In this way we hope
to create a lasting and forward-looking legacy--annually
rekindling the spirit of service, tolerance, and
compassion that unified America and the world in the
immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
I cannot think of a better way to honor the memory of
those who were lost than by taking a moment today to
remember, and then performing a good deed or act of
service.
September 11 is not just a day of national loss but of
personal loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone
who lost a friend or loved one. Your loss is our loss, and
you are forever in our hearts.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Mr. DODD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that
the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S.
Res. 264, submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the
resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 264) designating the Caucus Room
of the Russell Senate Office Building as the ``Kennedy
Caucus Room.''
S. Res. 264
Whereas, during the last century, few rooms have borne
witness to as much history as the Caucus Room of the
Russell Senate Office Building;
Whereas, during the last century, few families have
played as integral a role in the history of the United
States as has the Kennedy family;
Whereas the Senate mourns the passing of Senator Edward
Moore Kennedy, one of the most accomplished, effective,
and beloved Senators of all time;
Whereas Senator Edward Moore Kennedy played a role in
every major national debate during the last 50 years,
serving as a constant champion of the disadvantaged and
overlooked;
Whereas the legacy of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy
includes not only his prolific achievements on behalf of
the people of the United States, but the enduring
friendships he formed with colleagues on both sides of the
aisle;
Whereas the wit and passion of Senator Edward Moore
Kennedy and his perseverance in the face of adversity will
be remembered in equal measure to his impressive
legislative and rhetorical skills;
Whereas Senator Edward Moore Kennedy was part of a proud
family tradition of public service, which included 2 other
distinguished Senators;
Whereas never before have 3 brothers served in the
Senate, and rarely have any 3 brothers served the United
States so well;
Whereas John Fitzgerald Kennedy served the people of
Massachusetts with distinction in the Senate, before being
elected the 35th President of the United States;
Whereas Robert Francis Kennedy served the people of New
York with distinction in the Senate, after serving as the
64th Attorney General;
Whereas Edward Moore Kennedy served the people of
Massachusetts with distinction in the Senate for nearly
half a century, acting as a tireless advocate for those
who might otherwise have been without an advocate;
Whereas the Senate has been greatly enriched by the
dedication, compassion, and talent of the 3 Kennedy
brothers who served as Senators;
Whereas, in the Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office
Building, the people of the United States have
commemorated tragedy, celebrated triumph, and held
hearings of great importance on the most important issues
facing the Nation;
Whereas it was in the Caucus Room of the Russell Senate
Office Building that both Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy
and Senator Robert Francis Kennedy announced their
intention to run for the office of the President of the
United States;
Whereas a spirit of passionate advocacy and deep respect
for the institution of the Senate should govern the
deliberations that take place in the Caucus Room of the
Russell Senate Office Building; and
Whereas the Senate wishes to honor the life and work of
Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, to recognize the
contributions of the 3 Kennedy brothers who served as
Senators, and to celebrate the spirit of public service
exemplified by the Kennedy family: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate designates room 325 of the
Russell Senate Office Building, commonly referred to as
the ``Caucus Room'', as the ``Kennedy Caucus Room'', in
recognition of the service to the Senate and the people of
the United States of Senators Edward Moore Kennedy, Robert
Francis Kennedy, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to
consider the resolution.
Mr. DODD. Madam President, I wish to take a second and
thank, first of all, the majority leader, Senator Reid,
for his support in this effort. I recognize as well our
colleague from Massachusetts, Senator Kerry, who is my
lead co-sponsor in this effort and a very close and dear
personal friend of Ted Kennedy for many years. And I thank
our colleagues.
We are joined by the presence of our colleague from the
other body, Senator Ted Kennedy's son Patrick, who serves
with great distinction in the other body. I am pleased he
is here with us at this moment to watch this resolution be
adopted.
I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed
to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider
be laid upon the table, en bloc, and that any statements
relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 264) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
Mr. KERRY. Madam President, I thank the distinguished
Senator from Connecticut. There was no closer or better
friend to Ted Kennedy than Chris Dodd. I admire and
respect his many efforts in the Senate to fight the fights
in the spirit of Ted Kennedy.
This could not be more appropriate, and I do not think
anything more needs to be said. I thank him, and I thank
the majority leader. It is wonderful to have Patrick,
Congressman Kennedy, on the floor of the Senate to share
in this moment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I join, of course, Senator
Kerry, Senator Dodd, and Congressman Kennedy in honoring
Patrick's father and the Kennedy family in what used to be
the Russell Caucus Chamber. There is no more appropriate
place, I believe, to honor Senator Kennedy than right
there.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I join with my colleagues
today to express my profound and heartfelt sadness on the
passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a universally
acknowledged ``lion of this institution''--an unsurpassed
colleague, a legislator's legislator, and political icon
of incalculable, landmark significance to the U.S. Senate
and the Nation and a good friend to me and to so many
others in this body through the years.
Like all of my colleagues here today, I want to first
and foremost offer my most sincere condolences to Ted's
extraordinary wife Vicki, who has been such a tower of
strength, courage, and faith; as well as to Ted's three
children, Kara, Ted, Jr., and Patrick Kennedy and two
stepchildren, Curran and Caroline Raclin; Ted's sister,
Jean Kennedy Smith, and to his entire family who have done
so much to shape the course of our Nation. My heart goes
out to Senator Kennedy's numerous grandchildren, nieces,
and nephews whose participation in his funeral mass could
not have been more moving. I also extend my deepest
sympathies to the people of Massachusetts. They have lost
a legendary champion and fierce advocate who served for
nearly half a century.
And how powerful and poignant was the remarkable
outpouring of respect and affection for Senator Kennedy by
the American people--from the streets of Boston, outside
the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and
near the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, to
congressional staff assembled on the Senate steps and
mourners and well-wishers on the Capitol grounds or along
the route to his final resting place at Arlington National
Cemetery.
On an occasion of such a large and historic loss,
summoning the appropriate words to capture the immense
depth and breadth of this moment as well as the magnitude
of its meaning represents the most daunting of challenges.
Like every Senator fortunate enough to serve in this
esteemed Chamber during the span of the last 46 years, I
have never known a Senate without Ted Kennedy, and it is
difficult to comprehend that this hallowed Chamber will
never again resound with Senator Kennedy's booming voice
that would literally shake these walls.
As I look around this Chamber, I know I am far from
alone in saying I will miss Ted's oratorical command of
rhetoric and argumentation as well as his passion-filled
gestures that punctuated his statements, and of course I
will never forget those occasions when Ted would really
get wound up as only Ted could, and his glasses would come
off, and he would swing them around and around, faster and
faster as his polemic reached a crescendo. And so, there
is a highly personal and inescapable void among all of us
that is at once acutely palpable, indescribable, and
unforgettable.
I can still remember entering the Senate in 1995 having
served in the U.S. House of Representatives and looking to
my fellow New Englander, Senator Kennedy, as a model
legislator, the best of his generation even then, for what
can be achieved in the Senate with passion and devotion
and an almost peerless ability to simply ``get things
done.''
I always profoundly admired Ted for his commitment to
this country and the steadfast, immutable determination he
exhibited each and every day as he sought to better our
Nation to benefit not just his constituents in
Massachusetts but all Americans. And he did so with
uncommon civility and candor, facility and efficacy,
partisanship and bipartisanship, as well as the most
seriousness of purpose and irrepressible good humor. In
short, Ted Kennedy combined legislative craftsmanship and
legendary statesmanship that were the marvel of his time
and that represented a pinnacle of leadership.
And part and parcel of his historic and overarching
legacy is not just the results produced by his hard-fought
labors, which have reached every corner of our country,
but how he legislated and conducted the demanding task of
advancing the public policy process. Where there was a
divide, he saw an opportunity to repair the breach. Where
there were opposing forces, he resolved to find a point of
alliance.
As my colleagues here can attest, Senator Kennedy was
ever-cognizant that your adversary today could, and
frankly often would be, your ally tomorrow--the staunch
opponent you encounter on one occasion may well support
you on another down the road. Because, for Ted, common
ground was not simply a plot of earth he tilled,
cultivated, or nourished; it was soil he intuitively knew
was meant to be shared and that would be improved through
collaboration. And he understood keenly that the most
powerful light was not the spotlight, but reflected light
that shone first on someone else.
And if Ted Kennedy put into practice the idea that
politics in the often-cited words of German Chancellor
Bismarck was indeed ``the art of the possible,'' he was
also equally adept at implementing the notion that
leadership was the catalyst for accomplishing the
impossible. Not, however, by going it alone but rather by
enlisting the active support of others.
The fact is, like so many of my colleagues in this
Chamber, I was privileged to work with Senator Kennedy on
several memorable measures, and one recent endeavor in
particular exemplifies his collaborative spirit--the
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. That experience
for me represented a microcosm of Ted's unrivaled
political and public policy acumen.
To begin with, Senator Kennedy, as chairman of the
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions, or HELP, ordinarily would have been the lead
sponsor on legislation being reported out of his
committee. But, as all of us in this Chamber know, there
was nothing ``ordinary'' about Ted Kennedy, and he
graciously deferred the lead sponsorship to me and instead
joined as lead Democratic sponsor of our measure, a
gesture of incredible generosity and good will that I will
never forget. And so, after already twice garnering Senate
passage, we began a third attempt to achieve Senate
enactment of vital reforms to protect Americans from both
health insurance and workplace discrimination based on
their genetic makeup. Beginning in November 2006, we
embarked on what was to be a second 18-month-long effort
to systematically address every issue which opponents
raised. Senator Kennedy's remarkable capacity to build
consensus with both his colleagues and stakeholders spoke
to his consummate skills as a legislator and negotiator.
Ted never tired in this undertaking, and his knowledge
and skills and those of his superb and dedicated staff
helped ensure our success when, on May 21 of last year, we
at last witnessed the enactment into law of this landmark
civil rights protection. Our victory was tempered,
however, by the fact that due to his illness, even then,
Ted could not join us at the White House that day for the
signing. And yet it speaks enormous volumes that Senator
Kennedy chose to devote his remaining energies in the past
15 months prior to his passing to ensuring that health
reform advance ever forward.
As anyone who has come into contact with Ted Kennedy can
tell you, he possessed and exuded a contagious joy and
exuberance that permeated all he did. I well recall a few
years ago being in Boston for a Base Closure and
Realignment Commission (BRAC) hearing, and we were waiting
for an elevator. As many in this Chamber will recall, this
was a very anxious and uncertain period for a number of
us. But I will always remember seeing the elevator doors
open and who should appear but Ted Kennedy, alongside a
large group of his constituents, fighting the closure of a
facility in Massachusetts. And without missing a beat, he
roared with his sonorous voice: ``You go fight them
Olympia with everything you've got!'' The whole crowd with
him cheered.
That moment reflected so much of what Ted exemplified,
encompassed, and meant to so many, and he approached his
causes with a ferocity of spirit and feeling that was
unmatched. It is true, as all of us in this institution
know all too well, if Ted Kennedy were opposite you in a
debate, and sometimes I was, it could be rough going, and
you had better be prepared! But if he were with you, let's
just say your chances for victory increased exponentially!
Ted never lost that gusto--not in legislating and not in
life. Who could forget witnessing Ted throwing out the
first pitch for New England's beloved Boston Red Sox at
this year's home opener at Fenway Park? Or his zeal for
his beloved Massachusetts or, for that matter, the Maine
coast which he loved so much where he sailed every summer.
Indeed, one year he and Vicki visited an inn near our
family place at Hancock Point. And I will always remember
the excitement and anticipation he exhibited as he showed
me his map of the journey he and Vicki were preparing to
undertake, sailing along the beautiful Maine coastline.
As my colleagues know above all, this greatest of
deliberative bodies has lost a giant and a legislative
standard-bearer who was tirelessly devoted to its history,
its stewardship, and its purpose, and his ardor and love
for this most august institution and the Nation it serves
will never be extinguished. Senator Kennedy now ranks
among a rarefied pantheon of legendary Senators such as
Daniel Webster and Henry Clay. He was, to evoke the title
of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by his brother, John,
truly a ``profile in courage.''
The great American poet, Carl Sandburg, once wrote:
I see America not in the setting sun of night ... I see
America in the crimson light of a rising sun. I see great
days ahead, great days possible to men and women of will
and vision.
Those days are indeed possible for this Senate, this
Congress, and our country precisely because of the
indefatigable will and limitless vision of public servants
such as Senator Ted Kennedy. We honor his memory and his
legacy best by striving every day to make this process
work for the U.S. Senate and for the American people.
And what Maine's own Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned
about another Senator from Massachusetts, Charles Sumner,
we say today about Senator Kennedy:
So when a great man dies,
For years beyond our ken,
The light he leaves behind him lies
Upon the paths of men.
So it will forever be with Senator Edward M. Kennedy. We
will not see his like again. He will be sorely missed.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Mr. DORGAN. Madam President, the other day when our
colleagues were talking about our departed colleague,
Senator Ted Kennedy, I was not able to be on the Senate
floor, and I did want to say just a few words about my
friend Ted Kennedy.
I had the pleasure of serving in this Chamber with him
for 16 years. He sat back at that desk in the row behind
me, and I had many opportunities to spend time and swap
stories and talk about public policy with him. I knew him
before I came to the Senate. As a very young man, I worked
on his brother Robert Kennedy's campaign for the
Presidency, and I met Ted Kennedy then. And I supported
Ted Kennedy in his 1980 Presidential campaign and met him
again.
When I came to the Senate, from time to time I was
invited to go to Hyannis Port to the Kennedy compound and
visited there with Senator Kennedy and his family and went
sailing with him. To sail with Senator Ted Kennedy was an
extraordinary experience. He was a wonderful sailor.
Many things have been said and written about Ted Kennedy
over the years, and especially in recent weeks since his
death. I don't need to repeat his many accomplishments
here in the Senate; my colleagues have done a great job
doing that. Those accomplishments spanned almost 47 years
and would take far too long and too much time to detail,
and many have done it, as I said.
I will not repeat his love of all things Irish. Everyone
understood that. He was a great Irish storyteller. No
prouder Irishman in the world, I daresay, than Ted
Kennedy.
I don't need to tell of his many acts of thoughtfulness
and kindness, large and small, for the powerful and the
powerless. They are well known already as well and,
already, much missed.
Many have talked about his wit and his love of story
telling and a good joke. That, too, was Ted Kennedy.
Laughing and making people laugh were part of the hallmark
of his character. Often, when I think of him, I think of a
booming laughter that filled the entire room when he was
full of joy.
I need not talk about his doggedness or his tireless
work ethic or his determination, for they, too, were well
known to all of us who worked with him. Those were the
pillars upon which he built success after success, often
small, but then building and building, step by step, until
it was consequential and often big.
Those were also the pillars on which he built decades of
relationships. I think those relationships were the keys
to understanding the man with whom we served--Ted Kennedy.
It didn't matter whether you were a Republican or a
Democrat or an Independent. It didn't matter if you were a
businessman or a janitor, young or old, White or Black,
rich or poor, powerful or powerless. Ted Kennedy wanted to
work with you to try to reach a compromise and see what
could be achieved together. He just never, ever stopped;
never gave up.
The great American essayist and author, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, once said:
The characteristic of heroism is in its persistency. All
men have wandering impulses, fits and starts of
generosity. But when you have chosen your part, abide by
it, and do not weakly try to reconcile yourself with the
world.
No one I know in this Chamber was more persistent than
Ted Kennedy. He chose his part; he abided by it; he didn't
try to reconcile his principles to the moment or to the
world; and, he fought and fought for what he believed in
and what he thought was right. Sometimes it was very
controversial, but he was persistent and fought long and
hard until the end.
Even when he was sick and tired and worn out, he fought
on because he loved his country, and he knew his
colleagues and others loved this country as much as he
did. He knew there was always that common ground, love of
country, and he knew that people of good faith, regardless
of party and regardless of position, could achieve great
things for the country they all loved.
When he was done, he had cast more than 16,000 votes.
More than 300 laws bear the name of Senator Ted Kennedy,
and he co-sponsored more than 2,000 others. That doesn't
include the thousands of laws he merely influenced. Much
of that work was done on the Senate floor. It was his
life's work.
If the Senate was his home, this Senate floor surely was
his front porch, where he would let everyone know what was
on his mind. When Senator Ted Kennedy, at that desk, was
on the Senate floor, you may not have agreed with him, you
might not have even cared about the subject before he
began to speak, but you had to listen, you had to respond,
and you had to take sides.
He was called the lion of the Senate by many. When he
was on the floor roaring, it was quite a sight and sound
to behold, a sound that moved hearts. It moved minds. It
moved this very institution and, indeed, the country
itself. He could be quietly persuasive, but on the Senate
floor his passion literally poured out of him.
It was said long ago of Daniel Webster, another famous
Senator from Massachusetts, that he was ``a great cannon
loaded to the lips.'' Well, Senator Kennedy was a great
cannon loaded to the lips, and this institution will long
miss that passion, those words, his spirit, his love of
life, and his love of this institution and our country.
There is an old saying that all men die, but not all men
live. Well, surely Ted Kennedy lived. Senator Ted Kennedy
lives in our hearts and in his good works and in his
life's work, and I just wanted today to join my colleagues
in saying: Ted, Godspeed, rest in peace, and all Members
of this Senate miss you dearly.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to
pay respect to the life and character of our dear friend
Ted Kennedy. A man as much a part of this institution as
the very walls of the Capitol, Ted has earned his place in
the world's history books and will never be forgotten.
I consider myself privileged to have worked with Ted on
several important issues, ranging from hate crimes
legislation to our time together on the Judiciary
Committee. Ted was responsible for the Matthew Shepard
Hate Crimes Act, an important piece of legislation
providing protection for vulnerable Americans that I was
proud to co-sponsor. He was instrumental in the passage of
SCHIP, a program that now insures the health of millions
of children across the country. The impact Ted Kennedy had
on civil rights legislation throughout his career is
simply immeasurable. Countless programs now serving the
American people could not exist today if not for the hard
work and determination of Ted Kennedy.
One of my most vivid memories working with Senator
Kennedy was during the now well-known confirmation
hearings of Robert Bork for the Supreme Court. Ted spoke
eloquently and with conviction against Judge Bork's
nomination, fearing the erosion of civil rights that would
occur were he confirmed. Ted refused to let this erosion
of rights take place, and I am proud to have joined him in
his fight against the nomination of Robert Bork.
Ted proved through his actions, both on and off the
Senate floor, that he was, above all, a man of compassion.
The single unifying theme of Ted's distinguished body of
work was his clear commitment to the people of this great
country. His love for the American people was clear
through the legislation he so strongly supported. Ted's
greatest concern was for the well-being of every American,
and he made it his mission to ensure the underprivileged
received the fair treatment they deserved.
In his lifetime, Ted Kennedy was able to accomplish more
than most men could ever dream of accomplishing. I have no
doubt that if we were lucky enough to have him with us
today, he would continue to add even greater
accomplishments to his already impressive resume. Ted will
be deeply missed.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, I rise today to
give tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy.
It is impossible to sum up Senator Ted Kennedy in words
or a speech. His life and work touched so many diverse
interests and issues. Senator Kennedy was larger than
life. He was a champion for the underdog--those in our
society who just needed a hand up. For close to five
decades, Senator Kennedy championed policies for American
workers, minorities, parents, immigrants, gays and
lesbians, people with disabilities and illnesses, among
others. And I think I can safely say he was the greatest
legislator in the history of the Senate.
In the words of Senator John McCain during his
Presidential bid, ``I have described Ted Kennedy as the
last lion in the Senate ... because he remains the single
most effective Member ... if you want to get results.''
While he was known as a champion for liberal causes,
Senator Kennedy's hallmark was to reach across the aisle,
passing legislation with his Republican friends, such as
Orrin Hatch and John McCain. He never let partisanship
stop him from doing what was right for the American
people.
But his most important role was that of the patriarch of
the Kennedy family--a family that faced tragedy that most
of us never will experience and can never fathom. Despite
the loss of three brothers taken long before their time,
and the loss of a nephew, a rising star, Ted Kennedy rose
above the burdens of life and became the rudder of the
Kennedy ship, the driving force of the family--a family
dedicated to public service. Fortunately for all of us,
that dedication has been passed on to the next generation,
and it has influenced families across our Nation,
including mine.
The Kennedy family and my own family first crossed paths
decades ago, and our family stories continue to be
intertwined. My dad, Mo Udall, and uncle, Stewart Udall,
supported John Kennedy in his race for President. Ted
Kennedy was JFK's man on the ground in the Southwest
States.
In fact, the Udalls have been called the ``Kennedys of
the West.'' And as my Aunt Elma says, ``we are flattered''
by that comparison.
In many ways we are as different as they come. Kennedys
are the East. Kennedys are the ocean. Kennedys are
Catholic immigrants. Udalls are the West. Udalls are the
desert. Udalls are Mormon dirt farmers.
But it is true that my family was drawn to the Kennedys'
deep commitment to religious freedom and dedication to
public service. My family also shares a commitment to
public service. My Uncle Stewart served as President
Kennedy's Secretary of the Interior. And my father ran for
and won in a special election in 1960 for Uncle Stewart's
congressional seat. Some claim that his race was a
referendum on the fledgling Kennedy administration, and
that his victory was an affirmation of America's support
for the goals of his Presidency.
Whether that is true, it has proved to be a connection
that would keep our families close for decades. And what
binds the two families are the friendships that have been
fostered over decades, since friendships that cross
generations hopefully will continue into the next.
In 1971, my father ran for majority leader of the House
of Representatives and lost. The same year, Senator
Kennedy lost his bid for Senate whip. Soon after came a
note to my father from Senator Kennedy which said, ``Mo,
as soon as I pull the liberal knives out of my back, I'll
help you dig out the liberal buckshot from your
backside.''
My dad supported Ted Kennedy in his primary bid to
become President in 1980.
He and Ted were friends for many decades, and in many
ways they were kindred spirits. They loved the outdoors,
national parks, skiing in Colorado, and family touch
football. We all will remember the photographs of Ted on
his sailboat with his family, his love of the ocean and
boating, and sharing it with generations of Kennedy
children.
A few years after my dad lost his battle with
Parkinson's disease, Senator Dennis DeConcini of Arizona
sponsored legislation to establish the Morris K. Udall
Foundation. Senator Kennedy joined in sponsoring the
measure. In speaking about my dad, he noted:
He will rank as one of the greatest Members of the House
of Representatives of all time, and also as one of the
most beloved. ... Somehow, for 30 years, whenever you
probed to the heart of the great concerns of the day, you
found Mo Udall in the thick of the battle, championing the
rights of average citizens against special interest
pressures, defending the highest ideals of America, and
always doing it with the special grace and wit that were
his trademark and that endeared him to Democrats and
Republicans alike.
If my dad were alive today, I think he would use the
same words to describe Senator Kennedy. They both brought
people together to do what is right for our country.
Recently, as I have thought about Senator Kennedy's
legacy, I have remembered my dad's 1980 speech at the
Democratic National Convention. After a tough primary
battle, the Democrats were digging in and fighting among
themselves. They needed to set aside their differences and
join together to win the election. My dad rose to give the
keynote address to remind Democrats that they were in this
fight together. ``We do fight, and we kick and yell and
scream and maybe even scratch a bit, but we fight because
we are a diverse party and because we've always tried to
listen up to new ideas.''
He concluded the speech with these comments:
This Nation that we love will only survive if each
generation of caring Americans can blend two elements:
change and the ability to adjust things to the special
needs of our times; and second, stability, the good sense
to carry forward the old values which are just as good now
as they were 200 years ago.
These elements epitomize Ted Kennedy's legacy. He knew
when a person or group of people needed a change in their
circumstances.
His strong Catholic faith was the compass that guided
his life. It was the driving force that led him to fight
to make a difference in other people's lives, particularly
those who were less fortunate.
Ted Kennedy's legislative successes are numerous and
unquestionably have changed lives for the better. He
fought to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting
Rights Act of 1965. In the 1990s, he labored to pass the
Family and Medical Leave Act. And he and Senator Hatch
worked across the aisle to pass the Ryan White CARE Act.
And it is his lifelong battle for universal health care
coverage for Americans that he is best known for today.
The Kennedy and Udall ideals can live on through the
younger generation. My cousin Tom and I served in the
House of Representatives with Patrick Kennedy. Not only
were we colleagues, but we are friends. We grew up in
political families and, from an early age, public service
was a way of life. I was a proud supporter of Patrick's
crusade to pass mental health parity legislation in the
House. Fortunately, Senator Kennedy lived to see his son's
work come to fruition, keeping faith with the special
Kennedy credo: aid those who need a helping hand.
Tom, Patrick, and I, as well as the rest of the Kennedy
and Udall family members, have big shoes to fill. Whether
we can actually fill them remains to be seen, but we must
certainly push the trail blazed by our aunts and uncles,
fathers and mothers as far as our endurance allows.
Senator Ted Kennedy surely will be missed not only on
the Senate floor, but in our lives. I deeply regret I will
not serve with him in the Senate in the years ahead. He
was a champion, a fighter, and a friend. I want to say
``goodbye'' not only for me, but for my dad, his friend.
And I send my thoughts and prayers to Vicki, Patrick, and
the rest of the Kennedy family.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I am saddened by the death
of my colleague from Massachusetts, Senator Edward
Kennedy.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Senator Kennedy
dedicated his life to serving his country and the
Commonwealth. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1951,
beginning his long career of public service. Elected in
1962, Senator Kennedy is the third longest serving Senator
in the history of the Senate. He served the people of
Massachusetts well for more than 46 years, and I know his
family and the people of Massachusetts are proud to call
him one of their own.
Senator Kennedy had a long list of accomplishments to
show for the people of Massachusetts and the Nation. He
was a political icon who served with great distinction and
passion for nearly a half century in the U.S. Senate, and
whether I agreed with him or not, I always admired the way
he fought for the issues he believed in. His leadership in
the Senate will be missed and it has truly been an honor
serving with him.
Mr. President, Senator Kennedy will be greatly missed.
Mary and I give our heartfelt condolences to his wife,
Vicki, and the entire Kennedy family.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Mr. REID. ... He [Orrin Hatch] excelled in his younger
days as a basketball player, has fought in the ring, and
as we have heard from the Republican leader, he is an
accomplished musician, and he really is. He recently wrote
a song in honor of Senator Kennedy. It is not the first
song he has written about his friend. ...
Mr. HATCH. ... This body means a great deal to me. We
all saw what it meant to Ted Kennedy and the great
accolades he received throughout his lifetime. It was a
real privilege to be close to him, as I am to almost all
of you and will be to all of you. ...
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I ask to have printed in
the Record a poem written by Mr. Albert Carey Caswell. Mr.
Caswell is a valued tour guide of the U.S. Capitol whose
great enthusiasm and love of our country has inspired him
to compose over 500 poems. Mr. Caswell wrote this poem in
tribute to the remarkable life and work of our beloved
late colleague Senator Ted Kennedy.
The information follows.
Upon This Floor
(In honor of and in memory of Senator Edward M. Kennedy)
(By Albert Carey Caswell)
Upon this floor ...
From our forefathers so bore ...
A dream, for all our futures to ensure ...
Now in history, the world's greatest of all democracies
...
Upon this floor ...
For as the years have played out ...
The United States Senate, would so tout!
Some of the greatest, from Clay, Calhoun to Webster no
doubt ...
Men of conscience and of faith, who would so debate ...
Who but in their hands, were but put our nation's future
fate.
Upon this floor!
Who all but for the greater good, did but all they could
...
Giants one and all, who but heard our nation's call ...
Her call to public service, upon this floor ...
And now as the years have gone by ...
A new great, a new giant has so arrived ...
A name we now so utter with tear in eye ...
Edward M. Kennedy, who upon this floor spoke so
eloquently!
Whose word was one to be cherished and respected!
The most effective Senator, as John McCain expressed this!
For legislation can be a blood sport ...
For only those of great heart and courage, will like lions
roar!
And yet, in all that heat ... it takes a leader who can
make minds meet!
As was this man, so charming and sweet!
And leave their most hallowed marks upon this floor ...
With Teddy's passing, I rise to state ...
Without objection, we have lost one of the truly greats!
There will be no quorum call, or voice vote expected!
Or a bill, for The President to sign ... stating of such
perfection!
For he, was A Man For All Seasons ...
Who knew how to debate, and more importantly how to
reason!
A giant among mere men, who with his principles would so
splendidly and steadfastly defend!
Motivating women and men, with but his heart of a champion
...
Time and time again, upon this floor ...
Ted, you are gone, but not forgotten ...
For history and heaven so holds a place, for the champions
of the downtrodden!
For artists, who know how to so create ... and legislate!
Whether, with a voice of a lion making the Senate quake!
Or like a fine surgeon, so delicately legislation you'd
manipulate ...
Yea, Teddy ... Daniel Webster ain't got nothing on you!
And in the Senate reception room ...
And upon this floor my son ... history will you so view!
One of the greatest who's who!
Now, up in Heaven ... it's the greatest of debates between
Daniel and you!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Mr. CARDIN. ... He [Tom Perez] then later took a very
important assignment in the Senate. He became special
counsel to Senator Ted Kennedy. What a mentor for him. He
has commented frequently about his year in the Senate and
what a great learning experience it was to understand the
importance of the Civil Rights Division from the champion
of civil rights in the Senate, Senator Kennedy. ...
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, it was called to my
attention a few minutes ago that our deadline for comments
about Ted Kennedy is coming up tomorrow. I wanted to beat
the deadline. I always wait until the last minute, it
seems. One of the reasons I did is because there are so
many things people are not aware of, so I took the time to
send to places such as Western Sahara and elsewhere to get
documents that better explained a little bit more about
who Ted Kennedy was than has already been stated on the
floor of the Senate.
I have a good friend whose name is Mouloud Said. He is
the Ambassador at Large of Western Sahara. He and I worked
together for many years trying to bring some sanity into
what has happened over the last 35 years in Western
Sahara.
For the record, since people are not aware of this
conflict that took place, back in 1975, the Moroccans
invaded what was then called Spanish Sahara, later called
Western Sahara. There were a lot of people chased out at
that time. They fled. War ensued between 1975 and 1991. It
continued during that time. When Morocco invaded that area
that was later called Western Sahara, the refugees, the
people who were living there who rightfully should be in
that area, who should be living there today, were chased
into Algeria. Tindouf is an area I have been to a couple
times. The refugee camps there are so large. There are
actually 175,000 refugees who were chased out of Western
Sahara and have been wanting to be repatriated since then.
One of the former Secretaries of State, James Baker, was
a hero in this area. He did the best he could to see that
repatriation would take place. It seemed like every time
they got close to working out something with Morocco, they
would get right up to the altar, and then they would cut
it off. They would agree something should be done, but as
they would come to agreement and get together, Morocco
would back down. That took place for a long period of
time.
You cannot be empathetic with the people who are there
until you have walked through the little alleys and the
stucco houses in Tindouf and see how these people are
living, hearing their chants, their cries for freedom.
Three generations now have been trying to escape, to be
repatriated, and it hasn't worked.
I have a letter--I will read part of it--that ties
Senator Kennedy and me to this issue. This is from Mouloud
Said, who is Ambassador at Large of Western Sahara:
Indeed, this was precisely the case when Senator James
Inhofe and the late Senator Edward Kennedy reached across
the political aisle to jointly promote the cause of
justice and freedom in the Western Sahara, and respect for
human rights of the Saharawi people. As recognized by the
United Nations Charter, the African Union, and the
American Constitution, all people have the inalienable
right to freedom and self-determination, and the Saharawi
people will be forever indebted to these great Senators
for their principled and bipartisan stand on behalf of the
Saharawi's fundamental rights.
That is what it is all about. We would see these people
out there, and they had no one to take care of them. The
Moroccans, they have friends. I have to say this: I
testified probably 2 or 3 years ago at a House committee
hearing. At that time, we made a list of all the lobbyists
Morocco had hired. They had everybody. The money was all
on one side, and only the Lord and a few people who were
sympathetic to them were on the side of those people who
have been living on the Algerian border for the last 35
years. That is what they are going through at this time.
It is very sad.
I want to mention, talking about Ted Kennedy, how
persistent he was. This goes all the way back to his
involvement, back to the time when the war was still
taking place. I have statements I am going to enter into
the Record. They are not long. One goes back to October 1,
1992, a ``Statement by Senator Edward M. Kennedy at Senate
Foreign Relations Africa Subcommittee Hearing on the
Western Sahara.'' He goes through and tells the story of
what he has attempted to do, and he had not been able to
successfully get it done. The same as with James Baker and
myself.
January 1994, ``Statement by Edward M. Kennedy in
Support of Amendment Promoting Implementation of Peace
Plan in the Western Sahara.'' January 1994, we thought at
that time we had it done. Again, an arrangement was made.
It was agreed to by all parties until they got together.
June 23, 1999, ``Senator Kennedy Calls for Greater
Progress on Western Sahara Referendum.'' A referendum is
all they want. They want self-determination. They want to
be able to vote as to whether they want to be repatriated,
which is something we in America would assume everybody
has that right. But that is not the situation.
Senator Kennedy, again, went to battle to help them in
June 23, 1999, and was not able to get it done.
Then, again, in 2000, he actually offered amendments for
holding referendums in Western Sahara.
Later in that same year, he appealed to King Mohammed VI
of Morocco to give these people a chance, at least, of
self-determination. He was unable to get that done.
I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record
these documents.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
Statement by Senator Edward M. Kennedy at Senate Foreign
Relations Africa Subcommittee Hearing on the Western
Sahara
(October 1, 1992)
I want to thank Senator Simon, the subcommittee
chairman, for holding this important hearing today.
The ongoing crisis in the Western Sahara raises serious
questions regarding the Government of Morocco's
willingness to honor its international commitment to a
free and fair referendum in that territory. It also brings
into question the credibility of the United Nations in
administering the Western Saharan peace plan, and our own
government's commitment to the principles of sovereignty
and self-determination.
Barring immediate and dramatic progress, the peace plan
for the Western Sahara is destined to fail. If the peace
plan is to succeed, the United States must do more to make
clear--through deed as well as word--its commitment to a
free and fair referendum for the indigenous Saharawi
people.
The Western Sahara is the last vestige of colonialism in
Africa. The U.N. Decolonization Committee called for
decolonization in 1966, while it was still under Spanish
rule. In 1973, the General Assembly called for a
referendum on self-determination by the Saharawi. Spain
agreed to hold a referendum and took a census to provide a
voting list.
Shortly thereafter, Morocco and Mauritania, seeking
access to the territory's valuable natural resources, laid
claim to the Western Sahara. In an effort to strengthen
its claim to the territory, Morocco requested an advisory
opinion from the International Court of Justice on its
legal status. The Court found that neither Morocco nor
Mauritania had ties to the Western Sahara sufficient for
claims of territorial sovereignty. Like the United
Nations, the Court supported ``self-determination and
genuine expression of the will of the peoples'' to
determine the territory's legal status.
Rather than accept that decision, King Hassan II sent
Moroccan troops into the Western Sahara. Clashes ensued
between Moroccan forces and the Polisario, the armed
resistance of the Saharawi. Invading troops
``disappeared'' thousands of Saharawi civilians, most of
whom were killed. Hundreds of others were detained without
charge--and remain imprisoned today.
The Moroccan invasion touched off an exodus of refugees
from the Western Sahara into Algeria. Seventeen years
later, tens of thousands of these refugees continue to
subsist in emergency relief tents with minimal food and
water under extremely oppressive desert conditions
including violent sandstorms and blistering heat exceeding
160 degrees.
In what became known as the ``Green March,'' King Hassan
then sent 350,000 Moroccan civilians into the territory to
strengthen his claim. Within months of the Moroccan influx
Spain withdrew, granting Morocco and Mauritania
``temporary authority'' to administer the territory until
a referendum could be held.
Neither Morocco nor Mauritania granted the Saharawi the
right to self-determination, and their war against the
Polisario steadily escalated. The Polisario's use of land
rovers and quick strike tactics, however, achieved
surprising successes against Moroccan and Mauritanian
forces, and in 1979 Mauritania renounced its claims to the
territory.
Finally, after over a decade of war, the Government of
Morocco agreed to a U.N.-sponsored peace plan leading to a
referendum, under which the Saharawi would vote for
independence or integration with Morocco. In 1990, the
Security Council adopted resolutions approving the plan
and establishing the United Nations Mission for the
Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
Under the plan, a cease-fire was to go into effect on
September 6, 1991, and the referendum was to be held in
early 1992. The parties agreed to use the 1974 Spanish
census, which recorded approximately 74,000 Saharawis, to
establish a voting list for the referendum.
Yet, only days before the cease-fire was to go into
effect, Morocco bombed a compound that the Saharawi had
constructed to house MINURSO personnel.
Inexplicably, the United States was the sole country on
the U.N. Security Council which failed to condemn this
outrageous action.
After the cease-fire went into effect, King Hassan
changed his position on the voting list. After he agreed
to base the list upon the 1974 census, he presented the
U.N. with a list of 120,000 additional voters from Morocco
whom he claimed were Saharawi and should also be permitted
to vote. These individuals were transported into the
Western Sahara in violation of the peace plan, which
forbids the unilateral transfer of populations into the
territory without identification at the border by U.N.
personnel.
Under the peace plan, MINURSO observers are to implement
and monitor the cease-fire, oversee the release of POWs,
identify and register voters, and organize the referendum.
Fully employed, MINURSO was to consist of 1,695 military
and civilian personnel.
Yet as of today, 9 months after the referendum was to
have been held, fewer than 400 MINURSO personnel are in
Western Sahara. With severely limited equipment and
personnel, these observers have been forced to restrict
their focus to monitoring the cease-fire. Due to serious
violations of the peace plan by the Government of Morocco,
the observers have been prevented from fostering an
atmosphere of confidence and stability conducive to
holding a free and fair referendum.
These violations include preventing critical supplies
for U.N. personnel from reaching the field; denying U.N.
observers access to military areas; threatening to shoot
U.N. personnel; intercepting and blocking U.N. patrols and
sideswiping U.N. vehicles; refusing to identify land mines
to U.N. observers, resulting in the loss of three U.N.
vehicles and serious injury to U.N. personnel; banning
access to the territory by international observers,
reporters, and human rights organizations; refusing to
withdraw any of its 130,000 troops; and declining to
provide figures on the strength and deployment of its
armed forces, despite written instructions to do so from
the U.N. Secretary General.
Last month, in the most serious violation of the peace
process, King Hassan announced his intention to hold his
own elections in the territory, independently of the
United Nations--thereby wholly undermining the U.N.
effort.
Ironically, U.N. observers have also been severely
hampered by lack of material and political support from
the United Nations in New York, which has routinely
ignored Moroccan violations of the peace plan. The
Secretary General has failed to respond politically to
MINURSO's reports of cease-fire violations--including 178
confirmed violations of the cease-fire, the transfer of
thousands of Moroccan citizens to the territory prior to
their identification by the United Nations, and continuous
misbehavior with respect to MINURSO.
Accordingly, MINURSO personnel in the field today are
attempting to carry out their duties without the
cooperation of the Government of Morocco and without the
political backing of the United Nations.
Despite Morocco's flagrant violations of the peace plan,
the Bush administration has failed to press King Hassan in
any significant manner with respect to the Western Sahara.
To the contrary, the administration has requested that $40
million in military aid and $12 million in economic
support funds be earmarked for Morocco for FY 1993. This
is particularly perplexing, inasmuch as no funds were
earmarked for Morocco during FY 1992.
I hope that the witnesses for the administration will
make clear today why the United States is not condemning
Morocco for its violations of the peace plan. The
administration should also explain why it is unwilling to
urge the United Nations to do more to defend this
important peace initiative.
Failure of the U.N. peace plan will have serious
consequences for the stability of North Africa. Unless the
administration makes clear to the Government of Morocco
its commitment to a free and fair referendum for the
Saharawi, fighting in the Western Sahara may soon be
renewed. That is a result none of us wants, and now is the
time to prevent it from happening.
a
Statement by Senator Edward M. Kennedy in Support of
Amendment Promoting Implementation of Peace Plan in the
Western Sahara
(January 1994)
I am introducing today, on behalf of myself and Senators
Pell, Kassebaum, and Simon an amendment to support the
indigenous people of the Western Sahara in their long and
arduous struggle for self-determination.
As U.S. citizens, we are fortunate to live in a country
founded on human rights principles and the right to a
government of our own choosing. Our democratic ideals have
inspired peoples in all hemispheres around the world.
Elections during the past 12 months in Russia, Burundi,
Cambodia, Paraguay, and Yemen are examples of the world-
wide trend away from authoritarianism and toward
representative government.
Sadly, this trend has not yet reached all regions of the
world. The indigenous Saharawi people in the Western
Sahara have waited more than 18 years to regain their
right to self-determination. Hopefully, that right will
soon be restored to them.
Since Morocco's invasion of the Western Sahara in 1975,
King Hassan II has staged a long and costly war against
the Saharawi people to obtain permanent access to that
territory's valuable natural resources.
For years, Morocco ignored proposals by the U.N. General
Assembly calling for a referendum on self-determination by
the Saharawi. When Morocco took its claim over the
territory before the International Court of Justice, the
Court found that Morocco did not have ties sufficient for
claims of territorial sovereignty. Like the United
Nations, the Court supported ``self-determination and
genuine expression of the will of the peoples'' to
determine the territory's legal status.
Rather than accept that decision, King Hassan sent
Moroccan troops into the territory who killed and
``disappeared'' thousands of Saharawi who were unwilling
to recognize Moroccan sovereignty. Then, in what became
known as the ``Green March,'' King Hassan sent 350,000
Moroccan citizens into the Western Sahara to strengthen
his claim to it.
Finally, after over a decade of war, the Government of
Morocco agreed to a U.N.-sponsored peace plan leading up
to a referendum under which the Saharawi would vote for
independence or integration with Morocco. Under this plan,
a cease-fire was to go into effect on September 6, 1991,
and the referendum was to be held in early 1992. The
parties agreed to use a 1974 census, which recorded
approximately 74,000 Saharawis, to establish a voting list
for the referendum.
Yet, only days before the cease-fire was to go into
effect, Morocco bombed a compound the Saharawi had
constructed to house U.N. personnel. In addition, King
Hassan changed his position on the voter list.
After having previously agreed to base the list upon the
1974 census, he presented the United Nations with a list
of 170,000 Moroccans whom he claimed should also be
permitted to vote. These individuals were moved into the
Western Sahara in violation of the peace plan, which
forbids the unilateral transfer of population into the
territory without prior identification by U.N. personnel.
U.N. observers have also expressed concern regarding
other violations of the peace plan by the Government of
Morocco. These violations have prevented the observers
from fostering an atmosphere of confidence and stability
conducive to holding a free and fair referendum.
The violations include preventing critical supplies for
U.N. personnel from reaching the field; denying U.N.
observers access to military areas; threatening to shoot
U.N. personnel; intercepting and blocking U.N. patrols and
sideswiping U.N. vehicles; refusing to identify land mines
to U.N. observers, resulting in the loss of three U.N.
vehicles and serious injury to U.N. personnel; banning
access to the territory by international observers,
reporters, and human rights organizations; refusing to
withdraw its troops; and declining to provide figures on
the strength and deployment of its armed forces, despite
written instructions to do so from the U.N. Secretary
General.
In one of the most serious violations of the peace
process, King Hassan held his own elections in the
territory in June--thereby directly undermining the U.N.
effort.
U.N. officials nonetheless remain hopeful of holding the
referendum this year. For the referendum to be free and
fair, the United Nations must disqualify Moroccan settlers
from eligibility to vote in the referendum.
Failure of the U.N. peace plan is likely to have serious
consequences for the stability of North Africa. If the
Government of Morocco continues to obstruct the peace
process, fighting in the Western Sahara may well be
renewed.
At this critical stage in the peace process the United
States must do more to make clear--through deed as well as
word--our commitment to a free and fair referendum for the
Saharawi people.
The amendment we are introducing today:
(1) Commends the President for his commitment within the
United Nations and in bilateral relations to a free and
fair referendum on self-determination in the Western
Sahara;
(2) Supports the United Nations' commitment to holding a
free and fair referendum, and commends the Secretary
General for intensifying his efforts toward that end;
(3) Commends the administration for undertaking new
policy initiatives with regard to the Western Sahara,
including the opening of contacts with the Polisario Front
at the Saharawi refugee camp in Tindouf, Algeria;
(4) Calls upon Morocco and the Polisario Front to comply
strictly with the terms of the peace plan as accepted by
the parties and approved by the U.N. Security Council;
(5) Calls upon Morocco to put an end to the transfer of
population not properly identified by the United Nations
as eligible voters in the referendum from Morocco into the
Western Sahara, and to return to Morocco all such
individuals currently in the Western Sahara;
(6) Calls upon Morocco and the Polisario Front to
continue the direct dialog they began under the auspices
of the United Nations in July 1993 with the goal of
furthering the peace process;
(7) Calls upon Morocco and the Polisario Front to allow
international human rights organizations to enter Morocco,
the Western Sahara, and refugee camps under their control
to assess the human rights situation; and
(8) Calls upon the President to:
Strongly advocate within the United Nations and in
bilateral relations the implementation of the peace plan
as accepted by the Polisario Front and Morocco and
approved by the U.N. Security Council;
Urge all parties concerned to take all steps necessary
to begin voter registration, starting with the updated
lists of the 1974 Spanish census, and to overcome their
differences regarding the interpretation and application
of the criteria for voter eligibility;
Institute regular contact at all levels in Washington
with representatives of the Polisario Front, in order to
strengthen the United States' evenhanded position with
respect to the Western Sahara; and
Encourage the parties to allow independent international
observers, including human rights organizations, to
monitor the situation in the territory and observe the
referendum process.
The ongoing crisis in the Western Sahara raises serious
questions regarding the Government of Morocco's
willingness to honor its international commitment to a
free and fair referendum in the Western Sahara. This
amendment would make clear our government's support for
the U.N. peace process and America's commitment to the
principles of sovereignty and self-determination.
I urge my colleagues to join us in enacting this timely
and important measure.
a
Senator Kennedy Calls for Greater Progress on Western
Sahara Referendum
(June 23, 1999)
Senator Edward M. Kennedy today praised the Senate for
calling for greater progress on a long-stalled referendum
on self-determination for the people of the Western
Sahara.
Since 1988, the United Nations has sought to organize a
free, fair, and open referendum in the Western Sahara, the
former Spanish colony that Morocco has illegally occupied
since 1975.
Kennedy said, ``A solution to the conflict over the
Western Sahara will enhance security and stability in
Northern Africa. After more than ten years of delay, the
people of the Western Sahara should be permitted to
determine for themselves who will govern them.''
Kennedy, Republican Senator Gordon Smith, and Democratic
Senator Patrick Leahy sponsored an amendment accepted by
the Senate on the State Department Reauthorization Bill to
require the State Department to report on progress on the
referendum. The bill, including the Western Sahara
amendment, was passed by the Senate yesterday.
The International Court of Justice, the Organization of
African Unity, the United States, and many other nations
throughout the world have not recognized Morocco's claim
to the Western Sahara, but Morocco's occupation continues.
Tens of thousands of the Saharawi people languish in
refugee camps in Southern Algeria and have been denied the
opportunity to determine their own future.
A UN referendum was originally scheduled for 1992. It
has since been delayed many times, primarily due to the
resistance of the Government of Morocco. The referendum is
now scheduled for July 2000.
In the 1997 Houston Accords, achieved under the
leadership of former Secretary of State James Baker, and
in a UN plan last December, the international community
called for the conclusion of the voter registration
process and a referendum. Morocco subsequently agreed to
allow the referendum to occur by July 2000.
Senator Kennedy praised the Administration's efforts to
resolve this longstanding dispute. He urged the State
Department to make it clear to both parties to this
dispute that the United States expects the people of the
Western Sahara to be allowed to exercise their right to
self-determination in a free, fair, and open referendum by
July 2000.
``Morocco has been a faithful ally of the United States
for more than 200 years,'' said Kennedy, ``but its refusal
to allow the people of the Western Sahara to determine
their own political future undercuts America's efforts to
promote democracy worldwide.''
The Kennedy-Smith-Leahy amendment requires the State
Department to report on January 1, 2000 and again on June
1, 2000 on specific steps being taken by the Government of
Morocco and by the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario) to ensure a
free, fair, and open referendum by July 2000 for the
people of the Western Sahara to choose between
independence and integration with Morocco.
The State Department reports will include a description
of preparations for the referendum and the extent to which
free access to the territory will be guaranteed for
independent and international organizations, including
election observers and international media. Human rights
organizations and other international organizations must
also be permitted to observe the referendum.
In addition, the reports will include a description of
current efforts by the Department of State to ensure that
the referendum will be held, and an assessment of the
likelihood that the July 2000 date will be met.
The reports will also include a description of
obstacles, if any, to the voter registration process and
other preparations for the referendum and efforts being
made by the parties and the United States Government to
overcome those obstacles. Finally, the reports will
include an assessment of progress being made in the
repatriation process.
a
(Purpose: To require reports with respect to the holding
of a referendum on Western Sahara)
On page 115; after line 18, add the following new
section:
SEC. ___. REPORTS WITH RESPECT TO A REFERENDUM ON WESTERN
SAHARA.
(a) Reports Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than each of the dates specified in
paragraph (2)1 the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the
appropriate Congressional committees describing specific steps being taken
by the Government of Morocco and by the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLIS-RIO)\1\ to ensure that a referendum
in which the people of the Western Sahara will choose between independence
and integration with Morocco will be held by March 2000.
(2) Deadlines for submission of report.--The dates referred to in
paragraph (1) are November 1, 1999, and February 1, 2000.
(b) Report Elements.--The report shall include--
\1\Should probably read (Polisario).
(1) a description of preparations for the referendum,
(2) a description of current efforts by the Department of State to
ensure that a referendum will be held by March 2000;
(3) an assessment of the likelihood that the March 2000 date will be
met,
(4) a description of obstacles, if any, to the voter-registration
process and other preparations for the referendum, and efforts being made
by the parties and the United States Government to overcome those
obstacles;
(5) an assessment of progress being made in the repatriation process;
and
a
Statement of Senator Edward M. Kennedy on IDS Meeting With
King Mohammed VI of Morocco
I welcome this opportunity to meet with the King. I have
great respect for his leadership, and I wished him well in
his important responsibilities, and in maintaining close
ties between our nations.
A particular issue I discussed with the King was the
United Nations referendum on the Western Sahara.
Morocco gained the respect of the international
community when it agreed in 1991 and again in 1997 to
allow a referendum on the future of the Western Sahara.
These actions demonstrated an impressive commitment to the
right of self-determination for the people of the Western
Sahara.
The referendum is an important part of the peace
process, and I hope that it will take place as soon as
possible.
Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, let me conclude by saying
that other things were happening too. When you think about
countries, I often said Africa is the forgotten continent.
I can remember so well, back when they were talking about
taking our troops into Bosnia and then later Kosovo, the
excuse they were using--this is back in the Clinton
administration--they were saying it was ethnic cleansing
taking place there. I said on the Senate floor standing at
this podium--this is way back in the late 1990s--I said
for every person who has been ethnically cleansed in
Bosnia, there are hundreds on any given day in any Western
Africa country. But people did not care about it. Senator
Kennedy did.
I know this subject is a little bit sensitive, but even
to this day, right now, every other week, there is a group
of people, staff people, who get together. They have
nothing in common except a heart for Africa. There are
liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans. They meet
every other week, in Senator Kennedy's office and then in
my office, and they pray for Africa. This is something
about Senator Kennedy people did not know. That is
something that takes place even to this date.
I have a letter written recently by Lindsay Gilchrist of
Senator Kennedy's office:
I know Senator Kennedy and Senator Inhofe had always
been thought of as the bipartisan leaders on this issue.
The Africa prayer group was not something Senator Kennedy
was directly involved in [or Senator Inhofe]--but they
have stimulated and motivated us to do this very thing.
That was one of the things that occupied 20 years of
Senator Kennedy's time. I feel committed to continuing to
work with the people of Western Sahara to try to make that
a reality. When that happens, we are going to be able to
say--he will be watching down--All right, we finally did
it.
Let me share a couple personal experiences I had with
Senator Kennedy. One is a little bit humorous. In 2005,
the Republicans were in the majority. I was chairman of
the Environment and Public Works Committee. We did the
2005 transportation reauthorization bill. It was a huge
thing. I am a conservative, but this is something we need
to be doing in this country, something about
infrastructure.
As is always the custom of the Senate, as the Chair is
well aware, when we pass a big bill, we stand on the floor
and thank all the staff people and talk about the
significance of it and how important it is.
We had just passed the bill when I was getting ready to
make my speech about what a great job we did when the
bells went off. They said: ``Bomb threat, bomb threat;
evacuate, evacuate.'' Everybody started running. I had not
made my speech yet, so I stood up. It is kind of eerie
when you are the only person in the Capitol and giving a
speech. Of course, there was nobody here, and the cameras
were still going.
I remember, after finishing my speech, I looked down at
the bottom of the stairs and saw a very large man walking
out. I went down and I said, ``Ted, we better get out;
this place might blow up.''
He said, ``Well, Jim, these old legs don't work like
they used to.''
I said, ``Let me help you.'' It happened, by the way,
this was right after the American Conservative Union came
out with the ratings where I was the No. 1 Most
Conservative Member of the Senate and he was the second
from the Most Liberal Member of the Senate. I said, ``Let
me help you.'' I put my arm around his waist and he put
his arm around my arm. Someone took a picture. It ended up
on the front page of a magazine. The caption was: ``Who
Says Conservatives Are Not Compassionate?'' That is the
kind of relationship we had. I will always remember this.
He did things that people are not expected to do. There
was a show--they don't have it on television anymore--
called ``Crossfire.'' Some might remember that. It was an
aggressive program, where you get two people debating each
other on an issue. The issue that particular day--this was
back in 2000--was Vieques. Vieques is an island off Puerto
Rico. They were trying to shut it down. They were
successful. I don't blame it on the Democrats or
Republicans. President Bush went along with Al Gore and
closed down the live range at Vieques, which was the only
place the Navy and Marines could do integrated training.
I was actually debating Bobby Kennedy, Jr.--he was
Senator Kennedy's nephew--on the ``Crossfire'' show. It
was one of these things where I really knew the issue. I
knew I had him on this debate. It came down to the end,
and I could have put the knife in at that time. I didn't
have the heart to do it.
I was sitting, Madam President, where you are sitting
the next day, presiding over the Senate, and Ted Kennedy
came up. He said, ``Well, Jim, I came up to say thank
you.''
``Thank you for what?,'' I said.
He said, ``I was watching this debate you had last
night, and I knew what you were thinking, and I knew that
you had won this thing, and right at the last you could
have inflicted great harm to Bobby. You elected not to do
it. I want to tell you I appreciate it very much.''
That was Senator Kennedy.
There are things still going on today to which he
committed his life. We are going to win some of those, and
we are going to rejoice when that happens. He will be
right here with us.
I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today we remember our
colleague and our friend Senator Ted Kennedy. There are
few people alive today whose lives have not been impacted
by the work of Senator Kennedy.
A brilliant legislator, Senator Kennedy championed
bipartisanship and compromise to leave behind an
incomparable record. In his 46-plus years in the U.S.
Senate, he authored over 2,500 bills and several hundred
became law. Today, people with disabilities cannot be
discriminated against in the workplace because of Senator
Kennedy. Women must be paid the same as men for the same
work because of Senator Kennedy. And low-income children
have access to health care because of Senator Kennedy.
Like his brothers before him, Senator Kennedy challenged
young people across America and around the world to devote
their lives to something more than just themselves and
lead by example. Whether it was championing civil rights
legislation in the 1960s, condemning apartheid in South
Africa before it became politically popular to do so,
promoting the need for early childhood education, or
advocating for health care, Senator Kennedy led the
charge.
Senator Hubert Humphrey once said that the moral test of
government is how it treats those in the dawn of life, our
children; those in the twilight of life, our older
citizens; and those in the shadows of life, people with
disabilities, the homeless, the dispossessed. Senator
Kennedy took up the causes of these Americans as his own.
The poor, the powerless, and the forgotten lost an ever-
faithful protector and their tireless advocate.
On a personal note, I recall in early 2007, during my
first weeks in the Senate, Senator Kennedy gave me and
other freshman Senators floor time to speak about
increasing the minimum wage. In early 2009, when I was
named to the HELP Committee, Senator Kennedy called to
welcome me to the committee and invited me to hold field
hearings in Pennsylvania on issues like health care and
education. I will never forget his courtesy and the
respect he showed to fellow Senators.
In closing, I am reminded of the words Senator Kennedy
spoke about Mike Mansfield when the majority leader
retired:
No one in this body personifies more nearly than Mike
Mansfield the ideal of the Senate. Wisdom, integrity,
compassion, fairness, humanity--these virtues are his
daily life. He inspired all of us, Democrat and
Republican, by his unequaled example. He could stretch
this institution beyond its ordinary ability, as easily as
he could shame it for failing to meet its responsibility.
The same can be said about Senator Kennedy. We will miss
him in this Chamber, but we will never forget the lessons
he taught us or the legacy he leaves behind.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, in this Chamber we have
witnessed incredibly moving eulogies and remembrances of
our departed colleague Senator Edward Kennedy. Obituaries
in national and international newspapers convey the
historic milestones of his life that none could forget, as
well as more personal stories of the man that fewer knew.
So much has been said and written since Senator
Kennedy's death August 25, 2009. Many of these stories
paint the picture of his family, his life, his
accomplishments, his legacy--all of it extraordinary. Many
of us are students of history. Indeed Senator Kennedy
lived history.
I am reminded of the recollections of one of my
predecessors as U.S. Senator for Wyoming, and a dear
friend of Senator Kennedy, Senator Al Simpson. In an
interview from 1997 given to the Institute of
International Studies at the University of California as
part of their ``Conversation of History Project,'' Senator
Simpson was asked who was the finest legislator he had
ever worked with? Senator Simpson replied:
The finest legislator I ever worked with was Ted
Kennedy. He had a magnificent staff, he even had a
parliamentarian on that staff of his. So when you were in
the legislative arena and you were bringing your lunch and
staying late, you wanted to get Ted on your side or at
least use some of his expertise. I would go to him
sometimes early on and say, ``Look, you'll have to trust
me, what the hell do I do right now to move this bill?''
Boy I'll tell you he had ways to do it and as you can see
he uses those skills on issues in which I was totally on
the other side. I can't remember them all there were so
many. We were never on the same side. But he is a
legislator.
And so he was. He was a quintessential legislator. There
is no question about that.
Most of those who have so eloquently written and spoken
since his death knew the Senator much better than I.
Presidents, Senators, world leaders, and other
dignitaries, members of his family and friends back in New
England. They recall the Senator all of us in the Senate
knew, even if only briefly, a kind, caring, passionate,
and deliberate figure.
Others have detailed his accomplishments. They are
legendary and lasting. What can I add to these
recollections?
I was neither a close friend, confidant, nor legislative
partner to Senator Kennedy. I was a new Senator from
Wyoming when I first met him. But the story I have, I
would like to share, as it is meaningful and illustrates
his larger than life personality in the U.S. Senate.
On June 25, 2007, I was sworn in to the U.S. Senate.
Senator Kennedy was one of a handful of Democrats in the
Chamber. As you would expect, I had a lot of family
members in the gallery. Later, they joined me along with
Malcolm Wallop, former U.S. Senator for Wyoming, and
Senator Mike Enzi in a reception off this floor.
As I was walking up the center aisle to leave the
Chamber, there was a booming voice that reverberated
through the Chamber. ``Senator, Senator!'' I was new. I
had been a U.S. Senator at that point for all of 60
seconds, so I ignored the calls. At that moment a hand
grabbed my shoulder, I turned and heard this booming voice
again. ``Hi, I'm Ted Kennedy.'' Senator Kennedy through
his voice and his presence knew how to get your attention.
All of those who came to see me sworn in--family,
friends from Wyoming--they heard it too, and we all broke
out laughing. ``Senator Kennedy, we know who you are.''
Senator Kennedy began to tell me stories of his life and
about his visits to Wyoming. He spoke about a trip to Rock
Springs, WY, when his brother John was running for
President. He spoke of Wyoming casting the votes to secure
the nomination for John.
He told me about the people he had met--members of the
Wyoming Democratic Party at the time--relationships he had
built nearly 50 years ago. He named one after another as
if he was reading from text. It was a stunning moment to
watch Senator Kennedy recall places, events, and people in
my home State from 1960.
At my welcoming reception he took personal time with my
son Peter and my daughter Emma, both in college. He said
to them, ``So you're the brother and you're the sister--
you know I had some brothers.'' He talked about John and
Robert and Joe. A living history lesson. He invited them
up to his office to show them pictures and other
memorabilia.
In his office in the Russell Building he must have spent
half an hour with Peter and Emma going over pictures of
his father Joe, mother Rose, and the Kennedy kids. He
shared letters, notes from history.
I think he enjoyed it nearly as much as we did. He
beamed when he spoke about his family.
Senator Kennedy leaves behind an astonishing legislative
record of accomplishment. He achieved his goals to a
degree that perhaps no other Senator in history has. As a
public servant, he has few equals.
But he was so much more. Ted also leaves us with the
memory of the man--the memory of his kindness and grace,
his humility.
Books will detail Ted Kennedy's legislative victories.
His moments in history. I will remember the moments he
took to warmly and unexpectedly welcome this new Senator
and touch the lives of my family that day as well.
To Vicki, we extend our family's sympathy and hope the
coming days are filled with more love, God's grace, and
strength to go on. Bobbi and I wish the Kennedy family our
best and our prayers are with you.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I was deeply saddened by
the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy in August, my
colleague on the Health, Education, and Labor Committee, a
statesman in every sense of the word, and a Senator not
just for the people of Massachusetts but for every corner
of the Nation. I am grateful for the time I shared with
him as a colleague and as a friend.
Senator Kennedy may be best known in this body for his
consistent leadership on the big national issues. Whether
you agreed with him or not, Senator Kennedy was ``all in''
on the issues he cared about, like health care and
education, and a formidable force to be reckoned with.
While Senator Kennedy was firm in his convictions, he
was open to the ideas of other Senators, regardless of
party affiliation. As most Senators who worked with him
know, Senator Kennedy had an unequaled reputation for
compromise and negotiation. As legislation was being
written and developed, he recognized the importance of
other Senators' perspectives on an issue, including mine,
and was therefore willing to alter legislative proposals
for the sake of cooperation and finding middle ground with
Senators from any political party. The 2 years I spent on
the HELP Committee with him as my chairman were truly a
blessing.
There was so much to admire about Senator Kennedy's
career. But the thing I really admired about Senator
Kennedy was his ability to look beyond the beltway to take
up causes that might seem obscure to many in this body--
causes that offended Senator Kennedy's sense of justice.
Let me offer a few examples from my State of Alaska.
Federal law requires agencies to reinstate civil
servants who go on active duty in the National Guard and
Reserves when their service is complete. The law goes by
the acronym USERRA. When Bob Traut of Palmer, AK,
completed his active duty service with the Alaska National
Guard, he was not reinstated to his position in the Indian
Health Service. His position had been eliminated, and he
was not offered another. He filed a USERRA complaint with
the Department of Labor, which was passed around among
investigators and ultimately lost. Several years after he
started this process he was offered a Federal position at
a U.S. Coast Guard base hundreds of miles from his home.
He couldn't drive to his new workplace--he had to fly
there because Kodiak is an island not connected by road to
the rest of Alaska. Even then his back pay claims were
lost in a morass of bureaucracy, in spite of repeated
inquiries from my office. Bob Traut's fortunes changed
when Senator Kennedy decided to hold an oversight hearing
about USERRA focused on Bob Traut's case.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the 1971 law
which resolved the aboriginal land claims of Alaska's
first peoples, is truly one of the landmark pieces of
Federal Indian legislation. The administration offered
Alaska's Native people 10 million acres of land. Senator
Kennedy came to the floor on several occasions to argue
that the number of acres should be no less than 40
million. The ultimate settlement was 44 million acres--a
settlement that might not have been possible without
Senator Kennedy's leadership.
As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian Education,
Kennedy joined a few other Senate colleagues on a trip to
several Alaska Native villages in April 1969. Kennedy
recalls being stunned by the poverty and despair in the
villages, many of which still lack basic sanitation and
are plagued by high rates of sexual assault, domestic
violence, and suicide. It affected Senator Kennedy so
deeply that he found it difficult to ``numb the pain.''
The course of Senator Kennedy's life brought him many
blessings and accomplishments. He was a father of three
beautiful children and two stepchildren, a Harvard
graduate, a nine-term Senator with the third longest time
serving in the U.S. Senate in American history, a veteran
of the Army, a talented football player who almost went
pro but opted instead for a life of public service ... the
list goes on.
My condolences and blessings go out to his family,
especially his wife and children. Despite Ted's passing,
his spirit lives on. There is little doubt in my mind that
this spirit will inspire generations of our colleagues in
the years ahead to take up his causes and ensure that the
vulnerable in America, the often forgotten Americans who
live in remote places like rural Alaska, are never
forgotten.
Ted, thank you for your service.
EXTENSION FOR TRIBUTES TO SENATORS KENNEDY AND MARTINEZ
Mr. BEGICH. I ask unanimous consent that the deadline
for tributes to Senators Kennedy and Martinez to be
submitted to the Congressional Record be extended until
Wednesday, October 14, 2009.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, with the passing
of Senator Teddy Kennedy, Americans lost a champion, the
Senate lost a living legend, and those of us who were
fortunate to know him personally lost a friend and mentor.
My memories of Teddy Kennedy reach beyond our short time
together in the Senate all the way back to my days as a
kid when his brother Jack was running for President of the
United States. My father was an early supporter of Jack's
campaign, and Teddy stayed at our house in Arizona while
he was campaigning for his brother in the West. In those
days, the West was not considered a plum campaign
assignment so, naturally, as the youngest of his clan, it
fell to him. We had a full house at the time, with all of
my brothers and sisters at home, so there wasn't even a
bed for him to sleep on. So he slept on the floor and
never uttered a word of complaint. My memories of him from
that time reflect the same Teddy Kennedy everyone
describes today. He was a kind man, dedicated to his
brother and his family, and always patient with all of us
kids and our questions.
In later years, Teddy continued to be a frequent visitor
to New Mexico. When our family was in the midst of a
campaign and needed that extra bit of star power, Teddy
was there, the one person who could ignite a crowd like no
other. As Democrats, we loved having him in our State
because he could always get a turnout. He had rallies with
10,000-12,000 people--huge crowds for New Mexico.
Teddy Kennedy loved New Mexico and New Mexicans. And New
Mexicans loved Teddy right back. In most family living
rooms, you can find two prominently displayed photographs.
They include at least one of the Kennedys, be it Jack,
Bobby, or Teddy and at least one of the Pope. New Mexicans
just have a very deep affection for the entire Kennedy
family.
My father eventually served in Jack Kennedy's Cabinet as
Interior Secretary. These days, he talks a lot about his
time in JFK's administration. He says he is now the last
of the generation. The last leaf on the tree from the
Kennedy Cabinet. My father was greatly saddened by Senator
Kennedy's passing.
Just about every piece of monumental legislation that
has come out of this Senate over the past 50 years has had
Teddy Kennedy's stamp on it somehow. Whether it was voting
rights or education improvements or health care reform--
the cause of Teddy's life--America owes a debt of
gratitude to the senior Senator from Massachusetts for his
leadership and unwavering dedication to making our country
a better place for all who call it home.
But the last chapter in Teddy's legacy remains
incomplete. That chapter is health care reform, and it is
our job as Teddy's colleagues and friends to pick up where
he left off and pass legislation that helps all Americans
obtain affordable, quality health coverage. Teddy Kennedy
dreamed of a day when decent, quality health care is a
fundamental right and not just a privilege. We are once
again at the edge of transformative change in our country.
We have Teddy Kennedy to thank for getting us to this
point. I look forward to joining my colleagues as we make
Teddy's final dream a reality.
Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I rise to speak of the
enormous contributions to this body and to our Nation of
our former colleague, the late senior Senator from
Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy.
When I took the oath as a U.S. Senator on January 3,
2009, I have to confess to a fair amount of trepidation.
Many great statesmen have served before me in this
esteemed body. For a former mayor from a State so distant
from Washington, DC, taking a seat among these American
leaders was a little intimidating.
No sitting Senator was a larger giant than Ted Kennedy,
and he impacted my life long before I arrived here. As a
boy born and raised in Anchorage, I recall my parents
spoke of the great pride in public service the Kennedy
family inspired in our family and in our Nation. My
father, the late Nick Begich, served for 2 years in the
Congress with Senator Kennedy, before my dad's death in
1972.
In many ways, Alaska and Massachusetts can't be further
apart. Alaska is just celebrating its 50th year of
admission to the United States and is a vast land rich in
natural resources and of conservative, independent-minded
people. The Bay State was the site of one of America's
first settlements more than four centuries ago, is well
developed, and its residents decidedly more liberal.
Yet in the first week of April 1968, those differences
faded when Senator Kennedy traveled to Sitka to deliver a
speech to the Alaska Democratic State Convention. The
days-old assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
still ached in the hearts of Americans. In a scratchy tape
recording of his speech, Senator Kennedy calls on
Americans to rise above the frustration and fury they felt
and to rededicate ourselves to ``wipe away cynicism and to
introduce the understanding that we wish to see future
generations exercise so they will not suffer as their
mothers and fathers have suffered.''
The transcript of that speech shows that Alaska U.S.
Senator Ernest Gruening and the gathered Alaskans rose to
a standing ovation as Senator Kennedy concluded his
inspirational remarks. Today, 41 years later, those words
continue to serve as an inspiration to me.
Mr. President, I had the opportunity to meet Senator
Kennedy only once, when he welcomed me as a Member of this
body just a few months ago. The intimidation I felt as a
new Senator melted in his warmth and graciousness. It will
be a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize
a great leader, inspiring public servant and American
icon, Senator Edward Moore Kennedy.
I do not need to stand here and talk about what the
Kennedy legacy has meant and continues to mean to this
country. It is, at this point, simply a part of the fabric
of our country.
I do not need to recite the resume of Edward Kennedy or
extol his many accomplishments. His life's work speaks for
itself. It will stand the test of time and, no doubt,
become even more remarkable when viewed in hindsight.
I do not need to reiterate each of the noble causes
Senator Kennedy fought for with passion and vigor. We know
that his pursuit of dignity, opportunity, and respect for
every man and woman will benefit generations to come, and
inspire so many more to carry on in the cause.
Yes, there is no doubt that Senator Edward Kennedy will
be remembered far into the future and that history will
treat him well, but I want to take some time today to talk
about the people here and now that he leaves behind that
may be the most telling about Ted Kennedy. In those
moments and for those people, we got a chance to see
something very special.
For some people it was very personal moments shared
between family and friends--the opportunity to know him in
a way others could only hope to glimpse.
And some were his archenemies at the podium while also
his dearest, most respected partners on causes behind
closed doors.
Some became believers based on passion-filled political
speeches delivered from his earliest of days in the
spotlight to some of his last, spectacular moments right
here on the Senate floor.
While others had their lives changed because he was
brave enough to stand up for them when the cameras were
not rolling and the majority was not on his side.
Ted Kennedy, the lion of the Senate, would roar about
the need for better health care, improved public schools,
and providing help to working families. He knew how to
channel the emotion, the urgency, and the helplessness he
saw in the eyes and heard in the voices of those he was
fighting for. And he didn't just beam it from the
mountaintops--he worked on the solutions to these needs
day in and day out with astute skill.
There is a Ted Kennedy who will be remembered in the
history books, and he will be great and strong and smart
and good, but there is also a unique part of Ted Kennedy
that will stay with many of us in our own special ways.
A politician. A public servant. A patriot. A prince of
Camelot. A fighter. A negotiator. A liberal. A brother,
husband, father, and friend.
The lion sleeps ...
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in
appreciation and admiration of Senator Ted Kennedy.
By the time I took my seat in the Senate, Ted had
already held his for nearly four decades. He had already
established himself as one of the most influential Members
in this body's history. He had already introduced hundreds
of bills that became laws and shaped thousands of others.
He had already grown from youngest son to elder statesman
and become an icon for millions of Americans.
Before I was ever elected, I respected Ted Kennedy. And
after becoming his colleague, my respect grew. I was
privileged to serve with him on the Judiciary Committee
and to be a ranking member when he chaired our
Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border
Security. We worked together closely, and that experience
has made me a more effective Senator.
Ted Kennedy and I often held different principles, but
we shared key convictions too. We agreed that our
immigration laws needed reform. We recognized that
judicial philosophy mattered. We believed that providing
advice and consent on appointments to the Federal bench
was not merely a right of Senators but one of our most
solemn responsibilities.
Ted Kennedy understood the power of language. On the
Senate floor, he used words of passion, calling his
colleagues to embrace grand visions with great urgency. In
bill negotiations, he used words with precision,
understanding better than anyone how legislative language
governs, and how to codify his convictions into the law of
the land.
Senator Kennedy and I shared an interest in the history
of this body, and a special pride in those who held our
seats before us. In my case, I have long admired Sam
Houston, who liberated the people of Texas, served as one
of our first Senators, and raised his voice against
secession. In Ted's case, he looked to the great Daniel
Webster, who also stood for union, and for liberty.
Ted was drawn in particular to this quote by Webster:
Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its
powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great
interests, and see whether we also in our day and
generation may not perform something worthy to be
remembered.
All Americans can agree that Ted Kennedy's service in
the U.S. Senate is something worthy to be remembered.
Sandy and I continue to keep his wife Vicki in our
prayers. And we offer our condolences to all who miss him
most.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, yesterday evening, President
Obama delivered another eloquent tribute to Senator Edward
M. Kennedy. I am sure my colleagues will be pleased and
touched to see it, and I ask unanimous consent that
excerpts from the tribute may be printed at this point in
the Record. I also ask unanimous consent that a series of
tributes to Senator Kennedy from the Hill newspaper on
August 29, 2009, may be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
Excerpts from Remarks by the President at an Event
Celebrating the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United
States Senate
(Ritz Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC, October 14, 2009)
Thank you so much. Thank you, Patrick, for that generous
introduction, and for ensuring that the Kennedy family
spirit of public service lives on as strong as ever ...
And to Vicki and all the members of the Kennedy family--
to Ted and Kara, obviously Patrick--there are few who are
not inspired by the grace and love that all of you have
shown throughout a difficult time.
Our friend Ted left us less than 2 months ago. In the
days that followed, we gathered in Boston to celebrate his
life--with a joyous Irish wake of sorts at the John F.
Kennedy Library, and with heavy hearts on Mission Hill. We
watched as mourners lined the streets of Massachusetts and
Washington in the rain to say a final thank you; and as
decades' worth of his colleagues and staff lined the steps
of the Capitol to say a final goodbye. We smiled as the
Caucus Room in the Russell Building, a room where so much
American history was made, was renamed for the three
Kennedy brothers who served there.
And over those days, there was some small measure of
comfort in the fact that millions of Americans were
reminded of Ted Kennedy's legacy, and a new generation
came to know it. His legacy as a man, who loved his family
and loved his country. His legacy as a Senator, who
crafted hundreds of pieces of legislation and helped pass
thousands more, all with an incalculable impact on the
lives of millions.
His legacy as a mentor, who not only taught so many
young Senators, including myself, but inspired so many
young people and young staffers, some who entered public
service because of Teddy, others who--because of him--just
plain refused to leave ... .
When Teddy first arrived in the U.S. Senate, he immersed
himself in the issues of the day and the concerns of folks
back home. But he also threw himself into the history of
the Chamber. He studied its philosophical underpinnings;
he studied its giants and their careers; the times that
influenced its Members, and how its Members influenced the
times. He became fluent in procedure and protocol, no
matter how obscure, until he could master the Senate as
easily as he mastered the oceans.
No one made the Senate come alive like he did. He loved
its history and its place in our American story. Rarely
was he more animated than when he'd lead you through the
living museums that were his office and his hideaway
office in the Capitol. They held memories that stood
still, even as he refused to. And he could--and he would--
tell you everything there was to know about each artifact,
each object that you were seeing.
Any of us who've had the privilege to serve in that
institution know that it's impossible not to share Teddy's
feeling for the history that swirls around us. It's a
place where you instinctively pull yourself a little
straighter and commit yourself to acting a little nobler.
I still remember the first time I pulled open the drawer
of my desk and saw the names like Taft and Baker; Simon
and Wellstone--and Robert F. Kennedy. I thought of the
great battles they'd waged and how they still echoed
through the Senate Chambers. And one can't enter the
Chamber without thinking of the momentous debates that
have occurred within its walls--questions of war and
peace; of tangled bargain between North and South; Federal
and State; of the origins of slavery and prejudice; of the
unfinished battles for civil rights, and equality, and
opportunity.
It was where Americans of great eloquence deliberated
and discussed the great issues of the age; where Webster
and Clay and Calhoun fought and forged compromise; where
LBJ stalked the aisles, imposing his will and collecting
votes; and where Ted Kennedy raged at injustice like a
force of nature, even after a staffer would hand him a
note saying, ``Sir, you're shouting.''
At its worst, it could be a place where progress was
stymied. There was a time, of course, when there were no
desks for women, or African Americans, or Latino
Americans, or Asian Americans. There was a time when a
Senator might have referred to another as a--I like this--
``noisome, squat and nameless animal,'' just to name one
instance of the occasional lack of decorum. And we should
all view it as a positive sign that there hasn't been a
caning on the Senate floor in more than 150 years. That's
good.
But at its best, it was what Ted Kennedy loved; a place
of community and camaraderie where Senators inspired their
colleagues to seek out those better angels and work
collectively to perfect our union, bit by bit. And in my
time in the Senate, I never met a colleague, not even one
with whom I most deeply disagreed, who didn't have a deep
sincerity in his or her beliefs, an abiding love for this
country, and a genuine desire to leave it stronger and
better.
Still, I know that many of us, from both parties, shared
Ted's sentiment that something vital about the Senate has
been lost. Where it once was a more personal and more
collegial place, it's become more polarized and more
confrontational. And gone, sometimes, is that deeper
understanding of one another; that idea that there are
great battles to be won and great battles to be waged--but
not against the person on the other side of the aisle,
rather to be waged on behalf of the country.
What Ted wanted to save, above anything else, is that
sense of community and collegiality and mutual
responsibility--to our constituents, to the institution,
and to one another. ``As Senators,'' he wrote, ``we need
to be vigilant that we don't lose track of the whole
essence of what the Senate is; of what our involvement in
it signifies; of our relationship with people; and of what
all of that should lead to, which is the unfettered and
vital exchange of ideas.''
That's why whenever heartbreak struck a colleague, he
was always the first to call. That's why whenever a
stalemate needed to be broken, he was the first to visit
another Senator's office. That's why whenever debate got
fierce he never got personal--because that was the fastest
way to ensure nothing got done. Once, after he and Strom
Thurmond went at each other for a few rounds--as you'd
imagine Ted and Strom might do--Ted put his arm around him
and said, ``C'mon, Strom. Let's go upstairs and I'll give
you a few judges.''
The thing is, even though he never technically ran the
Senate, it often felt like Teddy did. It was his arena.
That's why, if you came to the Senate hoping to be a great
Senator some day, he was who you went to see first. I know
that's who I went to see first. Because rather than lord
over it, Teddy sought to mentor others to better navigate
it. Rather than to go it alone, he sought cooperation. He
never hesitated to cede credit. Rather than abandon course
when political winds got rough, he always followed his
North Star--the cause of a society that is more fair, more
decent, and more just. And through all of it, his
seriousness of purpose was rivaled only by his humility,
his warmth, his good cheer, his sense of humor.
That is who Ted Kennedy was. That's what he did. And
that's why he's so missed ... .
For it is now--especially now--that we need to get
people interested in our public problems, and reignite
their faith in our public institutions, bring Americans
together to forge consensus and understand not just the
U.S. Senate's role in our government--but their role in it
as well.
Today, the Senate is engaged in another important battle
on one of the great causes of our time, and the cause of
Ted Kennedy's life--the battle to make health care not a
privilege for some, but a right for all. He has been so
sorely missed in this debate; especially now that we're
closer than we've ever been to passing real health reform.
But even though we took a critical step forward this week,
we've got more work to do. And I hope and believe that we
will continue to engage each other with the spirit of
civility and seriousness that has brought us this far--a
spirit that I think Teddy would have liked to see.
More than a half century ago, a Senate committee was set
up to choose the five greatest Senators of all time. No,
it wasn't an exercise in the Senate's own vanity--it was
because there were five empty spaces designated for
portraits in the Senate Reception Room.
``There are no standard tests to apply to a Senator,''
the chairman of that committee wrote. ``No Dun &
Bradstreet rating, no scouting reports. His talents may
vary with his time; his contribution may be limited by his
politics. To judge his own true greatness, particularly in
comparison with his fellow senators long after they are
all dead, is nearly an impossible task.''
When John F. Kennedy wrote those words, I doubt that he
imagined his 25-year-old brother would one day stand as
indisputably one of the finest Senators of this or any
age. But here's the thing: Teddy didn't earn that
distinction just because he served in the U.S. Senate for
nearly 1 out of every 5 days of its existence. He earned
it because each of those days was full, and passionate,
and productive, and advanced the life of this Nation in a
way that few Americans ever have. And he did it all by
bridging the partisan divide again and again in an era
that someday may be recalled as one where bipartisanship
was too rare an achievement.
There will never be another like Ted Kennedy. But there
will be other great Senators who follow in his footsteps.
That's not an insult to his legacy--it is, rather, the
legacy he sought to leave, both with this institute and
with his example.
``Being a senator changes a person,'' he wrote in his
memoirs. ``Something fundamental and profound happens to
you when you arrive there, and it stays with you all the
time that you are privileged to serve. I have seen the
changes in people who have come into the Senate. It may
take a year, or two years, or three years, but it always
happens: it fills you with a heightened sense of
purpose.''
In all our debates, through all our tests, over all the
years that are left to come--may we all be blessed with a
sense of purpose like Edward M. Kennedy's. Thank you,
Vicki, thanks to all of you. Thanks for making this such a
success. God bless you, God bless America.
a
Ted Kennedy: A Life of Service
(By Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.))
With the passing of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.),
this nation lost a great patriot, a force for justice and
equality and a passionate voice for a brighter future.
Sen. Kennedy was the beloved patriarch of a beautiful
family. At this moment of mourning, our thoughts and
prayers are with his loving, caring and devoted wife,
Vicki; and with his children, Kara, Teddy Jr. and our
colleague Patrick. Surely it was a highlight for both
father and son to see the Kennedy-Kennedy Mental Health
Parity bill become law last year--ending discriminatory
treatment toward mental health coverage--and a true
tribute to the Kennedy family's unyielding commitment to
the common good.
Above all else, Sen. Kennedy was a champion--of the poor
and the oppressed, of the forgotten and the voiceless, of
young and old. Over a lifetime of leadership, Sen.
Kennedy's statesmanship, passionate arguments and
political prowess produced a wealth of accomplishment that
expanded opportunity for every American and extended the
blessings of prosperity to millions of his fellow
citizens.
He had a grand vision for America and an unparalleled
ability to effect change and inspire others to devote
themselves to that change. And no one did more to educate
our children, care for our seniors and ensure equality for
all Americans.
The reach of Sen. Kennedy's achievements extends far
beyond any one state, issue or group. And the light of his
example shone bright across lines of party or philosophy.
Because of his work, countless students can afford to
reach for a college diploma.
Because he returned to the Senate floor for one day last
July, once-fierce opponents of Medicare understood their
responsibility not to politics, but to the people they
serve--and today, America's seniors have a stronger and
more enduring safety net to keep them healthy.
Because he believed in the need for bold action to
rescue our economy, from his hospital bed he played a
pivotal role in ensuring the passage of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, putting people back to work
and setting our nation on the road to recovery. And
because of his stirring words of optimism, vitality and
courage at the Democratic convention exactly one year
before he passed away, he laid a foundation for the
election of a president who shared his ideals and
intellect--and personified his vision of an America where
race was no longer a barrier or qualification.
Sen. Kennedy's deep faith remained a palpable force in
his life. It inspired his belief in social justice. It
demanded action on behalf of the least among us. It
sustained him, and offered a refuge from the spotlight of
elected office. When his daughter, Kara, was diagnosed
with lung cancer, Sen. Kennedy turned to his faith for
solace, going to Mass each morning in the same house of
worship where his funeral service will be conducted--a
basilica that became a source of hope and optimism for him
in recent years.
Throughout his career, Ted Kennedy spoke of a new hope;
of holding fast to our ideals and fulfilling the promise
of our country. He carried on the legacy of an
extraordinary family--a family defined by service and a
family that inspired an entire generation, including
myself, to take action and to serve a cause greater than
our individual interests. And with the Edward M. Kennedy
Serve America Act now the law of the land, another
generation of teachers and volunteers, students and
community organizers will put those values into action.
Perhaps more than any other issue, Sen. Kennedy never
stopped fighting for what he called ``the cause of my
life''--ensuring quality, affordable healthcare for every
American. He believed it was a moral imperative. He viewed
it ``as a fundamental right, not a privilege.'' It is a
tribute to him--but really to the Americans for whom he
fought every day--that this dream will become reality this
year.
a
One of a Kind
(By Rep. Dale E. Kildee (D-Mich.), Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary
Education)
I have a lot of acquaintances in Congress and many
friends, but one who stood out above the rest and to whom
I always felt close was Ted Kennedy. It was a privilege to
know him as a friend, and it was an honor to work with one
of the most dedicated and knowledgeable senators I ever
met. His passing is truly a great loss for our country. I
am hopeful, however, that in mourning his death, we will
be inspired to continue to fight for the causes to which
he dedicated himself so tirelessly and work together to
pass the comprehensive healthcare reform that he called
``the cause of my life.''
My relationship with the Kennedys started back in 1960
when I was a volunteer on John F. Kennedy's campaign for
president and had the privilege of meeting his mother
Rose, who was nothing but gracious and kind. When Rose
came to my hometown of Flint, Mich., to campaign for her
son, it was my responsibility to get her to Mass at St.
Michael's. It wasn't even Sunday, but Rose went to Mass
every day. I met John later that year when he was
campaigning for the presidency and again in October of
1962 when he came to campaign for the midterm
congressional elections. Shortly thereafter he went back
to Washington claiming he had a ``bad cold,'' even though
he appeared to be the picture of health. We learned later
that we weren't completely misled, but that it was a
different kind of cold flaring up--the Cuban Missile
Crisis, one of the most heated moments of the Cold War.
Ted was the last member of the Kennedy family whom I
actually met, but my relationship with him lasted the
longest. Like his brothers, Ted was born into a life of
privilege, but instead of choosing a comfortable life of
leisure, he chose to work hard in the U.S. Senate,
fighting to improve the lives of American families. Ted
successfully fought to raise the minimum wage, protect
Americans with disabilities, expand health insurance for
low-income children and improve educational opportunities
for all students, regardless of family income. His
legislative accomplishments were so wide in scope that his
work has changed the life of nearly every American for the
better.
Ted and I shared a passion to improve education and we
worked together often, particularly during the Head Start
Reauthorization of 2007, which he and I authored. During
many of the other conferences we worked on together, when
differences arose that were slowing down the passage of
legislation, Ted was a skilled and fair negotiator who
would keep the conversation going until late into the
night to make sure things were resolved. From Ted, I
learned that compromise is often necessary to achieve the
greater good. But above all, he taught me that we must
never stop fighting for what we believe in.
While Ted achieved greatness in his political life, he
was no stranger to personal tragedy and suffering. The
country mourned with him as first John and then Bobby were
taken from us in acts of violence, leaving Ted as the only
remaining Kennedy brother. A 1964 plane crash broke his
back and left him with terrible pain that plagued him for
the rest of his life, but he never let his condition get
in the way of his goals for the country. His discomfort
was evident on the trips he often took with me to Flint,
where he always enjoyed visiting Buick UAW Local 599. It
was difficult for him to stand for long, but he would
patiently pose for pictures and sign autographs for the
workers there, who greeted him as a hero. He would stay
until his back became too painful and then he would turn
to me and say, ``Dale, you have to get me out of here,
now,'' and we would make a quick exit so he could rest in
my campaign van, which he referred to as the ``Kildee
Express.'' Even while in pain, he always had a smile on
his face and was an inspiration to those around him.
I have never known another senator like Ted Kennedy, and
we may never see another like him again. He carried on the
torch of his family's political legacy, masterfully
reaching across the aisle to shepherd important and often
difficult pieces of legislation through Congress. As we
mourn the passing of our friend Ted, let us celebrate his
numerous achievements and remember him for the great
humanitarian and leader that he was. Let us honor his
memory by never giving up the fight for social justice,
never resting until every child has an equal chance to
learn, and never backing down until every American has
access to quality affordable healthcare. He often called
universal healthcare ``the cause of my life'' and it is a
tragedy that he will not be around to vote for the
legislation for which he fought so tirelessly. So let's
continue the fight in his honor and pass healthcare reform
so that all Americans, regardless of income, age or pre-
existing condition, will have access to quality,
affordable healthcare. Let's realize this dream for Ted
and for America.
a
A Dedicated Servant and a Dear Friend
(By Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, former Secretary of the
Interior)
As a very junior senator from Idaho, I selected an
office on the third floor of the Russell Building, which
happened to be next door to Sen. Ted Kennedy's office. The
first day that we were allowed to officially occupy the
space, in came Sen. Kennedy, walking through each of the
offices and introducing himself to all of my staff and
welcoming each of them to the Russell. Later that day, a
beautiful bouquet of flowers showed up for my wife,
Patricia, with a note saying, ``Welcome to the
neighborhood--Ted.'' With that, Patricia and I began a
wonderful and enduring relationship with Ted and Vicki
Kennedy.
Our offices shared a common balcony, and I had a friend
from the Kennedy offices who used that route to come see
me every day ... Blarney, his Jack Russell Terrier. I
began keeping a box of Milk Bones for Blarney's morning
visits--and he gladly accepted these treats. In his
classical Boston accent, Ted would pretend frustration
with Blarney's habit of taking the treats back down the
balcony and eating them in his office while leaving all
the crumbs on his floor!
When I decided to come home to Idaho and run for
governor, Sen. Kennedy said he completely understood my
decision. There was no second-guessing why I would want to
return to a beautiful state like Idaho and be closer to
the people there. He wished me well and said that he would
miss me. Little did we both know that in 2006 President
George W. Bush would nominate me to become the 49th
Secretary of the Interior. One of the very first calls I
received after the announcement was from Ted Kennedy, who
said he was so glad I was coming back and he asked what he
could do to help with my confirmation. That was the kind
of man he was and the kind of friend he was. It didn't
matter that I was a conservative Republican or he was a
liberal Democrat. We were friends, and he wanted to help.
And he did.
Several months later, I got another call from Ted
Kennedy telling me he had been invited to speak at the
Ronald Reagan Library. Nancy Reagan was going to host an
intimate dinner for him in her residence at the library
and she said he could invite a few friends. He was calling
to see if I would go. After extending the invitation, he
started laughing and said, ``What a pal I am, right?
Inviting you to dinner 2,500 miles from here!'' We both
laughed, and I said I wouldn't miss it for anything.
The night of the speech, I was seated in the front row
along with Nancy Reagan and California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Sen. Kennedy commented on how three of his
favorite Republicans were there for him. I don't think
many people realize how much Ronald Reagan and Ted Kennedy
liked each other, but it was very apparent that night at
the dinner that Nancy gave for her friend, Ted, and his
great wife Vicki, and a few of their friends.
After Sen. Kennedy was diagnosed with his illness and it
was made public, I wrote him a two-page letter recapping
some of the positive and enjoyable things we had done
together. I received an immediate call from Vicki saying
how it had brightened his day. That was followed by a
handwritten note from Ted, and that was followed by a
phone call from him. It was a good visit on the phone,
but, as usual, he also had some business he wanted to
discuss. He always worked so diligently for his
constituents. I last spoke to him in January of this year.
It was that same jovial voice of a friend with no hint of
the personal health battle he was fighting.
It is universally noted how hard he worked as a senator.
He also worked hard at affirming and maintaining
friendships. Wouldn't this be a better place if we all
worked a little harder at affirming and maintaining
friendships? Perhaps this, too, was one of Ted Kennedy's
lasting legacies.
I will miss my friend.
a
In Memory of Ted Kennedy
(By Nancy Reagan)
Sometimes the best friendships are made under unlikely
circumstances. Such was the case with the Kennedys and the
Reagans.
Of course there were differences in our political
beliefs, and some believed that those differences would
make it impossible for us to get along. Most people are
very surprised to learn that our families are actually
quite close.
Ted and I have corresponded regularly for years. He
always wrote lovely letters of support, encouragement and
appreciation. He phoned often--I'll never forget that he
managed to track me down in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean to wish me a happy birthday one year. I enjoyed
working together with him over the past few years on
behalf of a cause that was important to both of us, stem
cell research.
As a Republican president and a Democratic senator,
Ronnie and Ted certainly had their battles. There were
conflicts to overcome, disagreements to settle and
compromises to be made, but in doing so, the mutual
respect that came from struggling to work together led to
a deeper understanding and friendship. Both were men of
strong convictions, but they understood an important
principle: Politicians can disagree without being
disagreeable.
When Ronnie and I were presented with the Congressional
Gold Medal in 2002, Ted gave a beautiful tribute to
Ronnie. As I reread that speech today, I was struck by how
some of the wonderful things he said about Ronnie also
describe Ted: ``He was a fierce competitor who wanted to
win--not just for himself, but for his beliefs. He sought
to defeat his opponents, not destroy them. He taught us
that while the battle would inevitably resume the next
morning, at the end of each day we could put aside the
divisions and the debates. We could sit down together side
by side ... And above all, whatever our differences, we
were bound together by our love of our country and its
ideals.'' That was Ronnie, all right--and that was Ted,
too.
Ted and Ronnie were the kind of old-fashioned
politicians who could see beyond their own partisan
convictions and work together for the good of the country.
I wish there were more of that spirit in Washington today.
I am encouraged to see how many politicians ``from across
the aisle'' spoke of their admiration for Ted after his
passing, so maybe it isn't really lost. Maybe we can all
be inspired by Ted and Ronnie to renew that spirit of
bipartisan cooperation.
Ted Kennedy was a kind man, a great ally and dear
friend. I will miss him.
a
Kennedy and the GOP: A Marriage of Mutual Respect
(By J. Taylor Rushing)
Despite his affinity for liberal policymaking,
Republicans on Capitol Hill greatly admired Sen. Edward
Kennedy (D-Mass.).
``He's a legislator's legislator,'' Sen. Jon Kyl (R-
Ariz.) told The Hill last May, immediately after Kennedy's
diagnosis of brain cancer. ``At the end of the day, he
wants to legislate, he understands how, and he understands
compromise. And it's worth talking about because it shows
how people with drastically different points of view can
come together.''
In April, The Hill conducted a survey of all sitting
senators to ask which member of the opposing party they
most enjoyed working with. The most common answer among
Republicans was Kennedy, being specifically mentioned by
Kyl, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Kit Bond of Missouri, Richard
Burr of North Carolina, Sam Brownback of Kansas, Mike Enzi
of Wyoming, Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Jeff Sessions of
Alabama.
``I'd love to co-sponsor every piece of legislation with
Ted Kennedy,'' Burr said at the time. ``When Ted says he's
going to do something, he's committed to it.''
Kennedy's 47 years in the Senate began as his brother,
Democrat John F. Kennedy, was president and were marked by
a legislative record of liberalism long and prominent
enough to earn him his liberal lion moniker. Republican
Party leaders even used him as a fundraising tool for
years in races across the country.
In the Senate itself, though, the Massachusetts senator
was mostly known by Republicans for his bipartisanship--
for diligent, patient and consistent reaching across the
aisle to find common ground on the country's most pressing
concerns. Eventually, some of the chamber's most
conservative Republicans, from Alan Simpson of Wyoming to
Hatch to Kyl, came to discover that while Kennedy may have
had the heart of a liberal, he possessed the mind of a
pragmatist.
Republican leaders such as Conference Chairman Lamar
Alexander of Tennessee recalled that Kennedy was known for
reaching out since his earliest days in Congress.
Alexander came to Congress in 1967 as an aide to then-Sen.
Howard Baker of Tennessee and worked with Kennedy near the
end of his first term.
``I've known and worked with him for 40 years. He's
results-oriented. He takes his positions, but he sits down
and gets results,'' Alexander said last May.
In recent years, examples of Kennedy's bipartisan
efforts included teaming up with Kansas Republican Nancy
Kassebaum on healthcare in 1996, with President George W.
Bush on education reform in 2001, and on unsuccessful
attempts with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and other
Republicans to pass immigration reform in the 110th and
111th Congresses.
a
Kennedy Brought Intensity, Passion to the Senate
(By Jim Manley)
Coming from a wealthy, famous family, Sen. Kennedy could
have taken shortcuts. But he never did that--he brought a
passion and intensity to his work the likes of which I
will never forget.
His staff accepted the long hours and dedication he
demanded from us because he stood with us working twice as
hard.
Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-Maine)
once accurately remarked that Sen. Kennedy was better-
prepared than any other senator. His No Child Left Behind
briefing book was legendary--a huge binder full of studies
and analyses. It seemed every page was dog-eared, heavily
underlined and carefully tabbed.
One Friday, there was a lull in a debate over a minimum-
wage increase. On pure impulse, he went to the Senate
floor and delivered one of the most impassioned speeches I
had ever heard from him. At one point, his voice echoed
through the chamber so loud that I had to leave the floor
because my ears were ringing.
As Sen. Kennedy said of his brother Robert, the same can
be said of him. He ``need not be idealized, or enlarged in
death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply
as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right
it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried
to stop it.''
a
Bayh Remembers 1964 Plane Crash
(By J. Taylor Rushing)
If not for former Sen. Birch Bayh of Indiana, Sen.
Edward Kennedy very well may have died on the night of
June 19, 1964.
Both nearly died in a plane crash the night the Senate
passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Delayed by the vote, the
two men were flying through a thunderstorm to get to the
Massachusetts state Democratic convention.
``We were bounced around so much we couldn't see the
moon in any steady way,'' said Bayh, who served in the
Senate from 1963 to 1981 and is now a partner in the D.C.
law firm Venable LLP. ``Then I looked out and saw this
black line coming. I thought it was another storm, but it
was the tops of trees.''
Pilot Ed Zimy pulled out of the trees but quickly lost
control again, crashing into an apple orchard just short
of the Springfield airport. Bayh said he thought the plane
had been hit by lightning, and was convinced he was dead.
When he woke up, Bayh said, his wife Marvella was
screaming, the pilot and Kennedy aide Ed Moss were both
mortally wounded and Kennedy was barely responsive.
Bayh said he resisted initial thoughts of leaving
Kennedy in the wreckage, but was later amazed at how he
carried the hefty senator.
``We've all heard adrenaline stories about how a mother
can lift a car off a trapped infant. Well, Kennedy was no
small guy, and I was able to lug him out of there like a
sack of corn under my arm,'' Bayh said.
Kennedy spent five months in the hospital, re-emerging
barely in time to win reelection in November 1964.
``A lot of the older senators were wondering if they
were going to have to kiss his ring. I mean, he could have
been a pariah,'' Bayh said. ``But he had no airs, and just
did a remarkable job of ingratiating himself not only to
his new colleagues but the older members.''
``He was a Kennedy, and you could say he was born with a
silver spoon in his mouth, but he was determined to spend
his life helping the little people. That tells you what he
was made of.''
a
Boehner Found Kennedy a Generous Partner in Faith
(By Christina Wilkie)
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) needed a favor.
In 2003, Boehner wanted to support Washington's Catholic
schools, which were suffering severe budget shortfalls. He
needed an A-list Democrat willing to lend his name to the
effort.
What he got instead was access to one of the most
powerful Democratic fundraising machines in politics.
The GOP congressman was setting up a gala dinner
complete with celebrities, politicos and media
personalities. He went for the most powerful Catholic in
Congress, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), to be his partner
at the event and balance the politics.
Presented with Boehner's request to co-chair the
inaugural gala dinner, Kennedy ``didn't blink'' before
signing on; and true to his reputation for generosity,
Kennedy's response went well beyond that.
Kennedy threw himself into the project, offering Boehner
the use of his entire fundraising staff to assist with the
event. He wrote letters and made personal appeals on
behalf of the struggling schools. And perhaps most
importantly, Kennedy pulled in real talent: NBC's Tim
Russert to emcee the inaugural evening and comedian Bill
Cosby to keep the guests laughing.
Boehner and Kennedy were both lifelong Catholics and
graduates of Catholic schools. They had recently worked
together on the House and Senate versions, respectively,
of the 2002 education law known as the No Child Left
Behind Act.
As colleagues, they enjoyed a comfortable rapport,
which, according to a staff member, was strengthened by
the fact that ``Boehner and Kennedy always knew what the
other had to do to get legislation passed.''
This dinner was no exception. It marked the start of a
five-year collaboration between two men who served
radically different constituencies, but who found common
ground in their shared commitment to education, service
and their faith.
Both lawmakers also believed they had an obligation to
give back to the citizens of Washington, their ``adopted
city.'' To help illustrate this point, each year at a pre-
gala breakfast Kennedy would share the example of his
brother, former President John F. Kennedy, who instructed
his entire Cabinet to visit Washington's public schools
and read books to the students.
Dubbed the Boehner-Kennedy Dinner, the annual event
takes place each September, and since its inception has
raised more than $5 million for the District's Catholic
schools.
Much of the credit for this success belongs to Kennedy.
As one Boehner staff member told The Hill, ``This event
may have been John Boehner's idea, but it was Sen. Kennedy
who really got it off the ground.''
During the last year of his life, Kennedy's illness
forced him to scale back his commitments. As a result,
former Washington Mayor Anthony Williams assumed the co-
chairman's role alongside Boehner in 2008.
This year's Boehner-Williams Dinner will be held on
Sept. 23 at the Washington Hilton. Discussions are under
way about how best to honor Kennedy at the event.
a
Tributes to Edward M. Kennedy
We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and
joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his
faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our
hearts forever. He loved this country and devoted his life
to serving it. He always believed that our best days were
still ahead, but it's hard to imagine any of them without
him.
--The Kennedy Family
Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of
the death of our dear friend, Sen. Ted Kennedy.
For five decades, virtually every major piece of
legislation to advance the civil rights, health and
economic well being of the American people bore his name
and resulted from his efforts.
I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where,
regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for
a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous
support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he
waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've
profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.
An important chapter in our history has come to an end.
Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the
torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest
United States Sen. of our time.
And the Kennedy family has lost their patriarch, a tower
of strength and support through good times and bad.
Our hearts and prayers go out to them today--to his
wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and
Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family.
--President Barack Obama
Teddy spent a lifetime working for a fair and more just
America. And for 36 years, I had the privilege of going to
work every day and literally, not figuratively sitting
next to him, and being witness to history.
In 1972 [when] I was a 29 year old kid with three weeks
left to go in a campaign, [he showed up] at the Delaware
Armory in the middle of what we called Little Italy ... .
I won by 3,100 votes and got 85 percent of the vote in
that district, or something to that effect. I literally
would not be standing here were it not for Teddy Kennedy--
not figuratively, this is not hyperbole--literally.
He was there--he stood with me when my wife and daughter
were killed in an accident. He was on the phone with me
literally every day in the hospital, my two children were
attempting, and, God willing, thankfully survived very
serious injuries. I'd turn around and there would be some
specialist from Massachusetts, a doc I never even asked
for, literally sitting in the room with me.
He's left a great void in our public life and a hole in
the hearts of millions of Americans and hundreds of us who
were affected by his personal touch throughout our lives.
--Vice President Joe Biden,
in remarks at an event Wednesday
at the Department of Energy
Laura and I are saddened by the death of Sen. Ted
Kennedy. Ted Kennedy spent more than half his life in the
United States Senate. He was a man of passion who
advocated fiercely for his convictions. I was pleased to
work with Sen. Kennedy on legislation to raise standards
in public schools, reform immigration and ensure dignity
and fair treatment for Americans suffering from mental
illness.
In a life filled with trials, Ted Kennedy never gave in
to self-pity or despair. He maintained his optimistic
spirit, his sense of humor, and his faith in his fellow
citizens. He loved his family and his country--and he
served them until the end. He will be deeply missed.
--Former President George W. Bush
Sen. Ted Kennedy was one of the most influential leaders
of our time, and one of the greatest senators in American
history. His big heart, sharp mind, and boundless energy
were gifts he gave to make our democracy a more perfect
union.
As president, I was thankful for his fierce advocacy for
universal health care and his leadership in providing
health coverage to millions of children. His tireless
efforts have brought us to the threshold of real health
care reform. I was also grateful for his efforts, often in
partnership with Republicans as well as Democrats, to
advance civil rights, promote religious freedom, make
college more affordable, and give young Americans the
opportunity to serve at home in Americorp[s]. I am glad
the bill President Obama signed to expand Americorp[s] and
other youth service opportunities is named the Edward M.
Kennedy Serve America Act. Through it, his commitment to
public service will live on in millions of young people
across our nation.
Hillary and I will always be grateful for the many
gestures of kindness and generosity he extended to us, for
the concern he showed for all the children and
grandchildren of the Kennedy clan, and for his devotion to
all those in need whose lives were better because he stood
up for them.
--Former President Bill Clinton
Barbara and I were deeply saddened to learn Ted Kennedy
lost his valiant battle with cancer. While we didn't see
eye-to-eye on many political issues through the years, I
always respected his steadfast public service--so much so,
in fact, that I invited him to my library in 2003 to
receive the Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service.
Ted Kennedy was a seminal figure in the United States
Senate--a leader who answered the call to duty for some 47
years, and whose death closes a remarkable chapter in that
body's history.
--Former President George H.W. Bush
Rosalynn and I extend our condolences to the Kennedy
family. Sen. Kennedy was a passionate voice for the
citizens of Massachusetts and an unwavering advocate for
the millions of less fortunate in our country. The courage
and dignity he exhibited in his fight with cancer was
surpassed only by his lifelong commitment and service to
his country.
--Former President Jimmy Carter
It was the thrill of my lifetime to work with Ted
Kennedy. He was a friend, the model of public service and
an American icon.
As we mourn his loss, we rededicate ourselves to the
causes for which he so dutifully dedicated his life. Sen.
Kennedy's legacy stands with the greatest, the most
devoted, the most patriotic men and women to ever serve in
these halls.
Because of Ted Kennedy, more young children could afford
to become healthy. More young adults could afford to
become students. More of our oldest citizens and our
poorest citizens could get the care they need to live
longer, fuller lives. More minorities, women and
immigrants could realize the rights our founding documents
promised them. And more Americans could be proud of their
country.
Ted Kennedy's America was one in which all could pursue
justice, enjoy equality and know freedom. Ted Kennedy's
life was driven by his love of a family that loved him,
and his belief in a country that believed in him. Ted
Kennedy's dream was the one for which the founding fathers
fought and his brothers sought to realize.
The liberal lion's mighty roar may now fall silent, but
his dream shall never die.
--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
It is with great sadness that Elaine and I note the
passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy, one of the giants of American
political life, a longtime Senate colleague, and a friend.
No one could have known the man without admiring the
passion and vigor he poured into a truly momentous life.
--Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Today, with the passing of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the
American people have lost a great patriot, and the Kennedy
family has lost a beloved patriarch. Over a lifetime of
leadership, Sen. Kennedy's statesmanship and political
prowess produced a wealth of accomplishment that has
improved opportunity for every American.
Sen. Kennedy had a grand vision for America, and an
unparalleled ability to effect change. Rooted in his deep
patriotism, his abiding faith, and his deep concern for
the least among us, no one has done more than Sen. Kennedy
to educate our children, care for our seniors, and ensure
equality for all Americans.
--House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D)
Sen. Kennedy devoted his entire life to public policy.
At any point he could have accepted a life of leisure.
Instead he carried on his family's commitment to public
service.
The Senate will be a smaller and sadder place without
his enthusiasm, his energy, and his persistent courage.
--Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.)
Today, America mourns the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy. He
was one of the most dynamic and influential legislators in
our Nation's history, and his legacy will live on in the
work of the colleagues he inspired, and in the lives of
the millions of Americans for whom his passion for social
justice made a difference. My thoughts and prayers are
with his family and friends; even though this day was
anticipated, I am sure that little can soften the blow.
Throughout his final illness, Sen. Kennedy was privileged
to have the best doctors and the best treatment. But he
never forgot, in this as in all cases, those who were not
similarly privileged: those waiting hours in emergency
rooms this morning for a doctor's care; those who went to
sleep last night unsure that they were covered, uncertain
that their families could cope with the financial burden
of an illness. For their sake, health care reform was the
cause of Ted Kennedy's life. For their sake, and his, it
must be the cause of ours.
--House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)
Ted Kennedy was my friend. While there were few
political issues on which he and I agreed, our
relationship was never disagreeable, and was always marked
by good humor, hard work, and a desire to find common
ground. Ted Kennedy was also a friend to inner-city
children and teachers. For the better part of the last
decade, Ted and I worked together to support struggling
Catholic grade schools in inner-city Washington. By
helping these schools keep their doors open and helping
them retain their committed teachers and faculty, this
joint effort made a positive difference in the lives of
thousands of inner-city children, who otherwise would have
been denied the opportunity for a quality education. It
wouldn't have been possible without Sen. Kennedy and his
genuine desire to give something back to help inner-city
students in the city in which he'd served for many years.
I'm proud to have worked with Sen. Kennedy on this
project, and I will dearly miss his friendship and his
partnership in this cause.
--House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio)
I'm not sure America has ever had a greater senator, but
I know for certain that no one has had a greater friend
than I and so many others did in Ted Kennedy.
I will always remember Teddy as the ultimate example for
all of us who seek to serve, a hero for those Americans in
the shadow of life who so desperately needed one.
He worked tirelessly to lift Americans out of poverty,
advance the cause of civil rights, and provide opportunity
to all. He fought to the very end for the cause of his
life--ensuring that all Americans have the health care
they need.
The commitment to build a stronger and fairer America, a
more perfect union, was deeply ingrained in the fiber of
who he was, and what he believed in, and why he served.
That's why he stands among the most respected senators
in history. But it was his sympathetic ear, his razor wit,
and his booming, raucous laugh that made him among the
most beloved.
Whatever tragedy befell Teddy's family, he would always
be there for them. Whatever tragedy befell the family of
one of his friends, he would always be there for us.
--Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.),
a close friend who in Kennedy's absence
took over the Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee
I had hoped and prayed that this day would never come.
My heart and soul weep 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.
Neither years of age nor years of political combat, nor
his illness, diminished the idealism and energy of this
talented, imaginative, and intelligent man. And that is
the kind of Senator Ted Kennedy was. 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 setbacks 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.
God bless his wife Vicki, his family, and the
institution that he served so ably, which will never be
the same without his voice of eloquence and reason. And
God bless you Ted. I love you and will miss you terribly.
In my autobiography I wrote that during a visit to West
Virginia in 1968 to help dedicate the ``Robert F. Kennedy
Youth Center'' in Morgantown, ``Sen. Kennedy's voice
quivered with emotion as he talked of his late brothers
and their love for West Virginia. `These hills, these
people, and this state have had a very special meaning for
my family. Our lives have been tightly intertwined with
yours.'''
I am sure the people of the great state of West Virginia
join me in expressing our heartfelt condolences to the
Kennedy family at this moment of deep sorrow.
--Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.)
He had a gregarious personality. He had a keen sense of
how to position himself with people. He had an old Irish
wit and was a great storyteller. But all of those things
probably pale in--in comparison to the fact that once he
was on an issue, he was relentless. And he--once he gave
his word, then there was never any--any variance from
that, to the point where he would cast votes on amendments
that really were against his own position in order to keep
a carefully crafted compromise intact. And when others
from his own party and our party didn't do that, I've seen
him chastise them rather severely.
History judges all of us. And after a period of time, I
think history will make a judgment about Ted Kennedy. All
of us had our failings and weaknesses. But the fact is
that Ted Kennedy was an institution within the institution
of the Senate. And all of my colleagues, no matter how
they felt about his causes or his positions, I think,
would agree with that.
--Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.),
who often referred to Kennedy as a ``good friend,''
talked about what made the liberal senator
likable to his GOP adversaries,
about their time working together
on immigration legislation
and about his spirit in the end,
in an interview with CNN's
``Larry King Live'' on Thursday
We have known for some time that this day was coming,
but nothing makes it easier. We have lost a great light in
our lives and our politics, and it will never be the same
again. Ted Kennedy was such an extraordinary force, yes
for the issues he cared about, but more importantly for
the humanity and caring in our politics that is at the
center of faith and true public service. No words can ever
do justice to this irrepressible, larger than life
presence who was simply the best--the best senator, the
best advocate you could ever hope for, the best colleague,
and the best person to stand by your side in the toughest
of times. He faced the last challenge of his life with the
same grace, courage, and determination with which he
fought for the causes and principles he held so dear. He
taught us how to fight, how to laugh, how to treat each
other, and how to turn idealism into action, and in these
last fourteen months he taught us much more about how to
live life, sailing into the wind one last time. For almost
25 years, I was privileged to serve as his colleague and
share his friendship for which I will always be grateful.
--Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Many have come before, and many will come after, but Ted
Kennedy's name will always be remembered as someone who
lived and breathed the United States Senate and the work
completed within its chamber. When I first came to the
United States Senate I was filled with conservative fire
in my belly and an itch to take on any and everyone who
stood in my way, including Ted Kennedy. As I began working
within the confines of my office I soon found out that
while we almost always disagreed on most issues, once in a
while we could actually get together and find the common
ground, which is essential in passing legislation.
--Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah),
one of Kennedy's closest Republican
friends in the Senate
Ted Kennedy was a mentor, a guiding light, and a close
friend--we all loved the man. In the Senate, Ted Kennedy
was our sun--the center of our universe. To be pulled by
his strong gravitational field, to bask in his warmth was
a privilege, an honor, and, for many of us, even a life
changing experience. His death leaves our world dark but,
as he said in his own words, ``the work goes on, the cause
endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never
die.'' Ted, we will not let your flag fall.
--Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
Ted Kennedy was at once the most partisan and the most
constructive United States senator. He could preach the
party line as well as bridge differences better than any
Democrat. I will especially miss his cheery disposition
and his devotion to United States history of which he was
such a consequential part.
--Senate Republican Conference Chairman
Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
With the passing of Sen. Kennedy the United States
Senate has lost one of its most effective and respected
voices.
Sen. Kennedy's colleagues--Republicans and Democrats--
greatly enjoyed working with him and respected his views.
A handshake from Sen. Kennedy was all that was ever
needed. His word was his bond.
When the history of the United States Senate is written,
his name will be toward the top of the list of senators
who made a tremendous impact on the institution. Sen.
Kennedy was never afraid to work across the aisle to get
things done. We can all learn from the example he set and
work together to build a stronger nation.
--Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
I have known Ted Kennedy for more than 47 years. In that
time, it has been my greatest pleasure to work with him in
the Congress to try to tackle many human problems, but I
am especially gratified by his contributions to the cause
of civil rights and voting rights.
At some of the most tragic and difficult moments in this
nation's history, Ted Kennedy gathered his strength and
led us toward a more hopeful future. As a nation and as a
people, he encouraged us to build upon the inspirational
leadership of his two brothers and use it to leave a
legacy of social transformation that has left its mark on
history.
--Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)
Maria and I are immensely saddened by the passing of
Uncle Teddy. He was known to the world as the Lion of the
Senate, a champion of social justice, and a political
icon.
Most importantly, he was the rock of our family: a
loving husband, father, brother and uncle. He was a man of
great faith and character.
--California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
and wife Maria Shriver, a niece of Kennedy
The loss of Sen. Ted Kennedy is a sad event for America,
and especially for Massachusetts. The last son of Rose
Fitzgerald and Joseph Kennedy was granted a much longer
life than his brothers, and he filled those years with
endeavor and achievement that would have made them proud.
In 1994, I joined the long list of those who ran against
Ted and came up short. But he was the kind of man you
could like even if he was your adversary. I came to admire
Ted enormously for his charm and sense of humor--qualities
all the more impressive in a man who had known so much
loss and sorrow. I will always remember his great personal
kindness, and the fighting spirit he brought to every
cause he served and every challenge he faced. I was proud
to know Ted Kennedy as a friend, and today my family and I
mourn the passing of this big-hearted, unforgettable man.
--Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R),
who ran against Kennedy in 1994
I would like to extend our sympathies to the Kennedy
family as we hear word about the passing of Sen. Ted
Kennedy. He believed in our country and fought
passionately for his convictions.
--Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R)
I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Sen. Ted
Kennedy last night. Ted Kennedy will be remembered with
great affection and enduring respect here in Ireland. Ted
Kennedy was a great friend of Ireland.
In good days and bad, Ted Kennedy worked valiantly for
the cause of peace on this island. He played a
particularly important role in the formative days of the
Northern Ireland Peace Process. He maintained a strong and
genuine interest in its progress. He used his political
influence wisely. He was the voice of moderation and
common sense. He was unequivocal in his rejection of
violence at all times and from all quarters. He believed
that only politics would provide a sustainable and
enduring way forward. His belief that the United States
could play a strong role in solving our problems has been
vindicated by the success of the Peace Process.
Today, America has lost a great and respected statesman
and Ireland has lost a long-standing and true friend.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.
--Brian Cowen, Prime Minister of Ireland
Sen. Edward Kennedy will be mourned not just in America
but in every continent. He is admired around the world as
the Senator of Senators. He led the world in championing
children's education and health care, and believed that
every single child should have the chance to realise their
potential to the full. Even facing illness and death he
never stopped fighting for the causes which were his
life's work.
I am proud to have counted him as a friend and proud
that the United Kingdom recognised his service earlier
this year with the award of an honorary knighthood.
--Gordon Brown, Prime Minister
of the United Kingdom
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I want to talk today about
the Ryan White authorization. The Ryan White authorization
passed last night by, really, unanimous approval. As many
people know, the Ryan White legislation is one of the most
important pieces of legislation to fund help for those
people living with HIV and AIDS.
I want to comment on the importance of the bill, but
essentially, in today's world, remind people of where we
were and how far we have come. I want to talk about the
importance of the bill. I could cite statistics from my
own State. I have a State with one of the largest numbers
of surviving AIDS patients, for which we are so happy and
grateful. I have over 34,000 Marylanders living today with
HIV and AIDS.
As I said, the passage was almost unanimous. The debate
was noncontroversial. It was the same way in our Health,
Education Committee. We were focusing on the details of
funding, how to include more assistance for rural
communities where there is a spike in the number of AIDS
cases. It was actually quite civil and collegial--robust
as it always is in the HELP Committee. But as I sat there
and listened to my colleagues--and it was somewhat dull,
the usual--I thought back to 1990 when it was not like
that at all.
I say that today as we take up health reform. We are
gripped by fear, we are gripped by frenzy where all kinds
of myths and misconceptions are out there. The debate is
prickly. It is tense. We don't listen to each other. We
are out there, hurling, hurling accusations.
I want to go back to a day in 1990, a day in the HELP
Committee chaired by Senator Kennedy, when this young boy,
Ryan White, came to testify. Ryan White was diagnosed with
AIDS at age 13. He came to testify at the committee when
we were trying to figure out what to do with this new
disease that was gripping the land, where people in our
urban communities were dying, adults who contracted it.
Here was this little boy who came, who was so frail, who
was so sick, and he wrenched our hearts that day as he
talked about this new disease that he had gotten. He had
gotten it through a blood transfusion.
But what he also told us about was what he was going
through. He testified that day, mustering every bit of
energy he had, speaking with verve and pluck about his
plight; he told us about what had happened to him--how he
was shunned in the class, how he was locked in a room, how
children were forbidden to play with him. He lived a life
of isolation and a life of desolation. He was treated like
a pariah.
He wasn't the only one. Anyone who had AIDS in those
days was greeted as if they were the untouchables. I
remember it well. If you had AIDS, you were hated, you
were vilified, you were viewed as a pariah. People were
afraid to get near you, afraid to use the water fountain.
If you heard someone in our office had AIDS, you didn't
want to use the same bathroom.
Firefighters and emergency people were afraid to touch
people bleeding at the site because they were concerned
they could get it. Funeral homes would not bury people who
had AIDS. I remember a little girl who died in my State
who had AIDS, and only one funeral home in the Baltimore
area would bury her. This is the way it was then.
As that little boy spoke, we were gripped by tears and
we were gripped by shame. We were so embarrassed at what
was happening in our country. Both sides of the aisle were
touched. The Senate stepped up and they did it on a
bipartisan basis. I was so proud that day when Senator Ted
Kennedy, whom we miss dearly, said, ``Tell me, young man,
what can we do for you?''
And he said, ``Help the other kids. Help the other
people who have AIDS.''
Ted said, ``I certainly will.''
And Senator Orrin Hatch immediately stepped up--sitting
next to Kennedy--and said, ``I want to be involved. I want
to work on that legislation.''
Ted Kennedy, Orrin Hatch, Chris Dodd, Tom Harkin,
Barbara Mikulski, Nancy Kassebaum--we all came together.
We worked on a bipartisan basis and we did move the Ryan
White bill against the grain of many people in this
country and in the face of the fear and frenzy.
As Ryan White left with his mother that day, as he
walked out in a very halting way, he was gripped by a
media frenzy. The noise went on. They were pushing and
shoving to try to get a picture of this poignant little
lad. Senator Kennedy jumped up, built like the linebacker
he once was in Harvard, and ran out and he said, ``Barb,
come with me; Chris, get over there; Orrin, grab that
chair.'' We all ran out and Ted Kennedy literally threw
himself in front of Ryan White to protect him from being
run over by TV cameras.
Again, both sides of the aisle, we were there--Ted,
calling this out--Chris, you go there; Barb, open the
door; Orrin, stick with me, and Orrin stuck with him. They
put their arms around him and got him into a safe haven in
one of our offices.
Ted Kennedy literally put himself on the line that day
of fear and frenzy, and Republicans were right there with
him, helping him out to get that young man to a safe room.
Ted Kennedy protected that little boy that day, literally
and figuratively, and he had the support of the committee.
So as we move ahead today, as we reauthorize the Ryan
White Program for 4 more years, remembering that it is the
largest source of Federal funding for HIV/AIDS programs, I
want us to remember how we worked together, what it is
like when we literally stand up for each other. Ted
Kennedy literally protected that child 19 years ago. He
stood up and protected the people who count on us to
protect them every day. It was a moving day. It was a
lesson to be learned today--Ted Kennedy leading the way,
the ranking member by his side, all of us coming together.
...
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Mr. LEAHY. ... If I might, as I look over where my dear
friend and colleague, Senator Kennedy, sat for decades on
this floor, I wish to take the opportunity to remember
Senator Ted Kennedy, who provided steadfast leadership on
this issue [hate crimes] for more than a decade. I wish he
could have been here to see this bill [Matthew Shepard and
James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009], about
which he was so passionate, finally get enacted. I wish he
was here in any event, but I am honored to be able to see
it through to the finish line for him. I know it meant a
lot to him. I miss him, but I think this is a way we can
say to Senator Kennedy his good work goes on. ...
Mr. DURBIN. ... This bill [Matthew Shepard and James
Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009] has another
important champion who sadly is no longer with us. Senator
Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts was our leader on this issue
[hate crimes] for over a decade. I only wish he were here
to vote and join us on the passage of this important
legislation. Nobody spoke to this issue with more
authority and clarity than Senator Ted Kennedy. He was the
heart and soul of the Senate, and passing this bill will
honor the great work he gave in his public career to the
cause of civil rights. ...
In closing, I wish to quote the words of Senator Kennedy
when he introduced the hate crimes bill in April. This is
what he said:
It has been over 10 years since Matthew Shepard was left
to die on a fence in Wyoming because of who he was. It has
also been 10 years since this bill was initially
considered by Congress. In those 10 years, we have gained
the political and public support that is needed to make
this bill into law. Today, we have a President who is
prepared to sign hate crimes legislation into law, and a
Justice Department that is willing to enforce it. We must
not delay the passage of this bill. Now is the time to
stand up against hate-motivated violence and recognize the
shameful damage it has done to our Nation.
We will honor the memory and legacy of Senator Edward
Kennedy by passing this defense authorization conference
report, which includes the hate crimes law language. We
need to send this to President Obama, who has promised he
will sign it into law. I urge my colleagues to join me in
support of this important legislation.
I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Mr. BENNET. ... I thank all of those who worked so hard
over the past 10 years to update our hate crimes laws,
particularly the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who long
championed this cause. In a speech he gave back in 2007 on
this very subject, Senator Kennedy asked how long those
living in fear of attack or reprisal would have to wait
until Congress did the right thing. How long, he asked,
would it take for Washington to show that violence on
account of gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity
is absolutely inconsistent with our values and as such
will not be tolerated in the United States of America.
Today, is Senator Kennedy's answer. Today we send a bill
[Hate Crimes Prevention Act] to the President that ensures
America's enduring principles apply to all Americans.
Today we approve a bill that, as Senator Kennedy
predicted, ``sends a message about freedom and equality
that will resonate around the world.'' It is a proud
amendment. I urge my colleagues to set the right example
and pass this important legislation.
Mr. KIRK. Madam President, Congress will pass an
exceptional bill today. I know that Senator Kennedy would
have been proud of this responsible legislation and the
ways in which it benefits our Armed Forces and our
country.
The bill specifically honors the sacrifice of our men
and women in uniform, and it includes provisions to put
mechanisms in place to strengthen our current defense
operations and our national security. I commend my
colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for their
leadership on these issues, and I am honored to serve on
the committee in Senator Kennedy's place.
I wanted to spend a moment praising our colleagues for
agreeing to include another important provision in the
bill, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. I
know Senator Kennedy would have been especially pleased by
its inclusion. It is an extremely important bill and was
especially important to Senator Kennedy.
He worked on it for years to close the loopholes that
have prevented effective prosecution of these flagrant
crimes that terrorize entire groups of communities across
America.
As Senator Kennedy said so well:
We want to be able to have a value system that is worthy
for our brave men and women to defend. They are fighting
overseas for our values. One of the values is that we
should not, in this country, in this democracy, permit the
kind of hatred and bigotry that has stained the history of
this nation over a considerable period of time.
The statistics about hate crimes are shocking and
shameful. For far too long, law enforcement has been
forced to investigate these vicious crimes with one hand
tied behind its back. The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes
Prevention Act gives Federal, State, and local law
enforcement agencies the real power and authority they
need to combat these brutal acts of domestic terrorism.
The bill makes it clear that the time is now to stand up
for all victims of hate crimes across America. It would
not have advanced this far without the dedication of
Senator Kennedy and other key colleagues, especially
Senator Reid, Senator Leahy and Senator Levin. I also
praise the incredible and tireless advocacy of Matthew
Shepard's mother, Judy. She educated all of us about the
immense impact of such crimes, and I know how much Senator
Kennedy admired her for all she's done to make sure that
no other families have to endure the horror she faced in
the loss of her son.
I know that it is unusual to include such a measure in
the defense bill, but the rule of law will be stronger in
America because of the inclusion of the Matthew Shepard
Hate Crimes Prevention Act in this year's National Defense
Authorization Act. I look forward to it becoming law as
soon as possible.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Mr. KIRK. Madam President, as the Senate prepares to
debate the critical reform of our Nation's health care
system, I am privileged to stand at the Massachusetts desk
from which the voice--that unmistakable, booming voice--of
the most effective legislator of our time was heard
throughout this Chamber that he loved for nearly a half
century.
The voice of Senator Edward M. Kennedy called out
against injustice, denial of opportunity, and needless
suffering of every kind. Sometimes with humor, sometimes
with indignation, he spoke skillfully and tirelessly as a
champion of working families, the poor, the disabled, and
those engaged in a constant struggle for economic and
social justice.
Of all the issues on which he led the Senate and our
Nation, the one Ted Kennedy called the cause of his life
was the battle for affordable, quality health care. He saw
the need as universal--made real by experiences deeply
personal. He was the father of three children who faced
serious illnesses and received the finest health care in
the world.
He understood first hand the anguish of a parent who
learns that a child is gravely ill. He found it
unacceptable that some Americans receive quality health
care while millions of others do not.
For almost 50 years, his voice thundered in this Chamber
and across the Nation with a clear and compelling message:
affordable, quality health care must be a basic right for
all, not a privilege for the few.
In Senator Kennedy's own maiden speech in this Chamber,
he noted the conventional wisdom that freshman Senators
should be seen and not heard. But he felt compelled to
speak out on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because it was
the defining moral issue of that time.
As the newest of freshman Senators, who is honored to
stand briefly in his place, I have no doubt about my
obligation to Senator Kennedy, to the values and
friendship we shared, to the citizens of Massachusetts,
and to the country we love. So I am grateful for this
opportunity to speak out at another defining moment for
our Nation, on what I and Senator Kennedy believe to be
the moral issue of this time. ...
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, next to the door of Senator
Kennedy's old office--now Senator Kirk's office--is a
small brass plaque that Senator Kennedy had mounted near
the door with an old Gaelic greeting: Cead Mile Failte--
100,000 welcomes. With his first maiden speech on the
floor of the Senate, I extend to Senator Kirk, my
colleague, officially, Cead Mile Failte, 100,000 welcomes
to this great body. The fact the Senator would stand and
speak to an issue of such enduring significance, not only
to the Nation but to Senator Ted Kennedy, is entirely
fitting.
Forty-five years ago, Ted Kennedy gave his maiden speech
on the floor of the Senate, addressing the moral issue of
his time--the issue of civil rights. Over the years, he
came to understand the issue of health care is an issue of
civil rights. His son, Congressman Patrick Kennedy, tells
the story when his dad was in the hospital recently
recuperating from cancer, he would walk the wards. We can
see him plodding along, going from room to room, talking
to people about how they were doing and, more
specifically, how they were paying for their medical care.
Ted never stopped caring about not only the many people
he represented in Massachusetts and around the Nation but
around the world. During the time he served in the Senate,
he extended the reach of civil rights and opportunity
through health care, with Medicaid and Medicare and COBRA
and children's health insurance and so many other things
that he was a part of. I am honored the Senator is here
today, as he has said, to be the voice and the vote of
Senator Edward M. Kennedy. The question asked is: Will the
circle go unbroken? With the Senator's speech today, it is
clear it is unbroken; that the Senator is carrying on the
fine tradition not only of Senator Kennedy but of so many
people who were inspired by his words over the years.
I congratulate my colleague on his maiden speech on the
floor of the Senate.
Mr. LEAHY. ... I also want to take this opportunity to
remember Senator Ted Kennedy who provided steadfast
leadership on this issue [hate crimes] for more than a
decade. I wish he could have been here to see this bill
[Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes
Prevention Act], about which he was so passionate, finally
enacted. I am honored to be able to see it through to the
finish for him. I know it meant a lot to him. We miss him
but his good work goes on. ...
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Mr. KIRK. ... Today in the United States, there are
approximately 200 million people who are elderly or
disabled. These individuals are some of our most
vulnerable and often they are forgotten. But they always
had a friend and advocate in Senator Ted Kennedy. He was
the premier legislative innovator.
Senator Kennedy understood the current system is not
working; that it cried out for innovation. He knew it was
wrong that in order for individuals with disabilities and
the elderly to receive the services and support they
needed, they had to stop working, spend down their
savings, abandon their dreams, abandon their homes, and
possibly go into a permanent facility--all the wrong
incentives for individuals who deserve dignity in those
fragile years. All this, he felt, was directly contrary to
our idea of living the American dream.
Senator Kennedy was not one to sit idly by. He acted. He
acted to try to help as many of these men and women as
possible. The Community Living Assistance Services and
Supports Act--known as the CLASS Act--was at the heart of
his efforts to help people with functional limitations and
their families obtain the services and support they needed
in order to keep their independence and continue as active
members of their communities. I am honored to take up that
worthy cause. ...
Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I thank Senator Kirk for
describing the CLASS Act, an important program for long-
term care, and the legacy of Senator Kennedy and his work
regarding that innovation. ...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, during his long illness, the
Senate missed Ted Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy missed the
Senate. But Ted was especially missed by a young Senate
page with whom he had a special connection--his nephew,
Jack Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy's son.
Jack worked as a page over the summer months, and I got
to know him. When he wasn't busy with his page duties in
the Cloakroom and on the Senate floor, we talked about the
lessons he had learned from his uncle.
Ted was thrilled that Jack was walking the same
corridors where his Uncle Bobby and his grandfather, John
F. Kennedy, had once served. When young Jack returned to
school this fall, he had a chance to reflect on all that
had happened during his summer in Washington, but mostly
he thought about his Uncle Teddy. He wrote about it in an
essay he titled ``EMK.''
Jack shared his essay with me, and I would like to share
it with the Congress, because it reflects not only what a
tower of strength Teddy was to his family, but also the
extraordinary qualities of Ted's loving nephew, Jack
Schlossberg.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jack's essay
be printed in the Record, and I recommend that it be read
by all who knew Ted, all who called him their friend, all
who benefited from his extraordinary career in the U.S.
Senate:
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record as follows:
EMK
(By Jack Schlossberg)
When I was little, I could only remember general things
about him, like the way his voice sounded, or the feeling
I got when we went sailing on his boat. As I grew up I
started to understand what Uncle Teddy was saying to me
and what he meant. As Teddy became sick, I understood him
differently. He was still at times the same person I knew
and loved, but his imperfections startled me. During his
last few months I began to study every word he said. I
idolized him in a way I never had before. No longer was my
Uncle Teddy a summer memory or someone I heard about from
my mother; he meant something to me. As I watched him go
through Boston for the last time in August, I realized
that I was not the only person who grew up with him this
way, and that multiple generations had. Hundreds of
thousands of people knew Teddy as the loving man who had
always been there, and who never disappointed them.
It was my first year playing basketball, and my team had
made it to the championships. I was 10 years old and I had
never been more excited in my life. It was a tie game well
into the fourth quarter when Teddy showed up. He came
barreling into the gloomy PS 188 gym and sat down with my
mother and father on the sidelines. He did not cheer too
loud or even make himself heard, he just sat there and
watched me. After my team's victory, he got up and gave me
a great big hug. Soon after, he left and went home, as did
I. I did not think twice about him coming to my game. I
had not told him about it--he probably asked my mother
what time and where it was, and moved everything that he
was doing that day around my 11 am basketball game. That
night I got a call from him: ``The game of all games,'' he
shouted into the phone. ``And you scored the winning shot.
I can't believe it. I just can't believe it,'' he said. Of
course, I had not actually scored the winning shot, but
all of a sudden I believed I had. Teddy was always there
to make your story a little more dramatic and entirely
more fun. After he told a story about something you both
had done, you started telling the story exactly as he had.
At the time, I never understood how much effort he put
into our relationship. Not only was he the senior Senator
from Massachusetts, but he was also quite busy, unlike
many Senators. It was not as if he called me every day,
every week, or even every month, but without fail, when
you needed Teddy, he was there.
A year ago Teddy was diagnosed with brain cancer. A
person who never made me sad, and never seemed weak, was
said to have months to live. At first I was more baffled
than I was upset. We were not talking about your average
person, this was Teddy. He was not someone who came and
went, he simply was always there. This was the first time
I saw him affected by anything, and I was so confused by
his vulnerability. My view of Teddy changed completely
without any interaction with him. I suddenly became
endlessly interested in his life. I read about him. I
followed his policy and studied his speeches. Soon after
his diagnosis, my family and I went to visit Teddy in
Florida. For the first time, I was aware of who Teddy was
when he was not with me. In Florida, I asked him about his
life and his politics, something I had never done before.
He explained how he was 7 years old (in the eighth grade
because he was sent to school with his older brother) and
his classmates stole his turtle and buried it: ``I cried
for hours and ran outside to dig him up,'' he said with a
grin. ``They were so mean over there at Riverdale.''
Although he could not express himself the way he wanted to
at all times, he still stunned me with stories about civil
rights and Lyndon Johnson. He also triggered the same
emotions he always had. As he and his wife, Vicki, sat
down to watch ``24'' one night, I saw Teddy as himself. I
sat next to him as he commented on the show: ``She's
always cross,'' he said about one character. He made joke
after joke about every possible thing he could and had
everyone in the room laughing. This was Teddy's way. It
was not as if every word he said was brilliant, but his
way as a person was truly unique. He could make a very
depressing evening hilarious just by cracking a few jokes.
My final memories of Teddy are not really of him, but of
what I learned about him. His death was both upsetting and
uplifting. At first I only thought of how I would miss him
and how unfair it was that he was gone. But, as I went
through Boston with him for the last time, I realized that
many others loved him too. The drive started slowly as we
went through Hyannis and waved to the people we passed on
the street. The crowds got bigger as we approached Boston,
and as we passed Teddy's famed ``Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Greenway,'' the crowd was enormous. The signs people held
that said ``We love you, Teddy'' struck deep in my heart.
We drove through all of Boston as people lined the streets
everywhere. There was no animosity, no hatred, just
appreciation and love for Teddy. This made me realize that
I was not the only person who loved him, and that the same
effort he had made for me, he had made for everyone. He is
the only person I know who was capable of making the type
of effort he made. Whether it was my basketball game or
grandparents day, Teddy showed up and made you laugh.
The drive continued as we pulled into the JFK Library
and saw news cameras, photographers, and another gigantic
crowd. It became clear to me then that in both political
and personal life, he had something only few have: people
trusted him. Everyone who came out to see Teddy trusted
that he was going to take care of them, because he always
had. I never knew any of this to be true until that day.
Teddy was my uncle, so naturally I figured only those who
really knew him would feel like I did. But Teddy's charm
was universal, although he brought it up a notch in
Massachusetts. The final way in which I remember Teddy, is
as someone who always was truly who they appear to be. It
would have been possible for his trust to apply only to
his family and friends, and for it to have been somewhat
artificial, the way most people behave. However, Teddy
acted toward everyone the way he did with me, and this is
the highest praise any public figure can attain.
Teddy's relationship with me during his life was
spectacular. Not once did he disappoint me, and he
provided continuous support and much-needed laughs.
Teddy's legacy lies in many places. It lies in his
legislative and political accomplishments. It lies in
changes in the lives of his friends and constituents. It
lies in his family bonds, and his love for the sea.
However, it also lies in the way he left us. Teddy's
illness at first seemed unfair and depressing. This is not
the case at all. Teddy was able to teach everyone who
watched him how to fight and how to succeed. Many people
do not realize that he outlived everyone's initial
predictions, and lived seven times as long as anyone
thought possible. This was not because his doctors were
wrong about the severity of his cancer, but because this
prediction did not consider that they were dealing with
Teddy. Not once did he stop fighting. In fact, he took the
most aggressive and strenuous approach to fighting his
cancer, and always remained hopeful. Teddy's death taught
me that no cause is lost, and that every day is worth
living.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Mr. CARDIN. I was going to comment, listening to the
Senator [Mr. Kirk], at the desk that was Senator Kennedy's
desk, how proud he would be of the statements the Senator
is making here this evening. Senator Kennedy was our
champion for middle-income families in America. He
understood they needed a voice in the Senate, and he was
their strong, passionate voice.
This [health care reform] bill speaks to middle-income
families. It is what Senator Kennedy fought his whole
career for here in the Senate, to do something that would
help middle-income families. ...
I thank the Senator because those of us who have heard
Senator Kennedy speak on the floor of the Senate know how
sorely missed he is here, and we are proud you are
representing that vote here on the floor of the Senate
tonight.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from
Minnesota. I want to add my comments to that of the
Senator from Maryland and the Senator from Delaware to
commend the new Senator from Massachusetts. He not only
carries on the great work of Ted Kennedy, but he does it
with the same passion and eloquence. ...
Mr. KIRK. I thank the Senator. I am honored to be a
Senator in this body. Back home, they think I am the 60th
vote. I would like to believe we would have a more
enlightened full body and that 60 would be a number we
would pass through.
The American people are looking forward to debate on
this issue. I think they believe they deserve many of the
aspects that are contained in the bill. On behalf of my
constituents in Massachusetts and those who, for so many
years, revered and loved and elected and reelected Senator
Kennedy--I think they all, as we do, have him in our minds
and hearts tonight, and we hope we can advance this bill
to the American people, knowing his spirit and years of
work are a reminder of our obligation. ...
Ms. STABENOW. ... I also thank the memory of a very
important Senator named Ted Kennedy, who I know is here in
spirit, for 40 years of dedication to this cause.
Proceedings in the House of Representatives
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I
rise today to express my deep sadness and regret for the
passing of Senator Edward Kennedy. The world has lost a
tremendous leader and an exceptional spirit. Senator
Kennedy's voice was a unique source of inspiration on the
Senate floor, and he will be greatly missed for his public
service and work to improve the lives of the less
fortunate.
Senator Kennedy was arguably one of the most influential
Senators in U.S. history. He was an exceptionally
accomplished legislator who authored roughly 2,500 pieces
of legislation over the course of his career of more than
46 years in the U.S. Senate. More than 300 of Senator
Kennedy's bills went on to become law, and he had a rare
ability to reach across party lines in the interests of
passing important pieces of legislation. He was always
well-versed on policy issues and highly prepared for
committee hearings and floor debates.
As the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions Committee, Senator Kennedy courageously led
the push to reform our Nation's failing health care
system. He strongly believed that all Americans deserved
to have access to affordable health care options and
supported a number of initiatives, including America's
Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. Senator Kennedy
also helped enact the State Children's Health Insurance
Program, the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Ryan
White Care Act and the Family Medical Leave Act.
Although health care was Senator Kennedy's passion, he
was also committed to combating discrimination. Even when
it was politically unpopular, Senator Kennedy believed in
an America where ethnic minorities and women were treated
equally. He supported Title IX, which outlawed
discrimination on the basis of sex in institutions of
higher education and the renewal of the Voting Rights Act,
which banned racially discriminatory voting requirements.
My prayers go out to the Kennedy family in this time of
profound grief. I ask my fellow colleagues to join me in
remembering the life of a true American hero who dedicated
his life to improving the lives of others.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE
A message from the Senate by Ms. Curtis, one of its
clerks, announced that the Senate agreed to the following
resolution:
S. Res. 255
In the Senate of the United States, September 8, 2009.
Whereas the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy was elected
to the Senate in 1962 and served the people of
Massachusetts in the United States Senate with devotion
and distinction for nearly 47 years, the third longest
term of service in Senate history;
Whereas the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy became the
youngest Majority Whip in Senate history at the age of 36;
Whereas the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy served as
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1979-1981
and as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee for nearly 13 years between 1987-2009;
Whereas the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy made the
needs of working families and the less fortunate among us
the work of his life, particularly those of the poor, the
disenfranchised, the disabled, the young, the old, the
working class, the service member and the immigrant;
Wher[e]as his efforts on behalf of the citizens of
Massachusetts and all Americans earned him the esteem and
high regard of his colleagues;
Whereas more than 300 laws bear his name and he co-
sponsored more than 2,000 others covering civil rights,
health care, the minimum wage, education, human rights and
many other issues; and
Whereas with his death his State and the Nation have
lost an outstanding lawmaker and public servant: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate has received with profound
sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the passing of
the honorable Edward Moore Kennedy, the great Senator from
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate communicate
these resolutions to the House of Representatives and
transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the Kennedy family.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it stand
adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of
the deceased Senator.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 2009, the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) is recognized for 60 minutes as
the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I ask unanimous consent
that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on
the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Noting that Representative
Neal from Massachusetts and Representative Capuano from
Massachusetts want to, at this point, insert their written
statements in honor of Senator Kennedy, I made that
unanimous consent request. But it is also so that any
other Member seeking to be recognized can insert their
comments at this point.
Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, with the passing
of Senator Edward M. Kennedy last month, the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts lost its greatest champion, and the
United States of America lost one of its strongest voices
for fairness, equality, and justice. Personally, I lost a
treasured friend. From civil rights to health care, from
voting rights to Head Start, Ted Kennedy played a
significant role in the passage of some of the most
important legislation in our lifetime. I have often said
his record in the U.S. Senate is unrivaled. And I believe
history will remember him as the most effective individual
to ever serve in that institution.
The Ted Kennedy his friends and colleagues knew was a
kind, considerate, generous, funny, thoughtful, and hard-
working person whose presence lit up the room. His
personality and charisma were contagious. He loved his
family and spoke about them with great pride. During good
times and bad, he was always there with a phone call or a
note. When it came to Western and Central Massachusetts,
he always offered to help. He was a master of detail. His
ability to work across the aisle was legendary. At the end
of the day, Ted Kennedy made a difference in the lives of
countless individuals.
For the past year he faced one of the most difficult
challenges of his life. But he did so with characteristic
dignity and grace. Whether it was sailing on Cape Cod in
his beloved Mya, or throwing out the first pitch at Fenway
Park, he taught us how to live life while facing
adversity. And in the process he became an inspiration for
us all.
I became interested in public service during John F.
Kennedy's historic campaign for President nearly 50 years
ago. Since then, I have been an outspoken and loyal
supporter of the Kennedy family. It has been the honor of
a lifetime to call Ted Kennedy my friend. His
extraordinary life and legacy will never be forgotten. As
we pay tribute to him tonight, my thoughts are with Vicki,
Kara, Edward, Jr., Patrick, Curran, Caroline, and the rest
of the Kennedy family. He will never be forgotten.
Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a man
who dedicated his life to the people of Massachusetts. The
passing of Senator Ted Kennedy has left our Commonwealth
without its principal champion, and while we grieve, we
take solace in remembering the magnitude of his many
accomplishments during almost 47 years in the U.S. Senate.
I am proud to have served with Senator Kennedy as a
member of the Massachusetts delegation and humbled when I
recognize what we have lost. His work impressed me before
I was elected to Congress, but it was in this context that
I came to know Senator Kennedy personally and witness his
insight and intelligence and his formidable skills as a
legislator. His ability to recognize an important and
often daunting goal, and then effect legislation to
achieve that end, was unparalleled. The testimonies we
have heard from friends and colleagues in recent weeks
bear witness to that.
Ted Kennedy's approach to government had been instilled
in him from an early age--that we must, no matter our
position in life, strive to help those in need and speak
up for those whose voices cannot be heard. It is a lesson
both he and his brothers took to heart and to which they
gave their lives in service. Senator Kennedy knew the
people of Massachusetts needed his help, but his
compassion did not stop there. He often championed
national causes and shepherded major legislation with
broad impact across the country: ensuring civil rights,
expanding children's health insurance, establishing the
Americans with Disabilities Act, strengthening education
and service programs, and finally the effort he called
``the cause of my life''--reform of our health care
system.
Senator Kennedy soared to great heights in the Senate.
He achieved immense influence among his colleagues, both
Republican and Democrat, while never compromising his
progressive values or quenching his fighting spirit. The
personal touch he lent to relationships with colleagues
and constituents told of his deep connection to the work
he was doing and his dedication to being the most
effective Senator that Chamber has ever seen.
I can say I am a better person for having known Ted
Kennedy. I am saddened by his loss, not only for myself
and for the people of Massachusetts, but for the citizens
of a grateful Nation. Indeed, the world mourns the loss of
his passion for justice and peace. We must all strive to
honor his legacy and continue fighting for the causes he
defended with such vigor.
Lest it be forgotten or overlooked, Ted Kennedy was also
a father and husband. I offer my deepest condolences to
Vicki, Kara, Ted, Jr., Caroline, Curran, and of course my
colleague Patrick. I thank each of you for allowing us to
share this great man with you. He is, and will always be,
greatly missed.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. We rise to honor our friend
and our mentor, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, one of the
greatest Senators in the history of the United States. He
will be on a very short list of the greatest who have ever
lived and served our country. We gather tonight, noting
that his son, Patrick, serves with us here in the House of
Representatives, and we extend our best to him and to his
sister, Kara, and to Teddy, Jr., as well as and especially
to his beloved wife, Vicki, and to all of the other
members of the Kennedy family.
He was, without question, ``an idealist without
illusions,'' in the words of his brother. He worked as
best he could to achieve the goals that he set for our
country while at the same time reaching across the aisle
to find partners that he could work with in order to
accomplish those legislative goals. Without question, it
was our great honor, as the Massachusetts delegation, to
work with him for all of those years.
Let me, at this point, turn and recognize the gentleman
from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), and then we will go
through and recognize the other members of our delegation
and other Members who have joined here to speak about the
Senator. I recognize the gentleman from Massachusetts.
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, the gentleman
who just recognized me, the dean of our delegation, has
the distinction of having worked very closely with the
late Senator Kennedy for 33 years, for more than two-
thirds of the Senator's term. And I know that Senator
Kennedy greatly valued his colleagueship, as all of us do
who serve with him as the dean, and his work now in a
number of the areas pays tribute. I do think it is
important to note that the longer you worked with Senator
Kennedy, the more you came to admire what he did.
I would have one difference with my colleague with whom
I rarely differ on things. He said Senator Kennedy would
be seen as one of the greatest Senators. I would say the
best. And I know my colleague is gracious and may have a
Senator or two he needs on the cap-and-trade bill, so he
doesn't want to go too far. But I think we would all
agree.
I was a fledging academic before I went into politics. I
was studying for a Ph.D., and I then learned I had a
personal characteristic which was a defect in academics
but absolutely essential to serve in this body. I have a
very short attention span. And it works to my advantage
here and to my disadvantage in serious scholarship. But
from both ends, I don't think there is much question about
his greatness as a Senator.
Obviously, those of us in the delegation--and our great
colleague and civil rights leader, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Lewis) whose work with Senator Kennedy, goes
back even before any of the rest of us in terms of
colleagueship--agreed with his values, and that is a big
part of it. But even those who didn't, and this is what's
so striking and so needed in our country today, many
Members of Congress who served with him who disagreed with
him on most substantive issues, joined in the praise for
his integrity and his character and his dedication.
We are at a time now where politics is held in low
repute by a lot of young people. I would hope that younger
people in particular would think back to the deep love for
Senator Kennedy that was expressed by so many people
across the political spectrum. Think about the
accomplishments that so many people attribute to him;
think about the people who express the enormous gratitude
for the difference he made in their lives. There could not
be a better example of how you can get into this business
of politics and do good. I would hope people would be
encouraged by that.
Beyond that, there is one particular point that I want
to stress. We have a besetting sin today in our politics
where people think that you show your depth of commitment
to a cause not just by rigidity, but by impugning the
motives of those on your side who try to get something
done. Compromise for its own sake is a very bad idea.
People who talk about the ``center'' have to be clear what
they mean. The ``center'' is not a place of value. It may
be where you wind up. But you wind up there as you try to
move the center. Yes, you want to try to be representative
of a majority. Those who have as a goal finding the
precise middle are giving up their own moral and
intellectual capacity.
What Senator Kennedy did was to start firmly from a set
of moral principles and then work to get them accomplished
the best that he could. And that is, unfortunately, a
practice that today isn't as appreciated as it should be.
Purity is a wonderful state, I am told. I do not say that
from experience. But it doesn't make anybody any better
off.
No one was more firmly committed to the ideals of
fairness and equity than Edward M. Kennedy, and he
understood that the more firmly committed he was to them,
the more he was morally obligated to make some progress on
them.
I realize ideals help nobody, and I say that because he
was at the same time one of the premier idealists of our
time. No one better or more consistently articulated the
goal of a society in which no one suffered unfairly, in
which all were treated with dignity and had a certain
minimum, at least, of substance. But while he was
preeminent as a preacher of that set of moral virtues, he
was also preeminent as a hands-on politician who could
work with others within the democratic process and with
other people elected who might have disagreed with him,
and because of him, more of his goals were accomplished
than were accomplished by anybody else. No one did more to
advance those causes which he exemplified.
But he never got all he wanted. And I hope that is also
an example; and the example is that, sure, you do not
belong in politics unless you have a set of ideals. You
don't have any business trying to gain influence over
others unless it's to make this world a better place.
But once you have those ideals, your obligation is not
simply to treat them in a way that makes you feel good; it
is to get them accomplished.
I do not think in American history over the time of his
Senate career that anybody did a better job for people of
all incomes, for the victims of discrimination, whether it
was based on race or sexual orientation, or gender, for
the whole concept of what we think is the genius of
America; namely, that when you're born, you're born with a
chance to maximize your potential, and the economic
circumstances or the prejudice of others or anything else
don't hold you back.
This Nation is enormously indebted to Senator Edward
Kennedy for the work that he did and for the example that
he set. And I thank my colleague, the dean of our
delegation, for leading this Special Order.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I thank the gentleman very
much, and I turn and recognize now a good friend of the
Senator, Bill Delahunt from Quincy.
Mr. DELAHUNT. Thank you.
I just want to pick up on a theme that Barney touched
on. You know, Ted Kennedy might have had adversaries, but
they were never his enemies. He treated everyone with
respect and with dignity, and that character, that DNA, if
you will, was the proximate cause of his success as a
Senator who championed all of the great causes in the past
50 years.
You know, Tip O'Neill said that all politics is local.
Well, with Ted it was personal. It was based upon those
personal relationships. I'm sure that there are literally
thousands that considered Ted Kennedy a dear and close
personal friend. I know I did.
I had the fun of being Ted Kennedy's Congressman, and as
you all know here, in Massachusetts we had our own
schtick. It was a great banter. And he would leave me
messages on occasion on my cell phone at night, reminding
me that the grass hadn't been cut and that the snow hadn't
been shoveled out in Hyannis Port.
I frequently sailed with Ted Kennedy, our colleague, and
his son, Patrick; his oldest son, Teddy, Jr.; his
daughter, Kara; and his devoted wife and soulmate, Vicki
Kennedy. He was an exceptional friend. I miss him
terribly. But I know that my experience with him was
multiplied by the thousands. He had a way of communicating
with people that was unique. You could reveal to him your
concerns. You could share with him your secrets, and you
could always be assured that the advice that you received
was sound, and it was in your best interests.
We're saddened by his death, those of us who have served
with him, those of us who considered him a dear and close
friend. But I guess for me the gift of that friendship was
something that was so special that it overwhelms the
sadness that we all share and that so many share.
We were indeed fortunate not just to serve with probably
the most prolific Senator that ever served in the U.S.
Congress--approximately 2,500 bills. I'm not going to
touch on his public record, but we know that his record
speaks for itself.
But what many in this country are only beginning to
discover is that for Ted Kennedy, it was not about
himself; it was about others. He had his share of pain and
tragedy in his own life, and I dare say that provided him
with an incredible capacity for empathy and to understand
others better than anyone I've ever met in public life.
So let me conclude by saying I miss you terribly, Teddy,
but I know you're still with us. Sail on.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I recognize the gentleman
from Worcester, a good friend of the Senator's, Jim
McGovern.
Mr. McGOVERN. Thank you, and I thank my colleague for
arranging this Special Order to honor an incredible leader
and an incredible friend, Ted Kennedy.
In the McGovern household in Worcester, MA, the Kennedy
name has always been magic. Our family admired and
respected President Kennedy. We all supported him, were
committed to Robert Kennedy and the causes that he stood
for, and we always felt it a very special privilege to be
represented in Massachusetts by Ted Kennedy. You know, all
of us, especially the Massachusetts delegation, already
miss Senator Kennedy. We miss his humor, we miss his
friendship, his advice, his leadership.
I tell my colleagues from outside of Massachusetts that
I'm proud to call myself a Ted Kennedy Democrat, and a Ted
Kennedy Democrat is somebody who's a believer in dynamic
and efficient, bold and effective government, somebody who
believes it is important to stand up for human rights and
for civil rights, and Senator Kennedy did so with
incredible integrity and with incredible character.
I believe as has been said here that he is the greatest
legislator in the history of the U.S. Senate.
On health care--every major piece of health care
legislation that has been enacted into law has Ted
Kennedy's fingerprints all over it. There are millions of
children in America today who have health care because of
Ted Kennedy.
And education--every major education bill to expand
educational opportunities for people of every background
is a result of Ted Kennedy's leadership.
In the area of workers' rights, he was a strong champion
of organized labor, somebody who promoted and enacted
major legislation that protected workers and workers'
rights.
In the area of civil rights, you're going to hear from
our colleague from Georgia, John Lewis, a hero in the
civil rights movement who will talk to you about the fact
that Ted Kennedy was the leader in the area of civil
rights in the U.S. Senate.
And on the Iraq war, I have a special admiration and
respect for his courage, for the stand he took against
that war, when it was not popular to do so, but he took
that stand because he believed it was the right thing to
do. He thought that war should always be a last resort,
not a first resort, and I think he was right on that war.
But to all of us in Massachusetts, he was our Senator
who assembled the best staff you could possibly imagine.
When somebody lost their Social Security check, they
called Ted Kennedy in his office. When a veteran needed
help, they called Ted Kennedy. When a local official
needed funding for a local college or hospital or road
project, they called Ted Kennedy's office. All phone calls
were returned, whether it was from the Queen of England or
Mrs. O'Leary who lived in a three-decker in Worcester.
But more than that, I appreciated very much his personal
touch. I was grateful for that personal touch--the notes
and the calls. When somebody was sick in your family, you
got a phone call. When you got a special recognition or if
you won an election, you got a note. If something great
happened to you, he was the first to call.
When my son, Patrick, was born, the very first call we
received was from Ted Kennedy, even before my mother and
father called the hospital. The very first gift that we
received was from Ted Kennedy, a blanket that had my son's
name stitched into the blanket with the words, ``Love,
Vicki and Ted.'' And the same thing happened when my
daughter was born a couple of years later. Those are
things that I will never forget and always treasure.
When he died, I said that nobody can ever fill his
shoes, but we must try to follow in his footsteps, and I
really believe that.
One of the things that Senator Kennedy said was that the
great unfinished goal of his life was health care. He
believed that everyone in this country deserves health
care. He thought it was a national scandal that tens of
millions of Americans are without health care. He believed
that we could provide better health care to people, that
we could put a greater emphasis on preventative care to
keep people from getting sick. He believed we could come
up with a health care system that would control costs so
that families and small businesses wouldn't go broke
trying to provide health care for their families or for
their workers.
And so while he is no longer with us, we need to
continue his work. He was the conscience of our country,
and I believe that we need to continue to be inspired by
his example. We need to continue to stand up for what's
right. We need to continue to fight for what's right.
And I will say as my colleagues have said, I feel it has
been a special privilege and an honor for me to be part of
this delegation that for so many years was led by Senator
Kennedy, a great leader and a great friend. And the world
is going to miss him. And I already do.
I thank my colleague for yielding to me.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. We thank the gentleman for
his excellent comments.
Let me turn now and recognize the gentleman from
Massachusetts, a good friend of the Senator's, John Olver.
Mr. OLVER. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I
was still making changes in what I was intending to say,
and usually I do that all the time.
I rise tonight to remember and honor the life and the
life's work of a dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy. There
are few Americans alive today whose lives are not affected
in some way by Senator Kennedy's vast body of legislative
achievements. He's credited with hundreds of laws enacted
over his nearly 47-year Senate career, and many of those
laws make up fundamental tenets of the social contract
that is our modern society.
One of the best examples of Senator Kennedy's impact on
society can be seen in his ground-breaking Americans with
Disabilities Act, which opened the door to jobs, housing,
transportation, communications, and a better life for
millions of citizens. It also fundamentally changed the
way people viewed others who live with disabilities.
Providing opportunity was a great theme of Senator
Kennedy's work, as evidenced by his contributions to
strengthening public education. Throughout his career, he
fought for better teachers, better schools, more funding,
and better methods to enhance learning for America's
children.
For wage-earning Americans, Ted Kennedy will perhaps be
best remembered for his refusal to accept minimum wage
levels as they fell further and further behind in their
purchasing power. When others balked or faltered on the
issue, Senator Kennedy had a knack for pushing through a
deal to get everything he could for workers as soon as it
could be achieved.
On the international front, when the great debate over
America's waging a preemptive war arose at the outset of
this decade, Senator Kennedy used his stature and status
as a national newsmaker to oppose the President and the
Congress' transgressions, as he saw them, with the use of
America's military power.
There are many other important accomplishments one could
list, but the issue Senator Kennedy himself labeled as the
cause of his life, health care, probably stands out as his
greatest area of achievement.
Senator Kennedy extended COBRA coverage for workers in
between jobs and eliminated preexisting condition
restrictions for workers in group insurance plans. He
fought for and won uncommon allies in his crusade to
provide health coverage for all children, which he
considered a moral obligation. He created the Family and
Medical Leave Act and the Ryan White CARE Act for
Americans living with HIV and AIDS.
Though his ultimate cause of universal health care was
one he did not live to see enacted, we are where we are
today because of Kennedy's lifelong commitment to that
cause. In a sense, the effort is still his effort. The
gains that Congress will eventually pass will also be a
part of his legacy.
Back in my part of Massachusetts, Senator Kennedy was
always a good friend to the First Congressional District.
In recent years he championed the development of the
University of Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley Life Sciences
Institute and helped to support Holyoke Hospital, a
critical health services provider in the Connecticut
Valley. He was ever willing to exercise his seniority in
the Senate when Massachusetts companies needed it, and
when campaign season came around, no one could bring out
and motivate as many workers as Senator Kennedy. His stump
speeches in remote corners of Massachusetts, for State or
local candidates, were always an oratorical treat for
those lucky enough to hear them.
To me personally, Senator Kennedy was an inspiring and
thoughtful friend. I could always count on an immediate
and passionate response to whatever was on his mind and on
my mind, and his attentive friendship came with a warm
smile, a sense of humor and a caring heart. Senator
Kennedy's breadth and depth of leadership were unmatched
in the Congress. He was a tireless worker for his
constituents and all humanity, and I am honored to have
known him and served with him.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. We thank the gentleman so
much for his words. Next we recognize another great friend
of the Senator, John Tierney, from the State of
Massachusetts.
Mr. TIERNEY. I thank the gentleman for recognizing me
and want to acknowledge before we start, Patrick, I know
you're going to speak later, but I hope that this is
somewhat fulfilling for you. It can never replace the loss
of your dad, but hopefully it will at least let you know
how much the people that served with him had the honor and
pleasure of doing that, loved doing it and appreciated him
every day. And my colleague, Bill Delahunt, was more than
just the Congressman for the Senator, so I extend my
sympathies to you as well; you were a friend, probably
even closer than most of us were because you were there so
often and spent so much time with him. And so I express
those condolences to you. But it's a loss to all of us.
The dean of the delegation, Ed Markey, of course, served
many years with the Senator. I looked at a little factoid
the other day that indicated that Senator Kennedy was born
on the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birthday.
I thought if that's accurate, and I assume that it is, how
interesting it was, because nobody appreciated history
more than Senator Kennedy, and nobody appreciated his role
in history more than that.
I can remember Ed Markey at one point, at a function
introducing Senator Kennedy as one of the best U.S.
Senators, only to be corrected by the Senator saying,
``One of the best? The best.'' And while he was joking, I
think he turned out to be absolutely right on that because
he certainly has a record that you have heard from John
Olver and others here that is just phenomenal. Jimmy
McGovern expressed it as well.
I won't start to enumerate all of the things that the
Senator did. We'd be here for far too long. And I think,
after hearing my colleagues, most people finally start to
appreciate that wherever you were in life, you benefited
from him; whether you were cleaning hotel rooms or doing
some other job that was difficult like that, you benefited
from the minimum wage, health care, education, all the
things that we care about. And frankly, when we are all
looking to try and have the honor of serving here,
listening to people in our constituencies, they're talking
about those things that matter to them, the bread and
butter issues, whether or not they're going to have a job,
whether or not it pays well, whether or not they're going
to be able to keep their family healthy; whether or not
they're going to be able to give their children
opportunity. This great Senator epitomized all of that.
One thing that I don't think has been mentioned so far
that I just want to hit on is the fact that the Senator
used to tell a story about being lectured by his father
when he turned 21 or so about the fact that he was going
to be the recipient of some resources that other people
didn't have the benefit of; he could choose to be idle and
do nothing with his time, or he could choose to be of
service to others and to mankind. We all know which route
he took. But that remains an inspiring story to all people
even today.
During the course of this summer when the President had
his Service to America campaign going on, many of us had
the opportunity to go and visit a lot of these
organizations that had volunteers. The Edward M. Kennedy
Serve America Act that was signed into law earlier in the
year by President Obama meant that now their role was
stepping into his belief of service and doing something
for their fellow citizens, doing something for America and
no matter how small or large, no matter where it was, you
could see the inspiration that they got from the Senator.
It was from his life, from his acts, and from the fact
that this law had passed because he motivated people to
pass it and get it through.
This will remain as one of his great legacies, the fact
that he spent his life serving others, that he was
selfless in that regard, and that while he was serious
about the business that he did, he was also never taking
himself too seriously, and always willing to make people
feel comfortable and to see the lighter side of things and
to see the better part of humanity. In even people who
were his political opponents, he saw a good part, and he
was able to draw out of them a response that made them
accept him and others and work on issues together.
I can remember being with the Senator when we would go
out, particularly to senior citizen places where he just
couldn't resist singing a song, particularly an Irish
song, couldn't resist getting out and dancing if there was
a ballroom dance going on. And, of course, I guess I must
take myself too seriously, or just know how bad a singer
or bad a dancer I am. I was always looking for the door,
and he would never let that happen. He'd be the first one
to force you on the floor, make a fool of yourself, but
have some fun and go on that. That's the humanity of the
man; that he loved everybody, he loved having a good time
with them, could get them to go along with him; and then
when it was time to get serious, he could do that in a
heartbeat. He could make the case. He had great oratorical
skills that carried the day over and over again. And he
truly is a giant. I know that the story of his life is
just jumping off the shelves right now because people are
starting to remember all that he did.
Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of political jargon,
when people are making attacks and going back and forth,
people forget that when you separate all that out, whether
you are a conservative, or whether you are a liberal,
whatever your political opinion, there are things in your
life that you have that you're grateful for that are a
result of the work of Senator Kennedy. I think the bottom
line is that this Senator was a great Senator for America.
He was a great friend to all of us. He was a great father
and brother for people in Massachusetts. We sorely miss
him. But none of us regret at all having had the
opportunity to know him and to serve with him.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. I thank the gentleman very
much. And the gentleman is so right. I could call Senator
Kennedy one of the greatest Senators in history. I could
call him one of a small handful of the greatest Senators
in history. But that would be inaccurate. That just
wouldn't capture not only how history will record him, but
how he wants to be recorded by history. And there will be
an accurate reflection of that, I think, as people, as the
gentleman pointed out, continue to focus upon his life.
Before I turn to the gentleman from South Boston, let me
go back the gentleman from Quincy, Mr. Delahunt.
Mr. DELAHUNT. If the gentleman would yield for a moment
before our friend, Steve Lynch, makes his remarks, this
conversation, the colloquy between yourself and John
Tierney, reminds me of an anecdote. I wasn't present and
maybe Patrick could attest to its validity. When Ted
Kennedy was described as one of the two most significant
U.S. Senators in that institution's history, the other
being Webster, his response was, ``Well, what did Webster
do?''
Mr. MARKEY. I thank the gentleman.
No place played a more important role in the history of
Massachusetts Irish politics than South Boston, the home
of the next friend of Senator Kennedy, Steve Lynch from
South Boston, MA.
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Markey,
the dean of the New England delegation, for reserving this
time in order for us to pay a special tribute to our
friend and colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy. If you have
been watching tonight, you will notice that the Members
with the most seniority have been given the privilege to
speak first, which is the way it works down here. The
longer you are here, the more you appreciate that.
However, I am one of the more junior members of the
delegation, and unlike some of the fellows that have been
around here forever, like Mr. Markey and Mr. Frank and Mr.
Delahunt, I had a relatively short time, 8 years, to spend
working with Ted Kennedy. And I cherish every one of those
years. But in addition to working with Ted, as a
colleague--Ted could get it done. I was always amazed at
that.
But I also had a different perspective of Ted Kennedy. I
saw him in action before I came to this House. I grew up
in the public housing projects in South Boston, the Old
Colony housing projects. And I can tell you that whether
you lived in the housing projects in Old Colony in Southie
or Bromley-Heath or Mission Main or Franklin Field, if you
grew up, if your family struggled to make ends meet in
public housing, no one in public housing had a better
champion, a more valiant and noble champion, than Ted
Kennedy. And that's really the first perspective that I
had of Ted Kennedy, as someone who was working for our
benefit as a family growing up in public housing and in
pretty tough circumstances. He was there for us.
I also had a perspective of working as an ironworker for
18 years, strapping on a pair of work boots, becoming a
union president for the ironworkers. I can say from that
perspective as well, whether you were an ironworker, like
I was, working in the building trades with a lot of my
union brothers and sisters, or whether you worked on a
factory floor, or maybe you were a nurse going out every
day working double shifts and overtime, or you were a
policeman or a fireman, no working person in this country
had a more gallant champion to protect their rights and
protect the conditions on the job than we had in Ted
Kennedy. And the outpouring of love that we saw during the
memorial service and the wake and the funeral and even
during Ted's illness reflected that collective experience
of not only the people of Massachusetts but of New England
and the United States. And it was something to see.
My mom raised us in public housing, and when the
motorcade came along Carson Beach in the shadow of the
housing project where we grew up, my mom insisted that I
help her down there--she's not as young as she used to be,
but I helped her down there just to give respect to the
Kennedy family and to Ted during that last part of his
journey. There is a saying from the ironworkers,
especially in the steelmills, that the strongest steel
comes through the hottest fire. And really, when you
looked at Ted's life and saw what he accomplished and the
challenges that he had; his brother, President of the
United States, taken in violence; his brother, the
Attorney General, candidate for the Presidency, taken from
us in the same way. The huge challenges to Ted--they were
unthinkable, unimaginable, yet he worked through them, and
not only did he overcome them, but he also reached out to
other people and shared a strength that he gathered from
those experiences.
I'll never forget--this is my only Ted Kennedy story
that I'll relate tonight. I was a freshman--actually, it
was very early in my career as a State representative, and
we had six of our brave firefighters killed in a terrible
fire in Worcester, MA. We all went to the Worcester
Centrum for that ceremony. The families were there and
every seat was taken, and every bit of space on the floor
was taken. The place was filled to the rafters. And that's
where I was sitting, far above the floor. But I remember
Ted's remarks. Here are six families that just lost their
loved ones. And when Ted Kennedy spoke, you could have
heard a pin drop in that Centrum that day.
He basically said to the families--I'll never forget his
words. He said, ``From my own experience, I have found
that every once in a while life breaks your heart.'' And
even though there were thousands of people in the Centrum
that day, in reality, it was just Ted and it was just
those six families, and he was helping them through that.
And that's a gift.
We all go to wakes and funerals and try to help families
through tough times, but I never saw anybody carry it off
with the grace and the profound empathy and love that Ted
was able to accomplish.
I just want to say that I'm delighted that we had an
opportunity tonight to convey our thoughts and to share
our concerns for Ted's family, Patrick and the entire
family. We know what they're going through.
I think the test of all of us who are born on this
Earth, the true test of our time, however short it is on
this Earth, is whether the work we do while we're on this
Earth is going to live after us and is it going to
positively affect the people that we leave behind.
By any measure, by any test, Ted has passed that test
with flying colors. He has left the power of his example
for all of us to try to follow.
I want to thank you, the dean of our delegation, Ed
Markey, for the opportunity to share my thoughts. My
prayers and the prayers of my family go out to the Kennedy
family.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. We thank the gentleman so
much for his words.
In 1974, Paul Tsongas from Lowell was elected to the
U.S. Congress. Today, these many years later, Niki Tsongas
serves here in the Congress. So the Tsongas and the
Kennedy story goes back many years.
I'd like to recognize the gentlelady from Lowell, Niki
Tsongas.
Ms. TSONGAS. I'd like to thank the dean of our
delegation for hosting this Special Order so we can
remember our most remarkable Senator.
As I was thinking about how best to talk about him--and
we've heard some wonderful remembrances this evening--I
was looking back to the early 1960s when I was, like so
many of us, a student in high school, a beginning student
in high school--I hate to give away our age--but the
figures of the Kennedy family, in particular, President
John F. Kennedy, were inspirational.
My husband, Paul, used to say that he was inspired by
that Presidency to seek public office. But he had grown up
in what he called a ``disadvantaged household.'' His
parents were Republicans. And it was the Presidency of
John Kennedy that inspired him and so many others either
to become a Democrat or to seek out public office, little
knowing that some years later we would be serving with the
man we remember tonight.
My first recollection, though, of Senator Kennedy is in
1974, when Paul was a candidate for the seat that I now
hold. Senator Kennedy agreed to come to Lawrence, MA, to
campaign for Paul, who was part of the great Watergate
class in which there were many Democrats running across
this country. Paul was running against an incumbent
Republican.
Senator Kennedy came to Lawrence, MA, to St. Mary's
Church. He was accompanied by Barbara Souliotis, who many
years later still serves as his State director. At the
time, I think she was an advance person, and I remember
her utter professionalism in keeping Ted on track.
We've heard tonight what a great speaker he was, how he
could really connect with the crowd. And so he did that
evening. While Ted was speaking, Paul looked at me like,
``Now what on Earth do I do?,'' because he knew he could
never compare with Ted Kennedy. And he didn't even try.
But you could see then how fundamentally Ted connected
with people, because they trusted him, and they knew that
he was working on their behalf.
I remember, again, Ted in 1978, when he supported Paul
against an incumbent U.S. Senator, somebody who was his
colleague, a Republican, as he did so often; he kept his
word, supported his colleagues, whether they were seeking
the Presidency, as they in turn supported him.
Well, I haven't had the opportunity to serve,
unfortunately, with Ted as long as others here. I do have
a couple of remembrances from the past several years. One
was when he did agree to come and campaign for me, again,
in Haverhill and Lawrence, MA, the cities of the Fifth
District of Massachusetts.
This time, though, he came with a van. He brought Sunny
and Splash, the dogs. Barbara Souliotis, who was with him
in 1974, was there at his side yet again, along with
Vicki. We started out in Haverhill. We went to an old
diner that was owned by a Greek American family. Barbara's
mother brought pastries that she cooked. Ted sat there
with a little demitasse of coffee, ate the pastries, and
thoroughly enjoyed the morning.
Then we traveled on to a small school where we were
going to read. It was an early reading program, a very
good one, one that I think is a real model going forward.
And Ted, this remarkable Senator who has met with every
imaginable world leader, sat and sang ``Itsy Bitsy
Spider'' to the 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds that were in
the room with him. He had a remarkable ability to connect
with all of humanity.
My last conversation with him was around a point of
legislation that we both jointly sponsored to protect a
farm called Barrett's Farm. We've learned to know what a
lover of history he is. I represent two parks: the Minute
Man National Historical Park and the Lowell National
Historical Park.
Barrett's Farm is a farm that played a very important
role in the beginnings of the American Revolution. It was
a farm that housed munitions that the Minutemen were going
to use. And the British, learning of the new munitions,
decided to march on Lexington and Concord, prompting Paul
Revere's ride to warn that the British were coming.
The Minutemen got to Barrett's Farm and hid the
munitions, so by the time the British arrived, the
munitions were safely set aside where they could be used
as we advanced our Revolutionary War effort, but the shot
was heard round the world that changed the history of this
country.
So we worked hard. My former Congressman, Marty Meehan,
had initially filed the legislation to save the farm. I
followed up on that, working with Senator Kennedy. The
bill finally was signed into law.
This April, I was sitting in my office and got a call.
It was Senator Kennedy on the line, and I picked it up and
he said, ``Niki, isn't it grand''? He could celebrate that
small legislative act that protected such important
history with the same joy and commitment that he did the
grandest of efforts.
Senator Kennedy's legislation has shaped American lives
in ways we cannot even know. Every day our lives are
different for all that he did. And we are so fortunate to
have had his service, to have the great legacy of the
Kennedy family, and to be serving today with
Representative Patrick Kennedy, who continues that legacy
as well.
We will miss him. We will miss him forever. But we will
always remember him in the large acts and small kindnesses
of his life.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. We thank the gentlelady so
much for those words.
Now we turn to--and a number of Members have alluded to
him--the great civil rights leader who knew the Kennedys
in the 1960s and now serves here in the House of
Representatives, Congressman John Lewis from the State of
Georgia.
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my
colleague Ed Markey and members of the Massachusetts
delegation for holding this Special Order in honor of
Senator Kennedy. I rise today just to say thanks to
Senator Kennedy and to the Kennedy family.
During the 1960s, I had an opportunity to meet President
Kennedy, in June 1963, when I was only 23 years old, and
then to see him at the end of the March on Washington when
he invited us back down to the White House. I got to know
Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General, meeting with him in
his office and campaigning with him in Indiana, Oregon,
and California.
I have known Senator Ted Kennedy for a long time. He was
a very special man, a very special friend. I remember long
before I came to Washington as a Member of Congress an
occasion when we needed him to speak at a fundraiser for
nonpartisan voter registration efforts in the South. He
answered our call without hesitation. He spent time among
us, honoring not just men and women of means, but everyday
people and their little children.
Senator Kennedy, this extraordinary man, was an elegant
man who walked with kings, but never lost the common
touch. As a colleague, he was generous and committed. He
was our leader, our champion, our shepherd. He took up the
causes of those who were weak and tried to make them
strong. He stood tall and spoke with passion for all of
those who have been left out and left behind--the people
who had no voice in America.
Ted Kennedy never lost hope. He demanded justice for
people of color when it came to civil rights and voting
rights, and he also took a stand for seniors and for those
with a different sexual orientation and for the disabled.
Senator Kennedy was a man who lived his faith and tried
to act on it every single day by doing good to help the
least fortunate among us. At some of the most tragic and
difficult moments in this Nation's history, Senator
Kennedy had the capacity, had the ability, to gather his
strength and lead us toward a more hopeful future.
As a Nation and as a people, he encouraged us to build
upon the inspirational leadership of his two brothers and
use it to leave a legacy of social transformation that has
left its mark on history.
I would say tonight, Mr. Speaker, to members of the
Massachusetts delegation, to Patrick, and to other members
of the Kennedy family, Senator Kennedy was so thoughtful
and so considerate. He was one of the most sharing,
caring, giving human beings that I have ever met.
During July 2006, when the Senate was about to
reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, he invited me over to
the other side of the Capitol to be his guest on the
Senate floor. When the last vote had been tallied, he gave
me a copy of the tally sheet. Then he suggested that we
walk out into an adjoining room, and he showed me the desk
where President Lyndon Johnson had signed the original act
on August 6, 1965.
He had a photographer to take a picture of the two of us
standing near that desk. A few days later, I received the
most beautiful copy of that picture with an inscription
from Senator Kennedy. It is hanging on the wall in my home
in Atlanta. I will always cherish it as long as I live.
I remember in 1977 Senator Kennedy came to Atlanta and
we hosted a little reception for him at my home. He met a
few of our friends, my wife Lillian, and our son John
Miles. He spent so much time playing and talking with my
young son, who was not quite a year old.
Senator Kennedy had a heart full of grace and a soul
generated by love that never forgot the spark of divinity
that runs through us all, no matter whether you were his
closest friend or his fiercest adversary.
A brilliant light has gone out that uplifted not just
America, but the entire world community. During his life,
Senator Kennedy touched so many of us with his brilliant
light. He touched more than Members of Congress, but also
ordinary people. He touched our President and the leaders
of tomorrow.
The spark of light that he gave to each one of us still
burns brightly, and it is our duty, our obligation, to
continue his legacy and pass that light on to unborn
generations.
Senator Kennedy will be deeply missed but not forgotten,
and his legacy will live on in all of us. He was a
wonderful friend, a wonderful colleague. He was like a
brother.
Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. We thank the gentleman so
much for his great words. For me, I had the honor of
serving for 33 years out of the nearly 47 that Ted Kennedy
served in Congress, here as his colleague. It was my great
honor. For each of us, there are too many stories to
retell.
But for me, it all begins with Ted Kennedy running for
the Senate; and from that moment on, whenever he spoke
about the war in Vietnam or health care or energy or
injustice to any person, no matter where they were in the
world, I listened. And not only did I listen, but tens of
millions of other people listened as well because he took
us on a journey to issues and people that we did not know
of but he wanted us to know about and to respond to.
That was really his greatness, that when he spoke, he
was true north. He was someone who you knew was speaking
from his heart and speaking for issues that really only he
had the capacity to draw attention to, and he used his
power to do so. He used the special gift that he had been
given to accomplish those goals.
I remember at the Democratic Convention in 1980, Senator
Kennedy had asked me and Henry Royce, who was chairman of
the Banking Committee, to introduce his energy bill, which
would be the counter to the incumbent President's energy
bill. It called for solar and wind and conservation and
higher fuel economy standards and a different direction
for our country. Although his candidacy failed, and energy
was the big issue at that time, I got a call to come up to
his room right after he gave that great ``The dream shall
never die'' speech. He was up in his room with his
family--Patrick was there and others. In that room, there
was not a defeated man. There was someone who had been a
great victor. There was someone who had brought all of
these issues to the American people.
In 1983, as Ronald Reagan had pulled out of all arms
control negotiations with the Soviet Union--the first time
in a generation--he called me, and he said, ``Eddy, you
know what I would like to do, I would like to work with
you on a nuclear freeze resolution to end all production
of new nuclear weapons in the world.'' And he said, ``You
know what would be a good idea, why don't we have it at
American University, where my brother gave his speech to
end all atmospheric nuclear testing?''
Then 1 month later, there was attention brought to this
issue that changed that whole issue, and 3 months later, 1
million people were in Central Park calling for an end to
the nuclear arms race. On every single issue he talked
about in his entire life, it changed the whole dynamic of
that issue because Ted Kennedy stood up and spoke to it.
He inspired me; and he inspired, I think, millions of
people across the planet to change the course of their
lives.
So it has been a great honor for me and for all of the
rest of our delegation to be able to work with him. It is
an especially great honor to have as our concluding
speaker this evening, his son, who is our colleague here
in the House of Representatives, who in and of himself is
a great U.S. Congressman and who continues the Kennedy
tradition of fighting for those causes that other people
do not want to fight for and to bring attention to those
who are most in need of help in our country and in our
world.
It is my great honor to recognize the great Congressman
from the State of Rhode Island, Patrick Kennedy.
Mr. KENNEDY. I want to thank my good friend and
colleague Ed Markey for organizing this Special Order and
all of my colleagues for the wonderful tributes that
they've given my dad tonight. I will just say that he
loved people in public life because they were willing to
go out and face the elements and weather the scorn of
public opinion in order to stand up for what they believed
in. That's why he really admired political figures, and
especially in a time where political figures aren't very
revered. They're pretty much down at the bottom of the
public opinion polls in terms of most professions.
But he knew what a difference it meant to have people of
good faith and conviction involved in the political
process because he knew what a difference it made in terms
of getting good policy done for the American people. He
knew how easy it would be for most people to sit back and
make criticisms from the sidelines, but it took a really
special person to sacrifice a big part of their lives
because it takes enormous sacrifice of their private lives
to be in the public life, especially today.
So he always got energy out of the people that he served
with. They were the ones who sustained him so much because
he felt like he was part of a team effort. There is
nothing that he loved more than being part of a team,
whether it was playing sports or whether it was just being
part of a family team, being part of a family. That was
his politics. His politics was simple. It was being part
of a group and making sure that nobody in the group was
left behind. I think it's a great kind of a spirit that he
brought to his politics. It was a family spirit that I saw
over and over again in every issue that he faced. He
wanted to treat everybody else the way he expected to be
treated if he were a member of a family, and I was
included.
He was brought up to believe that everybody had dignity
and everybody had a place. You know, when I was growing up
in my family, we all had a place. A lot has been said
about his belief in everybody having an opportunity in
society. Well, in an anecdotal way, I can tell you, in my
life, he always made sure that I had an opportunity to
participate.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DELAHUNT. I yield the time to my friend and
colleague.
Mr. KENNEDY. Thank you. I will just conclude now because
I know my friends and colleagues have their time to speak.
I would like to say to each and every one of the folks
who spoke tonight, thank you for being here to pay tribute
to my father. To the folks on both sides of the aisle who
have been so generous to me, it's a great thing, being
part of this House, to have colleagues treat you as one of
their own, as a part of a collegial family of sorts, in a
professional way but also in a personal way.
What my dad loved so much about serving over in the
Senate was the great friendships he developed there. I can
tell you, having been through what I have been through in
the last couple of weeks, I can appreciate personally what
a difference it's made to have the friends that I've had
in this Chamber be so supportive of me through this time.
I want to thank all of my colleagues for their outpouring
of support and affection from both sides of the aisle. It
is in times like these where you really get to appreciate
the fact that you work in a place where everybody
appreciates and respects one another.
I think that is the thing my father would want most for
our country right now, for people from very divergent
points of view to respect one another and respect this
country, which was founded on an appreciation for
differences of opinion. The reason why he had worked so
well across the aisle on so many occasions on important
issues was because he understood that this country can't
move forward unless people work together in good faith.
I think the thing that he found most distressing at any
point in American history was when the country would stray
from its foundation of believing that we could resolve our
difficult problems through dialog. I think he knew
personally, better than any other person in American
history, what happens when people don't resolve their
problems peacefully and, instead, resort to violence. I
think that my dad is one of those people who believed in
the democratic process. And at the end of the day, people
saw what a difference his work made in their lives because
of the work that he did within the democratic process, to
make our country a better place for everybody to live in.
Even though he was from a different station in life from
many people that he worked to help, he didn't look at it
from the point of view of socioeconomic background. He
looked at it from the point of view that we're all human
beings, that we all have a spark of divinity in us, and we
all ought to treat each other with the same respect that
we would want to be treated ourselves, the golden rule, so
to speak.
That's why it didn't matter what the issue was. He
believed in fairness for everybody because he would want
his family to be treated the same way he would want every
other family to be treated. But there for the grace of
God, he was lucky enough to come from a family that didn't
have to worry about paying for health care, education,
housing, or a pension to retire. He just knew that if he
had come from a different family, he would hope that he
wouldn't have to worry about the basic necessities of life
that too many Americans have to worry about.
And I respect that about him because through the power
of example he showed me that you could be a person of
conscience and really try to work to make the lives of
those who didn't have it as well off as you better through
the work that you did in public life. Through that, I
think he showed himself as a patriot in more than one way.
He not only wore the uniform of this country in the Army,
but he wore the uniform in the sense that he fought in the
Senate to advance the lives of people in this country
through the policy work that he did as a U.S. Senator.
So, again, let me thank all my colleagues for their
great tributes. I look forward to paying him the biggest
tribute that we could pay, and that is to make sure that
the promise of health care for all is a promise that we
ultimately achieve in this session.
Mr. DELAHUNT. Thank you for sharing that with us,
Patrick. Thank you for your service, and know that we love
you.
Speaking of reaching across the aisle, I'm going to
introduce someone who had great love and affection for Ted
Kennedy, your dad, and a wonderful guy for whom Senator
Kennedy had the highest respect, even though they agreed
on very little. That's the senior Republican on the House
Judiciary Committee, Lamar Smith.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. I thank my friend from
Massachusetts, Congressman Delahunt, for yielding. I also
want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for
their forbearance tonight in not strictly enforcing the
time limits.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has
expired. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. This gives me a second opportunity
to thank my colleagues for their forbearance tonight.
Senator Kennedy was a friend, as are members of his
family, including his son Patrick who is here tonight. It
was a privilege to have known him in lots of different
ways. In my being a conservative Republican from Texas,
and the Senator being a liberal Democrat from
Massachusetts, many people wonder about this friendship.
And therein lie many stories, but let me tell a couple
tonight.
The first one goes back to when I was a fairly junior
Member of Congress. I don't remember what the meeting was
about, but there was a meeting in the Capitol in a small
room. I was late getting to the meeting, and apparently so
was Senator Kennedy. When I walked in, there were no
remaining seats around the table, but there were a couple
of seats over by a window. In fact, there was only one
seat empty, and it was next to Senator Kennedy, whom at
that point I had not met. I felt like I had nowhere else
to go, so I sat by Senator Kennedy.
After we had been there about a half hour and were bored
by the discussion that was going on at the table, we
started talking. I mentioned to Senator Kennedy that, in
fact, my grandmother had been from Boston, that I had
enjoyed that part of the country many times on vacations,
and we discovered that we had a mutual interest in
sailing, although I have not gotten to do nearly as much
of it as he has.
In any case, we spent the next hour just having a
wonderful, friendly discussion. And that was the beginning
of this friendship to which I refer.
Not long after that, I was at another meeting. Actually
this was a conference meeting in the Capitol, where there
were four or five Members of the House and four or five
Members of the Senate in attendance trying to work out the
differences on a particular piece of legislation. At that
particular meeting I was at the table and so was Senator
Kennedy. In fact, he was directly across the table from
me. And we had had a relatively mild discussion of the
issues at hand, and it was time for Senator Kennedy to
speak.
He stood up at the table, proceeded to lay into us
Republicans as if we knew nothing about the issues at
hand, and made a very persuasive argument on his own
behalf and on behalf of the issues that he cared about.
The voice was so loud that, quite frankly, the walls of
this small room were rattling. All the staff who were
seated around the room were shaking. And I was wondering
what I had gotten myself into. And here was the Senator
with whom I had struck a friendship, and he was
practically accusing all of us of not knowing what we were
talking about on this particular legislation.
Well, the Senator talked for 5 or 10 minutes--completely
dominated the room, and there really wasn't much else to
say, or at least no one felt like saying anything in
response to the Senator. Well, when he sat down, he picked
up a piece of paper in front of them and grabbed a pencil,
which I was absolutely sure he was going to break in half.
But instead of breaking the pencil in half, he scribbled a
note on this piece of paper. And everybody in the room was
watching him. And he threw the piece of paper across the
table to me. And I was thinking, what is going on?
So I picked up the piece of paper. This must have been
around July of that particular summer. I looked at the
piece of paper, and Senator Kennedy wrote on the piece of
paper, ``Lamar, what are you doing for vacation this
summer?''
You had to sort of be there to appreciate what had gone
on in the previous 10 minutes and the friendship that this
particular note to me showed.
I very quickly folded the note up and put it in my
pocket so no one else would see it. And, of course,
everybody in the entire room was now wondering what was it
that Senator Kennedy had written to the Republican across
the table, Smith from Texas.
I never have revealed that note until right now. But
that does show not only friendship, but both stories and
many others that I could tell I think reveal a larger
point. And that is, the public is probably not nearly as
aware as they might be of the genuine friendships that
occur in Congress between individuals who might not agree
on many of the political issues but who can agree to be
friends and appreciate each other's company.
(Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to
address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In this case, the idea that individuals can be friends
from different sides of the aisle, and even if they
disagree on some things political, occurs more often than
a lot of people might expect. In fact, that's probably one
of the unwritten stories of Congress. And I'm glad it
exists.
Certainly on the surface there is an extreme
partisanship. Sometimes that is regrettable. But
underneath the surface, there are friendships that can
occur, for which I think both sides and both friends can
be grateful, and I am certainly in that category.
Mr. MARKEY. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. SMITH of Texas. I will be happy to yield to the
gentleman.
Mr. MARKEY. I thank the gentleman for his great words.
And we thank all of the other Members for their
participation in this Special Order.
The Record is going to remain open so any Member that
wishes to make a comment about our great Senator Ted
Kennedy may do so.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Senator Edward M.
Kennedy--a mentor, a friend, and the greatest Senator our
country has ever known.
While it is still difficult to imagine these hallowed
halls without Teddy, today we honor the man who was an
inspiration to all of us who have answered the call to
public service. And while 1 hour is not nearly enough to
pay tribute to the life and legacy of Senator Kennedy,
today we pause to celebrate the life of this extraordinary
man.
Never afraid to ``sail against the wind'' in the name of
justice, equality, and opportunity, Teddy was a treasured
friend, a tireless advocate for the people of
Massachusetts, and a legislator without peer. Throughout
his distinguished career, he helped bring health care to
millions of children, enabled many young people to afford
a college education and ensured that so many of our
citizens could realize the American dream.
I am honored to serve with his son Patrick and to know
his other children--Teddy, Jr. and Kara, his beloved wife
Vicki, and all the members of the Kennedy family. And
there is no doubt that his trusted friend and former
staffer, Paul Kirk, will serve with distinction in his
interim appointment.
Teddy was ``an idealist without illusions,'' as his
brother, the late President John F. Kennedy, used to say.
He came to the Senate to get things done. He was unafraid
to reach across the aisle to make a deal and he counted
some of his staunchest ideological foes among his closest
friends. But he never compromised his core beliefs in
justice, equality, and access to the American dream.
From his first speech on the Senate floor in support of
the Civil Rights Act until his valiant final fight for
health care reform, when Ted Kennedy spoke, you knew you
were hearing the ``true compass'' of a committed,
principled progressive.
He transcended petty politics to become the lion of the
Senate, a legislator like no other. Teddy's was an
unmatched legislative career, which included nearly 47
years in office, approximately 2,500 bills authored and
scores of laws bearing his name.
On issues of war and peace there was no better moral
compass than Teddy. He picked up the banner of nuclear
arms control from his fallen brother John and fought
tirelessly to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons and
make the world a safer place. Beginning in the 1980s,
Teddy worked closely with me to highlight the dangers of a
nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet
Union, and the need to prevent the proliferation of
nuclear weapons.
In 1982, when I introduced the first nuclear freeze
resolution in Congress to stop the buildup of nuclear
weapons, no one thought we could do it. But it was Teddy
who led the fight for a freeze in the Senate, paving the
way for a dramatic showdown with President Reagan that
made it necessary for the Reagan administration to embrace
nuclear arms control--a course it initially had rejected.
Our country is a better place because of Ted Kennedy.
For the worker who struggled to make ends meet in a
minimum wage job, Ted Kennedy was there. For the mother
caring for a newborn, Ted Kennedy was there. For a family
in need of health care for a sick child, Ted Kennedy was
there. For a planet in peril due to the threat of nuclear
war, Teddy was there.
And now we must be there for the causes that Senator
Kennedy championed throughout his long and distinguished
career.
In his final days, Senator Kennedy wrote a letter to
President Obama, reminding us all of just what is at stake
in the health care debate. ``What we face is above all a
moral issue,'' he wrote. ``At stake are not just the
details of policy, but fundamental principles of social
justice and the character of our society.''
And there is no one who better understood those
principles than Teddy.
At the Democratic Convention in 1980, when it was clear
that Teddy's inspired campaign for the nomination had come
to an end, he was still fighting for the issues he cared
about.
Just hours after he delivered his famous speech
declaring that the ``dream shall never die,'' I went up to
see him in his hotel room headquarters. And what struck me
that night and stays with me to this day, was that instead
of being heartbroken after coming up short in his quest
for the Presidency, there was no defeat in that hotel
room. Instead, Teddy was triumphant. Despite the difficult
day, he was still in high spirits.
Although he was a great Senator before that day, it was
on that night that he truly began his transformation into
the lion of the Senate, the master legislator fighting for
the issues that mattered most: health care, civil rights,
education, human rights, and others. That night, like so
many other nights in his long career, he was able to
transcend misfortune and shape something bigger. To commit
to a cause larger than himself.
Above all, I will remember Ted Kennedy for his sense of
hope. In rough seas and in calm, he always believed our
better days were just ahead. In his final fight, the
dignity and grace he showed were an inspiration to us all.
And throughout a long life of tragedy and triumph he
never faltered in his belief in this country and its
highest ideals. From landmark legislation like the
Americans with Disabilities Act that touched the lives of
millions, to simple gestures like reading to
schoolchildren at a school near the Capitol, Teddy
believed in the American dream and helped so many to
realize it.
And although the mighty lion has passed on, Teddy's roar
in defense of the disadvantaged and vulnerable will echo
eternally in the halls and history of America, inspiring
future generations to service, self-sacrifice, and a
commitment to our country's highest ideals.
And as we pause to remember this great man, the task now
is to follow Teddy's immortal words and ensure that the
causes which he championed shall endure, that his hopes
will live on and his dreams of a better future for
everyone shall never die.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and
remember the outstanding life and legislative achievements
of U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
I was first elected to the House of Representatives in
1976 and although that is over 33 years ago, Ted Kennedy
had already been serving in the U.S. Senate for over a
decade. The achievement of being the third longest serving
Senator in our history is an accomplishment in its own
right, but Senator Kennedy affected public policy in such
a substantial and enduring way that the length of his time
in office is really only one achievement in his remarkable
journey.
Senator Kennedy boldly championed landmark legislation
to improve the lives of all Americans. He fought fiercely
for the poor and the disadvantaged. His legislative
achievements include being a major player in a wide range
of issues; from addressing funding for cancer research,
health insurance reform, benefits for the mentally
disabled, discrimination against disabilities, and the
Children's Health Insurance Program to civil rights, and
education reform. Kennedy always considered health care
the pinnacle issue of his legislative career, and it was a
great achievement for him to see comprehensive health care
reform moving further along in the legislative process
than it ever has before. Five of the six committees
handling the health care bill had passed it out of
committee at the time of his passing.
One of his most recent achievements was the signing into
law of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009.
This landmark legislation tripled volunteer opportunities
across the country and created a new service corps for
education, health care, energy, and veterans.
Although Senator Kennedy was diagnosed last year with a
malignant brain tumor, he continued to play a major role
in the health care debate, and up until his final days he
was truly the lion of the Senate, serving fiercely and
passionately on behalf of so many Americans both in
Massachusetts and around the country. August 25, 2009, was
surely a sad day for all of us--but although Kennedy's
life was filled with tragedy, his life was also filled
with triumph. His victories in life far surpass that of
most men and women, and his story is one of humanity and
progress.
Senator Kennedy was a great statesman and a true leader
who cared deeply about America's future, and I am honored
to have served in the U.S. Congress with him. I extend my
deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to Senator
Kennedy's wife and family, and hope they take comfort in
knowing that his legend and legacy carry on in the hearts
and memories of a grateful Nation.
Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, what a remarkable life Edward M.
Kennedy lived. When I first met Senator Kennedy in 1963, I
mistakenly believed he was in office because of his family
connections. As I watched and interacted with him over the
subsequent decades of his great legislative career, he
demonstrated a strong work ethic. No one worked harder. He
had a deep commitment to freedom, fairness, and justice,
and his persistent defense of the ``little guy'' was
absolutely genuine. The result is a body of legislation
that has brought equality, justice, and opportunity to
millions. This towering figure was an inspiration to so
many of his colleagues, and he showed each of us--from the
most senior to the most junior--the highest level of
consideration.
My thoughts go out to his family, including his wife
Vicki and his son Patrick, who is a close friend of mine.
Edward M. Kennedy will live on in the accomplishments he
leaves. May all of those close to him know we are grateful
for his service to the Nation.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, today we gather to
recognize the legacy of a man who will surely be
remembered among the great legislators in our Nation's
history--the lion of the Senate--Senator Ted Kennedy.
Senator Kennedy was a champion for peace and justice
throughout his entire career, and our Nation is
undoubtedly a better place thanks to his leadership over
the years--in particular on the issues of education,
health care, and civil rights.
I vividly remember the first time I met Ted Kennedy.
I was interning in Washington, DC, in the summer of
1974, at a time when there were very few African American
interns on Capitol Hill. My friend, the late Ron Brown,
was working for Senator Kennedy at that time, so I called
him and requested a meeting with my fellow African
American interns.
Senator Kennedy immediately granted our request--we met
with him a few hours later and knew immediately that we
were truly in the presence of greatness.
More recently, I attended several election events with
Senator Kennedy during the primary election.
I had the pleasure of attending the American University
rally for Senator Obama where Senator Kennedy first
announced his support and delivered one of the best
speeches of the entire campaign.
A few weeks later, I attended an amazing rally at the
Beebe Memorial Cathedral in Oakland where I was honored to
introduce Senator Kennedy before he delivered another
amazing speech.
The line to get in the door seemed to stretch for miles
as supporters waited with anticipation to see this great
statesman and warrior for peace and justice.
Over the course of his career in public office, Senator
Kennedy underscored the meaning of the phrase ``to whom
much is given much is required.''
His legislative legacy is unrivaled, and affects the
lives of tens of millions of Americans every single day--
especially the less fortunate among us.
But despite his countless achievements, there is one
unfinished piece of business that was dear to his heart
that we must continue to fight for: achieving universal
health care in America, and doing so in a way that truly
reforms our broken health care system.
In a letter written to President Obama shortly after
learning of the terminal nature of his illness, Senator
Kennedy described our Nation's current health care crisis
as a ``moral issue''--which concerns ``not just the
details of policy, but the fundamental principles of
social justice and the character of our country.''
Senator Kennedy knew, as we know, that health care is a
fundamental human right.
Let us work to pass real health care reform, not just in
remembrance of the cause that was this great man's life
work, but because we see this issue as he saw it--as a
test of our society's integrity.
Last week I had the honor, alongside my colleague, the
Honorable Kendrick Meek, of presenting the late Senator
Kennedy with the Mickey Leland Award at the Congressional
Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference
Awards Dinner.
The award, received by his son, the Honorable Patrick
Kennedy, was bestowed upon him in recognition of his
lifetime's work in providing opportunities for society's
less fortunate.
From civil rights, to education, and finally to health
care, the late Senator Kennedy is destined to be
remembered as a true champion of equality and opportunity.
Our charge now is to keep this noble legacy alive by
renewing our efforts to ensure that health care reform--
his great, unfinished cause--provides each and every
American with the universal and affordable coverage that
was his vision.
I look forward to working with you in the weeks to come
to do everything we can to make sure that happens.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a
poetic tribute penned by Albert Carey Caswell in honor of
and in memory of a truly great American.
Heaven Holds a Place
Heaven holds a place!
For all of those who have so held such faith!
Who, no matter how dark the days ...
Somehow, always so kept pace!
Heaven holds a place!
For such men of love and grace ...
Who all the while, somehow always kept their smile ...
No matter the darkest of days!
All in what, they so faced ...
Yes, Heaven so holds a place!
For men of peace, and of such grace!
Who have so fought for the poor, the sick, and the old
each day!
Heaven, so holds a place!
For those who gave warmth, even though the wind's turned
cold they faced ...
For all those who have so loved children, our Lord God so
holds a special place!
For a 77 year old man, who with the heart of a child who
would stand ...
Who somehow ever wore a smile!
Who touched all those around him, all the while!
Yes, Teddy ... Heaven so holds a place!
For heroes like you, who had to wipe those tears from your
face!
Holding a family together, with your courage and grace!
Yes, for you Ted ... Heaven so holds a place!
For men who have so fallen from grace ...
And, but asked for redemption, and so prayed and prayed
...
As our Lord so heard you calling, calling night and day
...
As such burdens, upon your own soul you placed!
As for redemption you so prayed!
Men who have taught love, not hate!
Why, Heaven so holds a place!
Who in the darkness cried out such tears, as the new day
they faced ...
For all those with hearts like of a lion ...
Who for mankind, never stopped trying!
For you see, such things ... time can not so erase!
And for such men, Heaven so holds a place!
In loving memory of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. May God
bless you and your family ...
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor
Senator Edward Kennedy, who passed away August 25, 2009,
at age 77. A leader in the Senate for over 46 years,
Senator Kennedy dedicated his career to equality and
justice for all.
Senator Kennedy believed that the fight for quality and
affordable health care was the cause of his life and
nothing less than a moral obligation for us all. His
courageous commitment to improving the welfare of all
people was inspirational to me and millions of Americans.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions, he influenced nearly every piece of
legislation that came before the Senate. Because of his
deep concern for the treatment of mental health patients,
he helped individuals suffering from mental health and
substance abuse disorders receive adequate coverage and
prompted the growth of America's community mental health
centers. Senator Kennedy was also committed to increasing
access to health care for everyone. I wish he was with us
long enough to see all his hard work come true.
Senator Kennedy was a compelling advocate for equal
access to education for all children. His leadership was
instrumental in expanding the Head Start Program, and he
devoted himself to improving teaching quality and equality
across the country.
Senator Kennedy fought tirelessly to ensure all students
who wished to obtain higher education were able to do so.
During the 110th Congress he helped enact the most
substantial increase in student aid funding, making higher
education more accessible and affordable to all.
Madam Speaker, Senator Kennedy was a shining example of
what the very best public servants can aspire to become,
and his passion for helping others will live on through
the lives he has touched. His legacy of hard work,
compassion, and excellence will continue to impact America
for generations to come.
Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, ``Be not afraid of greatness:
some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have
greatness thrust upon 'em.''--William Shakespeare,
``Twelfth Night.''
It is with a sense of proud sadness and deep gratitude
that I am blessed to offer a few words about a man who was
born to greatness, had it thrust upon him and achieved
greatness--because, in the end, he was not afraid.
It is with an array of inexpressible emotions that I am
blessed to call him an inspiration, mentor, and most
valued friend.
To be Ted Kennedy's friend was to be wrapped in a
special embrace, a golden aura of generosity and
thoughtfulness, compassion and comradeship. It simply felt
good to be around him.
I believe the highest praise bestowed on anyone is that
he made the people around him better. This he did by
calling all of us to the better angels of our nature.
It is said that to whom much is given, much is expected.
No one expected more of himself than did Ted Kennedy, and
no one gave more of himself to others.
No one bore greater burdens--some of them the result of
cataclysmic events that damaged not only our Nation, but
hurt him deeply and in ways that would have paralyzed any
of us.
He carried on, shouldering the future of a young and
sprawling family and the continuing hopes and dreams of
our Nation.
In a speech in August 1968, mere weeks after the death
of his brother Bobby, Teddy said:
There is no safety in hiding. Like my brothers before
me, I pick up a fallen standard. Sustained by the memory
of our priceless years together, I shall try to carry
forward that special commitment to justice, excellence and
courage that distinguished their lives.
We met in 1978 in San Francisco when I was little more
than a laborer in the vineyards of California Democratic
politics. In 1979, I joined his campaign for President and
was appointed to his State steering committee.
I soon found myself involved in decisions about who to
seat at the 1980 Democratic Convention and in strategic
discussions about how we might win the nomination against
a sitting President.
In this way, he lifted the fortunes and the sights of so
many, allowing us to find new challenges, to seek out new
responsibilities and to broaden our own understanding of
what we could do, who we could be and how we could help
him achieve an America of justice, excellence, and
courage.
It was at the convention, of course, that he gave what
is widely regarded as his greatest single speech. The
speech concluded with those words that have continued to
ring out through the decades: ``The work goes on, the
cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall
never die.''
Conventions have become prepackaged events with
carefully staged ``spontaneous'' demonstrations of
affection and support. At the 1980 convention, we were
outsiders, there against the wishes of an incumbent
President whose strategists controlled all the machinery
of convention-like hoopla.
So, for an hour, we clapped and cheered, we cried and we
chanted, ``Kennedy, Kennedy.''
In retrospect, we were enthralled not by the end of a
campaign but by the promise of future fights and the
certainty that our cause would go forward, as would our
work on behalf of the downtrodden and the disaffected.
He said in 1985, with yet another Presidential election
stirring, ``The pursuit of the Presidency is not my life.
Public service is.''
He loved to be of service, and he reveled in all that it
meant, taking joy in those things that would have seemed
small and inconsequential to him--and spreading joy.
In 1986, while serving as a member of the San Mateo
County Board of Supervisors, I was elected to the position
of chairman of the board. The title was nice, but it was
antiquated and was a vestige of an era when only men
served in office. I asked the county council to take the
necessary steps to change the title to president of the
board.
It became a national news story that appeared in the
Wall Street Journal, an article that included the
headline: ``Eshoo to become president.''
Teddy sent me a telegram that read: ``I always wanted to
be president, but I'm glad you got there first.''
No one bore greater burdens--some of them self-
inflicted. He faced them unflinchingly and with the hope
that he would do better. In a scandal-besieged era, he
was, again, an example to us of how to live in the public
eye with humility, with humanity, and with yet another
kind of courage.
He said:
I recognize my own shortcomings--the faults in the
conduct of my private life. I realize that I alone am
responsible for them, and I am the one who must confront
them. I believe that each of us as individuals must not
only struggle to make a better world, but to make
ourselves better, too.
When others would have scrambled for the safety of
obscurity, he stood at the helm and sailed the storms.
He was flawed, but in a way that makes his virtues stand
even taller, for in our midst was a man who never thought
of himself as a saint, but believed that the least among
us deserve the greatest blessings this Nation can bestow.
He was generous. He was thoughtful. He was passionate.
He was courageous beyond measure.
And so it is fitting that his last large moment on the
national stage should be filled with hope. This is how he
lived his life. This is the gift he gave to us.
At his final Democratic Convention, he harkened to his
own past to paint an enduring vision of a better tomorrow
that is uniquely Teddy: ``The work begins anew. The hope
rises again. And the dream lives on.''
So, we are saddened at his passing and in the knowledge
we will never see his like again and that we will never be
warmed by the sun in quite the same way.
But we are filled with the promise he believed and that
he gave us, ready to do battle in his name and to extract
a measure of joy from life, as he would do.
And we are comforted in the knowledge that he is with
his family and his legions of friends and that he is at
peace. May God grant this peace to Vicki, his great love,
his precious children and his entire family.
As John Bunyan wrote in ``Pilgrim's Progress'':
When the day that he must go hence was come, many
accompanied him to the riverside, into which as he went,
he said, ``Death, where is thy sting?'' And as he went
down deeper, he said, ``Grave, where is thy victory?'' So
he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on
the other side.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to
express my condolences to the family and friends of one of
my most prestigious colleagues, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Senator Kennedy lived one of the most extraordinary
lives in American political history. He was the last
brother of one of America's most storied families; one of
our all-time great Senators; and a champion for human
rights. His legislative accomplishments have touched and
improved the lives of virtually everyone who lived in this
great country for the past half a century.
Albert C. Caswell approached me shortly after Senator
Kennedy's funeral with a poem he wrote titled, ``Our
Nation's Tears.'' My colleagues may recognize Mr.
Caswell's familiar face, as he has served as a tour guide
in the U.S. Capitol for the past 23 years. I was moved by
Mr. Caswell's poem, and he has asked that I submit it in
the Congressional Record. I ask unanimous consent to add
my statement and his poem to the Congressional Record, and
I encourage my colleagues to read it.
Our Nation's Tears
(By Albert Carey Caswell)
Our ...
Our Nation's Tears ...
As so now lie here!
For one of America's finest sons, this oh so cherished one
...
A Champion, for Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers,
Daughters and Sons ...
For Seniors, and our most precious of all ones ... our
Children ...
For America, and all of these ones!
Our Lion of The Senate Ted, so very dear ...
As it's for or thee, we now so shed such tears ...
As down our quivering cheeks they now so run!
All for you Ted, and your great American family my son ...
And that great love story, that our Lord God had so begun!
And that great Irish family, that came from far across
those seas ...
But, for a better life to be ...
And that great void now so left, as upon our souls as now
so etched ...
And that great hole in all our hearts, this abyss ...
Ah, but lies such depth ...
All in this great [season], with us you have so left ...
For this our nation, our Teddy bear ... you have so
blessed!
As our tears fall like the rains ...
As it's for you Teddy, we now so cry out all in our pain
...
As comes from our swollen eyes ...
As it's for you, our shining Knight ... we now so weep ...
For in our hearts, you ... we shall so keep!
As we pray to our Lord above, that your soul he shall so
reap!
For our True Champion, has so died!
As like Your Profiles in Courage, we too must so rise!
As you have so taught our nation, so over the many years
...
That out of such loss, such heartache ... and such swollen
tears ...
That somehow, light too can come!
And that somehow, we must all so persevere!
With A Smile, With A Grin ...
With The Heart of A Child, and a work ethic so then!
And to cherish each new day, as it begins!
And make each new day count! Time and time, and time
again!
And hold your families ever so close!
For this is life's full measure, that which so means the
most!
Sail on my Son! We will hear your heart on the ocean's
setting suns ...
Our beautiful brother from Boston!
For Heaven so holds a place, for our most precious one!
For such men, of such courage, kindness, style and grace
...
And who have worked and prayed for redemption, in all
they've faced!
And live by such undying Faith!
Of such men so bright, who have all our hearts so bathed
in all their light ...
As the baby bore the load, lesson's learned ...
profiles in courage he so earned ...
How, Teddy raised his head each day ... was but a lesson
for all of us to stay!
To take heart, to take pause ... all in your pain, and
remember his life cause ...
To remember his smile, and ever his heart of a child ...
And that up in Heaven on this day ...
Four brothers are so reunited, in a football game ...
``And remember, that the work goes on!''
``The cause endures!''
``The hope still lives!''
``And the dream shall never die!''
Ted, our most precious one ... can you but not in Heaven
hear my son?
All of Our Nation's swollen tears, these ones!
And for you, our Nation cry!
In loving memory of Senator Edward Kennedy. May our Lord
bless you, our warm son, and your family.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to
cast one of the most important votes of my congressional
career--a vote in support of H.R. 3962, the Affordable
Health Care for America Act. ...
For so many of us, this long battle has had a singular,
courageous champion who has fought like a lion for the
sick, the elderly, the left behind and the left out. Our
great achievement today will also be our greatest memorial
to our friend, mentor and inspiration, Senator Edward
Kennedy.
Like Senator Kennedy, many of us wondered--as the
decades marched by--whether our efforts for comprehensive
health care reform would ever be successful.
His unwavering commitment to decent health care for all
Americans has paved the way for the bill before us today.
It is on the shoulders of this giant that we stand, and I
pledge my vote as a tribute to the late Senator. ...
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. ... The fight to reform
this Nation's health care system has spanned nearly 100
years, across generations and many great leaders, from
Teddy Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy
to President Clinton to my own personal hero, Ted Kennedy.
...
Finally, I'd like to pay tribute to my mentor and
friend, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
Health care was the cause of Ted's lifetime. Our effort
would have been impossible had he not carried the torch of
justice and equality for all those years.
I know I am not alone when I say that I sincerely wish
Ted Kennedy could be with us today to see his dream of
quality, affordable health care for all become a reality.
Madam Speaker, this is the most important bill I have
ever worked on during my many years of service in
Congress.
I could not be prouder to have helped to write this
bill, to encourage each of my colleagues to support it,
and to cast my vote in favor of the Affordable Health Care
for America Act.
We stand at the doorstep of history.
Let us go in.
Ms. PELOSI. ... It's impossible to talk about health
care reform in America without talking about Senator
Edward Kennedy. His leadership and his contribution to
this debate are boundless. Health insurance reform was the
cause of his life. He called it ``the great unfinished
business of our society.'' On this issue he said what is
at stake ``is the character of our country.'' When the
President came to address the joint session, he quoted
those comments by Senator Kennedy from a letter that the
Senator had sent to him. ... What the Senator also said in
the letter that was sent to President Obama before he died
was this:
I entered public life with a young President who
inspired a generation and the world. It gives me great
hope that as I leave, another young President inspires
another generation and, once more on America's behalf,
inspires the entire world.
He acknowledged President Obama's ``unwavering
commitment and understanding that health care is a
decisive issue for our future prosperity.''
MEMORIAL SERVICES
FOR
EDWARD MOORE KENNEDY
Edward Moore Kennedy
A Celebration of Life
John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
Boston, Massachusetts
August 28, 2009
7-9 PM
Paul G. Kirk, Jr.
Father Gerry Creedon, S.J.
Opening Prayer
``God Bless America''
Boston Community Chorus
Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II
Senator Christopher J. Dodd
Nick Littlefield
Governor Deval L. Patrick
Senator John McCain
Video Tribute
Directed by Ken Burns and Mark Herzog
Senator John F. Kerry
Senator Orrin G. Hatch
``The Impossible Dream''
Sung by Brian Stokes Mitchell, soloist
Mayor Thomas M. Menino
Senator John C. Culver
``Just a Closer Walk with Thee''
Sung by Boston Community Chorus
Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Caroline Kennedy
``When Irish Eyes Are Smiling''
Sung by Colm Wilkinson and John McCormack
MUSICAL PRELUDE: Borromeo String Quartet
WELCOME--PAUL G. KIRK, Jr., chairman, John F. Kennedy
Presidential Library: Good evening. It is my honor to
welcome you all this evening and on your behalf, as well
as mine, to offer sincere condolences to the entire
Kennedy family, only recently pained by the loss of Eunice
Kennedy Shriver, and now by the passing of Senator Edward
M. Kennedy; to their sister Jean; and to the Senator's
children, Kara, Ted, Jr., and Patrick; his wife Vicki; and
Curran and Caroline Raclin, each and all of whom brought
such great happiness and pride to the Senator through the
years; and, of course, to Vicki, whose love and devotion
during their 17 years of marriage was the greatest joy of
Senator Kennedy's life, and whose caregiving these past 15
months was nothing less than heroic and inspirational. Our
hearts are with you.
To lead us in a prayer for Senator Kennedy's peace and
the strength of his loved ones, I invite Father Gerry
Creedon to offer an invocation, after which the Boston
Community Chorus will open the celebration by singing
``God Bless America,'' and I hope you will join them.
Rev. GERRY CREEDON, S.J., St. Charles Borromeo Catholic
Church: Blessed are those who have eyes to see what you
see and ears to hear what you hear. The work goes on. The
cause endures. The hope still lives, and the dream shall
never die. He knew sleep and wakeful nights, he had his
nightmares, and, yet, he dreamed a dream that was dreamed
of the heart and only his great heart could hold.
He gave flesh to that dream, the noble house of his
thought where the sick were healed, the spear broken, and
the stranger welcome. It is the age-old dream of the
prophets, ``Thy kingdom come.'' There will be a banquet
yet for the last to feast. He goes ahead of us to lay the
table of generosity. It is a dream of joy, an insoluble
sign of the presence of God, the song of the roses, the
music--``May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.''
``GOD BLESS AMERICA,'' Performed by the Boston Community
Chorus:
God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her,
Through the night, with the light, from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam.
God bless America, my home sweet home.
God bless America, my home sweet home.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: It was Senator Kennedy who suggested
that when the time arrived, there would be a gathering
like this, and he selected as the venue this library where
politics and public service are honored every day in the
name of his brothers. Thinking back upon other times when
we have felt the ache of emptiness, he was the one from
whom we would draw comfort and strength, and I suspect
tonight will be no different.
I have never met anyone whose spirits were not uplifted
by being in the company of Ted Kennedy, and I hope you
will feel that way once again when you leave his presence
this evening. He wanted us to smile and be joyful as we
remember and celebrate the depth of his faith, the quality
of his character, the generosity of his heart, the love of
his family and his friends, his patriotic service to his
Commonwealth and country, and his countless contributions
to the human spirit.
For myself, I can say that Senator Kennedy was the most
thoughtful, genuinely considerate human being I have ever
known. He suffered from the constant pain of a shattered
back, and he bore more hurt and heartache than most humans
are ever asked to endure. But at every opportunity he
brought hope and joy and optimism to more people than we
will ever know. Each of you have your own memories, but
all of us would agree Ted Kennedy was fun. He loved to
laugh and he loved to make us laugh. He loved good music,
and he loved to sing--conducting the Boston Pops and the
Harvard Band, or leading the traditional July 4th or
Thanksgiving Day sing-along with his friends and family at
his home at the Cape.
He loved to tell a good story. One of his favorites that
you no doubt have heard went back to when he was 30 years
old and made his first run for the Senate. He was in a
debate with his opponent who questioned his
qualifications, and who pointed his finger at him and
said, ``You never even had a full-time job.'' And the next
morning at one of these plants at 6 a.m., the Senator is
out there greeting people and this big ironworker comes up
and puts out his hand and says, ``Kennedy, I heard what
they said about you last night, that you never worked a
day in your life. Let me tell you something. You haven't
missed a thing.'' He loved that story.
He hosted annual dinners for his aging Harvard football
buddies, swapping stories of the glory days. He would
laugh with that uproarious and unforgettable laugh and
remind us that the older we get, the better we are--
painting a seascape, enjoying the affection of his
faithful dog, Splash, sailing on the Mya with family and
friends. For those of us who were inspired by his
unmatchable work ethic, to see him relax and enjoy the
love of friends and family was our reward as well.
To know Senator Kennedy well was to understand the quiet
depth of the faith that guided him. He espoused the values
of politics, but he practiced the politics of gospel
values. He didn't preach about faith, but he was tireless
in the practice of these tenets--the purpose of life is to
live a life of purpose, to always be hopeful and make the
most of every moment, to persevere and be strong no matter
the adversity, to be the best you can be at what you
choose to do, and to serve your neighbors with joy and
love and make a positive difference in their lives.
During these last several months, Senator Kennedy was
gratified, as we all were, to have seen the outpouring of
thanks for a lifetime of inspirational service and of love
for him as a human being. He earned an honorary degree
from Harvard, a knighthood from the Government of Great
Britain, the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, an
outpouring of contributions to the Edward M. Kennedy
Institute for the U.S. Senate, and the Presidential Medal
of Freedom. The list goes on. These honors are
contemporary acknowledgments of what American history will
ultimately record, that no individual legislator from any
State of either House of Congress of any political party
worked harder or longer, with great adherence to principle
or with more political courage, for economic and social
justice and for world peace than our own Edward M.
Kennedy.
He was the best at what he chose to do, and he left his
indelible mark as the most accomplished and effective
legislator in the history of this democracy. He believed
and often said that America is a promise our Founding
Fathers passed on to each succeeding generation to
fulfill. He chose politics as the means to fulfill that
promise, reminding us that to whom much is given, much is
expected.
Gene Scheer gives voice to the life of selfless and
patriotic service of our friend in these words of his
hymn, ``American Anthem.''
All we've been given by those who came before,
the dream of a nation whose freedom would endure.
The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this
day.
What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?
Let them say of me I was one who believed
in sharing the blessings I received.
Let me know in my heart when my days are through.
America, America, I gave my best to you.
Be at peace, my friend. America will be in your debt
forever.
Please join me in welcoming Senator Kennedy's nephew,
the oldest son of Senator Robert Kennedy and Ethel
Kennedy, former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy.
Congressman JOSEPH P. KENNEDY II: You know, ladies and
gentlemen, one of the ways that I think Senator Kennedy's
life can be measured is by the kind of people that he was
able to surround himself with. Everyone who has been a
part of this library knows that Teddy had one friend who
stuck with him from the first day he ran until his last
day in office and that was the fellow whom he selected to
give that last talk. Let's just give Paul Kirk a big round
of applause for the wonderful job that he does.
Thank you, Paul. You know, I just wanted to take a brief
moment to thank each and every one of you for being here
this evening. I wanted to thank you because every person
in this audience was touched by Ted Kennedy in one way or
another. All of you know the kind of person he was, what
he stood for and how he looked out after one very large
family. But he could only do that because of the kindness
and generosity of his own family, and of Vicki, who in
these last few days has shown a kind of grace and dignity
and love and character that is simply beyond belief.
And thank you to Teddy and Kiki, whom I love so much,
and their whole family, little Teddy and Kylie, Kara with
Max and Grace, and my good friend Patrick who does such a
terrific job following in his father's footsteps. Patrick,
thank you. And thank you to Curran and Caroline, who have
welcomed us as we have welcomed them. We just so
appreciate their kindness and their love.
You know, it's very difficult to share a father with as
big a family as the Kennedys are. Every single one of my
brothers and sisters needed a father, and we gained one
through Uncle Teddy. Caroline and John were no different.
The Smiths lost their father.
The truth of the matter is that for so many of us, we
needed someone to hang on to. And Teddy was always there
to hang on to. He had such a big heart, and he shared that
heart with all of us. But Teddy and Patrick and Kara, we
want to let you know that we understand how much you gave
to allow us to be cared for. And you had to share. So we
just want to say thank you to Teddy's entire family.
Every time I come to this library, I love to see the
remembrances of my father and President Kennedy, and now
we'll be able to come here and remember Teddy. But of all
the exhibits and the different aspects at this library,
the one that I most appreciate is one that we can't see
right at the moment, but is right around the corner.
It is the one thing outside of this building and that is
the Victura, which most of you know as a boat that
President Kennedy owned. From my point of view, that was
Teddy's boat. My father went out and bought me a boat--
well, bought my mother a boat that I kind of tried to
grab. I was supposed to go out and race against Teddy.
Every single weekend on Saturday and Sunday, I would see
the butt end of that boat going over the horizon. Teddy
always came in first, second, or third. I like to think
that I came in first, second, or third. The difference was
I was third from last, second from the last, or just dead
last.
I wanted to share with you a little story that I thought
captured who Teddy is. The reason that boat is out here in
front of this library is the one time that I ever beat
Teddy. We were on the race course in Hyannis Port, and one
of the crew said, ``Hey, I actually think we're overtaking
your uncle.'' I thought ``Oh, my God, I can't believe
it.'' So we got up next to him, and of course the reason
why we were catching him was that he was up to his
bellybutton in water, because the seams of the boat had
opened up and the boat was sinking. So we passed Teddy, my
one victory, and after the race he came up to me and he
said, ``Listen, you don't have a boat. I don't have a
boat. Maybe what we should do is buy a boat together and
then on one weekend--one day of the weekend I'll crew for
you,'' which was going to be interesting, ``and on the
other day of the weekend you crew for me.''
The same was true for little Teddy and Patrick. So that
was it--me, Teddy, little Teddy, and Patrick. So off we go
and the race starts. We race this boat non-stop, and then
we get to the biggest race of the year, and there's like,
40 boats. We get up that morning, and it is a full-blown
gale. It is blowing heavily. First they call the race off,
and then all the skippers get together, and they say,
``OK, we'll put the race back on.''
Now, the race starts. We're going downwind, which means
those big colorful sails called spinnakers are out in
front. We start the race and it's about 5 miles to the
first mark. I thought something was a little strange when
the only boat in the entire fleet that set a spinnaker was
ours, and I thought maybe they know something that we
don't. Well, anyway, we came to find it out. So we start
down toward the first mark, and we are now ahead, because
we had this whole other sail. We had this huge advantage,
and we are ahead by a country mile.
I am so happy. I am the happiest guy in the history of
sailboat racing. What I haven't bothered to tell big
Teddy, little Teddy or Patrick is that I can't steer the
boat at all, because it is going wherever the wind is
taking it. I look out about 500 yards, and there is this
15-foot-high bell buoy, and we are headed right for it.
And then it's 200 yards, and then it's 100 yards, and
Teddy looks around at me and says, ``Hey, don't you think
we should turn a little bit?''
I'm trying. But we hit that buoy. I thought we were all
headed to Davy Jones' locker right there and then. They
have this screwy rule in sailboat racing where if you hit
the buoy, you can go back and sail around it three times.
If you get around it three times without hitting it again,
you can keep going in the race. So now we have to sail
back to the buoy with 40 boats coming at us that are none
too pleased with us.
There's a bit of screaming--none going on in our boat,
of course. We somehow make it through this challenge. We
get around the mark three times, and then we're going on
to the second mark, and I feel like the biggest heel in
the history of the world. There was no way that I could
blame this on anybody but myself. I feel so terrible, and
big Teddy is up on the windward rail, and he is getting
soaked, and it's not very pleasant right then.
He turned around to me, and he said, ``Hey, Joe, if last
night, before going to bed, I told you we were going to
round the first mark in seventh or eighth place, how would
you have felt?'' I said, ``Oh, I guess I would have felt
pretty good.'' And he said, ``Let's go win this race.''
And over the course of the next 3 hours, one after
another, we picked off those boats, and we won the race.
Now, I don't tell you that because I think winning that
particular race was important, although I think Teddy
would tell you it was important, because Teddy liked to
win. But Teddy had this wonderful way about him; he would
just sense in anyone when they needed a hand. He could
just sense it, and I can't tell you how many times in my
life it happened. I'm sure as I look around, and I see the
people in this room who knew him so well, that every one
of you has a story or two or three or five or ten of how
Teddy came and gave you a helping hand when you were down.
He was always there and that's what it was. He was
telling me never, ever give up. You stay in the race. And
if people don't have health insurance, you stay in the
race. If people don't have adequate health care or
adequate housing, you stay in the race. If people aren't
being treated properly, you stay in the race.
I saw that man make phone calls to every single family
in this State of those who died on 9/11. I saw him make
the phone calls to every single family in this State who
lost a son or daughter in the Iraq war or in Afghanistan.
This was a man who cared so deeply about those on the
outside of political and economic power, people who
struggle, struggle each and every day to just get by.
He lived his whole life fighting for those people.
That's why I think when you hear all these tributes, and
you see Senator McCain and Senator Orrin Hatch and others
here today from the other side of the aisle, they're here
because they knew what kind of individual Teddy was. They
loved his laugh. They loved to spend time together. But at
its core, they loved to be with an individual who stood
for something.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, I am here today because I
loved my uncle so very much. He did so much for me and my
brothers and sisters and my mother when we needed a hand,
and I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, there are thousands
of others who lost a father or a mother or a sister or a
brother or someone else in this life who turned to Ted
Kennedy. We've lost such a human being. But, you know,
ladies and gentlemen, he is going to want us to continue.
He's going to want us to live as he lived. He came back
after so much tragedy because of that heart, because of
that drive and that determination. So I ask each one of
you to rededicate yourself to the same goals and ideals
that Senator Ted Kennedy lived his life for, because he
lived to make this world a better place, and our country
and our world are better places because of the life of Ted
Kennedy. Thank you.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: You get a chance to cheer again when we
welcome Senator Kennedy's very good friend from the
neighboring state of Connecticut, who served his State and
country with honor and dignity. We're glad he's back from
his ``procedure,'' as I'll call it. Welcome everybody's
good friend, Senator Chris Dodd.
Senator CHRISTOPHER J. DODD: Good evening, all. Vicki, let
me begin by thanking you for the remarkable invitation to
be here this evening and to stand at this podium and get a
chance to express my feelings and my emotions about my
dearest of friends, Ted Kennedy.
Tonight, of course, we gather to celebrate the
incredible American story of a man who made so many other
American stories possible, my friend Teddy. And unlike his
beloved brothers, his sister Kathleen, his nephews, Teddy
was granted the gift of time. He lived not just as the
Irish poet suggested, to comb gray hair--but white hair.
And if you look at what he achieved in his 77 years, it
seems at times as if he lived for centuries. Generations
of historians will, of course, chronicle his prolific
efforts on behalf of so many others around the world. I
will leave that to them. Tonight I just want to share a
few thoughts about my friend. And what a friend he has
been, a friend of unbridled sympathy and empathy, of
optimism, and of full-throated joy.
Examples, of course, of that friendship are legion. I
remember many years ago a close friend of mine passed
away. Teddy didn't know him at all. I was asked to say a
few words at the funeral. As long as I live, I'll never
forget that as I stood at that pulpit and looked out over
that gathering that day, there was Teddy sitting in the
back of that church. He obviously wasn't there for my
friend. He was there for me at my time of loss. That was
what it was like to have Teddy in your corner.
When our daughters Grace and Christina were born, the
very first call I received was from my friend Teddy. When
I lost the Iowa caucuses last year, not that anyone ever
thought I was going to win them, the first call I received
was from Teddy and Vicki. When my sister passed away last
month, the first call I received was from Teddy, even
though he was well into the final summer of his own life.
And 2 weeks ago, as I was coming out of surgery, I got a
call from Teddy, his unique voice as loud and booming as
ever. ``Well,'' he roared, ``between going through
prostate cancer surgery and doing townhall meetings, you
made a great choice.''
And though he was dying, of course, and I was hurting,
believe me, he had me howling with laughter in the
recovery room as he made a few choice comments I cannot
repeat this evening about catheters.
As we all know, of course, Teddy had a ferocious sense
of humor. In 1994 he was in the political fight of his
life against Mitt Romney. Before the first debate, held in
Boston's historic Faneuil Hall, I was with Teddy and Vicki
and his team that evening, and along with everyone else we
were offering our advice before the debate began.
``Teddy,'' I cautioned, ``We Irish always talk too fast.
Even if you know the answer to a question, you have to
pause, slow down, and at the very least appear to be
thoughtful.''
Well, out he went, and of course, the very first
question was something like this: ``Senator, you have
served the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for nearly 35
years in the U.S. Senate. Explain, then, why this race is
so close.'' Teddy paused. And paused. And paused. Five
seconds. Ten seconds. Finally, after what seemed like an
eternity, he answered the question. After the debate I
said, ``Good Lord, Teddy, I didn't mean pause that long
after the first question. What in the world were you
thinking of.'' He looked and said, ``I was thinking that's
a damn good question. Why is this race so close?''
In these last months of his life, I have just so
treasured our conversations. At 6:30 a.m., on the morning
of July 16, only a few weeks ago, the morning after his
Senate Health Committee finished 5 weeks of exhausting
work on a bill that he had written and that I believe will
be one of the greatest of his many legacies, my phone rang
in the morning. There was Teddy, beyond ecstatic that we
had finished our work and that his committee had been the
first to report a bill. Always a competitor, of course.
Teddy was never maudlin during these last number of months
or self-pitying about his health and his illness, but he
was always fully aware about this happening to him. Over
the last year or so, Teddy got to enjoy what is, of
course, every Irishman's dream--and that is to attend your
own eulogies. That's why we Irish call the obituary page
the Irish sports page.
I know he enjoyed a uniquely Celtic kick out of hearing
people who abhorred his politics say incredibly nice
thoughts about him along the way. Volumes, of course, will
be published by those attempting to unlock the mystery of
why Teddy was such an effective legislator over the years.
Was it his knowledge of parliamentary procedure? Was it
his political instincts, his passionate oratory, his
staff? What was it?
Please, let me save the pundits and the political
scientists some time and all of you some money and tell
you what Teddy's secret was. People liked him.
He always had a great staff and great ideas, but that
only counts for so much in the U.S. Senate if you lack the
respect and admiration of your colleagues, and Teddy
earned that respect.
You'll recall he arrived in Washington as the 30-year-
old brother of a sitting U.S. President and the Attorney
General of the United States. Many people drew their
conclusions about him before he spoke his first words in
the U.S. Senate, and over the years, of course, he became
a target of partisans who caricatured him as a dangerous
liberal.
Now, liberal he was, and very proud of it, I might add.
But once you got to know him, as his colleagues did in the
Senate, you quickly learned Teddy was no caricature. He
was a warm, passionate, thoughtful, tremendously funny man
who loved his country deeply and loved the U.S. Senate. If
you ever needed to find Teddy in the Senate Chamber, all
you had to do was to listen for that distinctive
thunderclap of a laugh echoing across the hallowed halls
as he charmed his colleagues.
He served in the Senate, as all of you know, for almost
half a century alongside liberals and conservatives,
Democrats and Republicans, and he befriended all of them
with equal gusto.
It's great to see his friends, Senator Orrin Hatch and
Senator John McCain, here this evening. It is to their
credit that they so often supported Teddy's efforts. And I
say in some jest it is to Teddy's great credit that he
rarely supported their efforts.
But Teddy's personal friendships with Orrin and John and
so many others over this half century weren't simply the
polite working relationships that make politics possible
in our country. They're the very real and lasting bonds
that make the U.S. Senate of our Nation work. That's what
made Teddy one of our greatest Senators ever.
Some people born with a famous name live off it, others
enrich it. Teddy enriched his. As we begin the task of
summing up all that he has done for our Nation and so many
others around the world, perhaps we can begin by
acknowledging this: John Fitzgerald Kennedy inspired our
America, Robert Kennedy challenged our America, and our
Teddy changed America.
Nearly every important law passed in the last half
century bears his mark, and a great deal of them, of
course, bear his name. Teddy was defined by his love of
our country, his passion for public service, his abiding
faith, and, of course, as Joe has said, his family. His
much adored Vicki, his children, Kara, Teddy, Patrick,
Caroline and Curran, his grandchildren, nieces and
nephews. All of you need to know, when you weren't around
and I was, how often he talked about you and how much
pleasure and joy, the unbounded joy and pleasure, you
brought to him.
Teddy, of course, was a man who lived for others, as Joe
has pointed out. He was a champion for countless people
who otherwise might not have had one, and he never quit on
them. He never gave up on the belief that we could make
tomorrow a better day. Never once.
Last August, in Denver, one year to the day before his
passing, Teddy spoke at our national convention. His gait,
of course, was shaky, but his blue eyes were clear, and
his unmistakable voice rang with strength. As he passed
the torch to another young President, Teddy said, ``The
work begins anew, the hope rises again, and the dream
lives on.''
He spoke of the great fight of his life, ensuring that
every American, regardless of their economic status, be
granted the right to decent health care in our country.
We're deeply saddened that he did not live to see that
battle won. But, in a few short days from now, we will
return to our work in Teddy's Senate. The blistering days
of August will be replaced, I pray, by the cooler days of
September, and we will prevail in the way that Teddy won
so many victories in our Nation--by listening to each
other, by respecting each other and the seriousness of the
institution to which we belong and where Teddy earned an
immortal place in American history.
As he so eloquently eulogized his brother, Bobby, 40
years ago, Teddy doesn't need to be enlarged in death
beyond what he was in life. We'll remember him for the
largeness of his spirit, the depth of his compassion, his
persistence in the face of adversity, and the breadth of
his achievements. We'll remember him as a man who
understood better than most that America is a place of
incredible opportunity, of incredible hope, and a place of
redemption. He labored tirelessly to make those dreams a
reality for everyone.
Those dreams, the ones he spoke of throughout his life,
live on like the eternal flame that marks President
Kennedy's grave, that very flame that Teddy and Bobby lit
46 years ago. In all the years that I have known and loved
this man, that eternal flame has never failed to burn
brightly in Teddy's eyes. And now as he joins his brothers
on that hillside in Arlington, may the light from that
flame continue to illuminate our path forward, and with
the work of our own hands and the help of Almighty God,
inspired by Teddy's example, may we lift up this Nation of
ours that my friend Teddy loved so much. I thank you.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: Senator Dodd and Senator Kennedy had a
good staff. An alumnus of his staff who worked tirelessly
on the health issue while he was there and is now a
distinguished attorney in the city of Boston is Nick
Littlefield. In just a moment you'll learn more about
Nick's other talents, but welcome him now to the podium,
Nick Littlefield.
NICK LITTLEFIELD: I think that for the Senator, one of my
most important attributes as staff director for the Labor
and Human Resources Committee was that I could sing. You
all know that he loved to sing, of course. Vicki and he
and the family members and pianists that they invited
always participated in these magnificent sing-alongs. I
got to sing with the Senator in many different places over
so many years. In Washington and Boston and the Senate and
the Cape and Maine and always on the Mya, we sang. Those
were magnificent times.
He even had me sing to Senator Hatch as they were
wrapping up the deal on children's health. That was the
Senator at his best. I learned that Senator Kennedy liked
the songs that he knew best. We sang ``On the Street Where
You Live'' dozens of times, and ``Sweet Adeline'' was a
close second.
When we sang to a crowd, if I got too loud, he'd give me
a look, and I'd know I was in trouble.
Tonight I'm going to sing one of the songs he especially
loved, and which we always sang every single evening when
we got together to sing. We even sang this song the last
time I saw him. I think he loved this song--I know he
loved this song--because it said so much about him and
Vicki.
If I could have an ``E.''
Love, love changes everything,
Hands and faces, earth and sky.
Love, love changes everything,
How you live and how you die.
Love can make the summer fly,
Or a night seem like a lifetime.
Yes, love, love changes everything.
How I tremble, at her name.
Nothing in the world will ever be the same.
Love, love changes everything.
Days are longer, words mean more.
Love, love changes everything,
Pain is deeper than before.
Love can turn your world around.
And that world will last forever.
Yes, love, love changes everything,
Brings you glory, brings you shame.
Nothing in the world will ever be the same.
Off into the world we go,
Planning futures, shaping years.
Love comes in and suddenly all our wisdom disappears.
Love makes fools of everyone.
All the rules we make are broken.
Yes, love, love changes everything,
Live or perish in its flame.
Nothing in the world will ever be the same.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: Don't go away, Nick. We're going to get
you back before too long. What a gift.
Our next speaker is the chief executive officer of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Please join me in welcoming
Governor Deval Patrick.
Governor DEVAL L. PATRICK: Good evening family and
friends. Like a lot of people and some of you, I suspect--
I knew Ted Kennedy before I ever met him. I knew him from
the grainy black and white TV images of Camelot, when my
mother used to say, to no one in particular, ``I love me
some Kennedy.''
I knew him from the moving speeches, the eulogy of his
brother Robert, the Democratic Convention speech of 1980.
I got occasional sightings of him as I got older, like
when he came to my high school graduation with the rest of
his family when his niece, and my classmate Courtney, were
graduating, or at Senate Judiciary Committee hearings when
important civil rights laws were under review and I was
working as a young staff lawyer at the NAACP Legal Defense
Fund.
But the first time I actually met him was in 1993, when
I was a finalist for the U.S. Attorney position in Boston.
All three finalists were invited to Washington for a final
interview with the Senator, and I was nervous. He was
already long an icon by then, a legend of progressive
politics. We met in his famous Capitol hideaway, just the
two of us.
Before I got going, I said to him that whatever the
outcome of the selection process, I wanted him to know
that I knew that my path from the south side of Chicago to
that interview was paved in large measure by his life's
work, and that I was grateful for that.
Now, I have to say that in addition to being true and
heartfelt, it was not a bad interview opener. But I still
didn't get the job. And though he made a great choice, he
felt awkward about letting me down. I know that, because
the next time I met him--unexpectedly at a party on
Nantucket the following summer--he blanched at first when
he saw me, and sent Vicki across the lawn just to make
sure the coast was clear before he came over to say hello.
In our time, he was a master of the Senate. When
President Clinton sent my name to the Senate for a senior
post in the Justice Department, Ted took charge of the
confirmation process in the way only a master could. The
morning after the nomination was announced, he had me come
up to the Capitol and he positioned me in the Vice
President's ceremonial office just off the Senate floor.
There was an early morning vote, and as Senators came off
the floor, he steered colleagues, one by one, into that
office so that they could shake my hand. His theory was,
it's hard to demagogue someone you've actually looked in
the eye and met.
I probably met 60 Senators coming off the floor after
that vote, including most of the members of the Judiciary
Committee. We had more than a few laughs later about my
first impressions of his colleagues, and his more studied
ones. For example, the importance of just smiling and
nodding when speaking with Senator Howell Heflin of
Alabama, even though it was sometimes impossible to
understand just what he was saying. Or how not to worry
about follow-up questions during the confirmation hearings
from Senator Strom Thurmond, because he couldn't hear your
answer to the first questions that he had asked you.
His observations were never harsh or sarcastic. He was
never mean. He was a master of the Senate, not just
because he knew his colleague's foibles, but because he so
clearly respected their humanity. He knew their politics,
yes, but he also knew them. Of course, he was a ham. He
loved to sing, as Nick Littlefield was just saying. Two
summers ago, Ted and Vicki came out to Tanglewood for a
Boston Pops concert of Broadway show tunes. The concert
featured the famed Broadway ingenue Marin Mazzie and the
Tony Award-winning baritone Brian Stokes Mitchell, whom
we'll hear from tonight.
Now, this is significant, because Stokes is what Ted
thought he sounded like when he sang.
Diane and I had invited Ted and Vicki for dinner at our
house after the concert. About a week before, Ted called
to say he was bringing Pops conductor Keith Lockhart and
his then-fiancee as well. Great. A few days later he
called again to say that he was inviting Marin and Stokes
to dinner as well. Delighted. But Vicki was horrified. She
kept apologizing for Teddy inviting all these add-ons, as
she said, right up until we all sat down to dinner, when
another stranger walked into the house. Vicki and I looked
at each other, assuming we had to set another unexpected
place at the table. Instead, our mystery guest started to
set up a keyboard, because Teddy had also invited the
pianist from the Boston Pops, so we could have proper
accompaniment after dinner. And we sang every show tune we
knew until the wee hours of the morning.
That was the thing about Ted. He was, in the same
instant, larger than life and completely down to earth.
His record of achievement and contribution is unrivaled in
the U.S. Senate. His humanity, his compassion, his
kindness in some ways had just as great an impact.
A friend of mine told me recently the story of Ted's
plans to attend the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin, the late
Prime Minister of Israel. The day before he left for
Jerusalem, he called the White House and asked if it would
be appropriate to bring some soil from Arlington Cemetery.
No one knew the answer. So that day, he went to the graves
of his two brothers and scooped up some soil, and he
carried that precious commodity in a shopping bag to the
funeral of Rabin. And after the ceremony, after the crowd
dispersed, away from the cameras and the press, he
carefully, respectfully, lovingly spread that soil on
Rabin's grave. No publicity; just a good man doing a sweet
thing.
Everyone in this room has some quiet, private example of
his or her own. What's even more powerful is to think how
many thousands more--many of them lining the motorcade
yesterday, or filing in through the doors of this library
over the course of the last 2 days to pay their respects,
or signing condolence messages around the world--have
private, quiet examples of their own. No politician ever
made me feel more that public life could be a noble
calling, or better about who I was and where I came from.
He loved the Commonwealth and this country. He loved the
American people, but he also believed that we could be
better. It was that vision of a better America that he
went to work for every day, and millions of veterans and
working men and women and people with disabilities and
racial and ethnic minorities--millions of pragmatic
idealists who want to believe that they can make the world
better through public service--are in his debt.
So many I have heard from the last couple of days are
asking how best to honor his legacy. I say we should live
it. His legacy is to me about what we do in our own lives
and communities to keep the dream alive, to make a great
country even better.
It won't be easy, especially with the profound sadness
we feel today that our standard-bearer has been taken from
us. But it never was easy, even for our dear lost friend.
Ted Kennedy sailed more often than not into the political
wind, in search of that better America. And he did it with
a skill and a grace so typical of him and his family. Let
us honor his life and accomplishments by making his work
our own.
God bless you Vicki, and all the family. Thank you.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: Thank you, Governor. The last time our
next speaker was on the stage, he received the John F.
Kennedy Profile in Courage Award--the distinguished
American, the distinguished U.S. Senator from the State of
Arizona. Please welcome John McCain.
Senator JOHN McCAIN: Thank you, Paul. As Paul mentioned, I
was last in this wonderful library 10 years ago, when Russ
Feingold and I were honored to receive the Profile in
Courage Award. Ted was very gracious to our family on that
occasion. It was my son Jimmy's 11th birthday, and Ted
went out of his way to make sure it was celebrated
enthusiastically. He arranged a ride for us on a Coast
Guard cutter and two birthday cakes, and led a rousing
rendition of ``Happy Birthday,'' with that booming
baritone of his drowning out all other voices, as it often
did on the Senate floor.
He was good company, my friend Ted. He had the Irish
talent for storytelling and for friendship. At the lunch
he hosted for us in the family quarters on the top floor
of the library, he recalled an earlier episode in our
friendship, a story he delighted in retelling.
It occurred on the Senate floor, when two freshman
Senators, one a Democrat and the other a Republican,
neither of whom would remain long in the Senate, were
getting a little personal with each other as they debated
an issue, which must have seemed important at the time,
but which neither Ted nor I were paying much attention to.
We both happened to be on the floor at the same time,
and the heat of our colleagues' exchange eventually
managed to get our attention. You might think that two
more senior Members of the Senate would in such a
situation counsel the two junior Members to observe the
courtesies and comity which theoretically are supposed to
distinguish our debates.
But Ted and I shared the sentiment that a fight not
joined was a fight not enjoyed, and, irresistibly, we were
both drawn into a debate we had no particular interest in,
but which suddenly looked like fun. I struck first,
castigating the young Democratic Senator for abusing my
Republican colleague. Before she could respond for
herself, Ted rode valiantly to her rescue. And, within
minutes, he and I had forgotten why we were there and what
the debate was all about. We had probably even forgotten
the names of our two colleagues. As one of us spoke, the
other would circle the floor agitated and anxious to fire
back.
After a while, we must have thought the distance between
our desks too great for either of us to hear each other
clearly or that the pressure of the clerk transcribing our
exchanges had become too distracting. As if we both had
heard some secret signal, we put down our microphones
simultaneously and walked briskly to the well of the
floor, where we could continue in closer quarters and in
language perhaps too familiar to be recorded for
posterity, which regrettably was still audible enough to
be overheard by a few reporters, who were now leaning over
the railing of the Press Gallery trying to ascertain just
what the hell was going on between McCain and Kennedy.
After we both were satisfied and had sufficiently
impressed upon each other the particulars of proper
Senatorial comportment, we ended our discussion and
returned to the business that had brought us to the
Chamber in the first place. I'm happy to report we
succeeded in discouraging our colleagues from continuing
their intemperate argument. They both had deserted the
Chamber with--I was later told, for I didn't notice their
escape--rather puzzled if not frightened looks on their
faces. When I saw Ted ambling down a Senate corridor, he
was bellowing laughter, that infectious laugh of his that
could wake the dead and cheer up the most beleaguered
soul.
He was good company, excellent company. I'm going to
miss him more than I can say. We disagreed on most issues,
but I admired his passion for his convictions, his
patience with the hard and sometimes dull work of
legislating, and his uncanny sense for when differences
could be bridged and his cause advanced by degrees.
He was a fierce advocate, and no Senator would oppose
him in a debate without at least a little trepidation,
often more than a little. We all listened to him, of
course. He was hard to ignore. When we agreed on an issue
and worked together to make a little progress for our
country on an important issue, he was the best ally you
could have.
You never had even a small doubt that once his word was
given and a course of action decided, he would honor the
letter and the spirit of the agreement. When we worked
together on the immigration issue, we had a daily morning
meeting with other interested Senators. He and I would
meet for a few minutes in advance and decide between us
which members of our respective caucuses needed a little
special encouragement or, on occasion, a little straight
talk. If a member tried to back out of a previous
commitment, Ted made certain they understood the
consequences of their action. It didn't matter to him that
the offender was a member of his own caucus. He was the
most reliable, the most prepared, and the most persistent
Member of the Senate. He took the long view. He never gave
up. And though, on most issues, I very much wished he
would give up, he taught me to be a better Senator.
After Labor Day, I will go back to the Senate, and I
will try to be as persistent as Ted was and as passionate
for the work. I know I'm privileged to serve there. But I
think most of our colleagues would agree, the place won't
be the same without him.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: Next, you will have the joy and the
privilege of viewing a video tribute to Senator Kennedy
directed by Ken Burns and Mark Herzog. You have heard
other people speaking tonight. Tonight, you will hear
about the life of Ted Kennedy in his own words.
Senator KENNEDY: The sea for me has always been a metaphor
of life. The sea is a constantly evolving, changing,
shifting aspect of both nature and life. That sort of
exposure to the sea is both enriching and enhancing, and
it's fun.
VICKI KENNEDY: The sea, the wind, the outdoors, it is the
most renewing, healing place for him and always has been.
Senator KENNEDY: That's a good job. Yes. Sweat it a little
bit.
Senator JOHN KERRY: He loves getting out and sailing. I
think he's never more at peace and perhaps in some ways
never more in touch with his family and his roots and his
brothers than when he's out there sailing.
Senator KENNEDY: I grew up in a family that wanted to
achieve in the sense of making a difference in people's
lives.
Senator KERRY: I know that Ted Kennedy has always been
unbelievably sensitive to the accomplishments of his
brothers. They were his inspiration.
Congressman JOHN LEWIS: He has a legacy. He's done his
very best to pick up where his two brothers left off.
Senator KENNEDY: Like my three brothers before me, I pick
up a fallen standard. Sustained by their memory of our
priceless years together, I shall try to carry forward
that special commitment to justice, to excellence, to
courage that distinguished their lives.
Congressman LEWIS: He championed the cause of those who
have been left out--the poor, the elderly, our children,
those without education.
VICKI KENNEDY: He was brought up to believe that, you
know, to those to whom much is given, much is required.
But it's really bigger than that. He really feels a moral
obligation to do everything possible to make this world a
better place.
Congressman LEWIS: I have heard Senator Kennedy say on
many occasions that health care is not a privilege. It is
a right.
Senator KENNEDY: As long as I have a voice in the U.S.
Senate, it's going to be for that Democratic platform
plank that provides decent quality health care, north and
south, east and west, for all Americans, as a matter of
right, and not a privilege.
Senator KERRY: Because of Ted Kennedy, people have things
today, they're able to do things today, they're able to
reach for the American dream in ways that they never
imagined.
LAUREN STANFORD, witness at Kennedy Senate hearing: I
first met the Senator at something called the Children's
Congress through the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation. He asked me to come to testify in front of
Congress about stem cell research and the support for
that. If I could help someone almost as much as Senator
Kennedy's helped me, then I would be a very happy person.
Senator KENNEDY: City Year has given the opportunity for
the best of our young people to serve in the community.
Senator KERRY: He deeply believes that national service
ought to be part of the everyday life of every single
American.
ALAN KHAZEI, co-founder of City Year: He committed right
away to introduce new legislation to take programs like
City Year to scale to make it possible for young people
all over our country to serve our country.
VICKI KENNEDY: He deeply believes in service. Even as a
United States Senator, he's read every Tuesday at a local
school in Washington, DC, as part of the Everybody Wins!
Program.
JASMINE HARRISON: We were signed up for this reading
program, and I was assigned to read with Senator Kennedy
as my reading partner. It gave me someone to want to do
well for and make proud. I'm going to Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond, and I will be
majoring in education.
Senator KERRY: We're talking about a man of incredible
sensitivity. He has always been there for the troops. He's
always been there, understanding the sacrifices that those
troops made. He's been there for their families.
BRIAN HART: We met Senator Kennedy for the first time in
November 2003, when we buried our son John at Arlington
National Cemetery.
VICKI KENNEDY: Their son was lost because his Humvee was
not up-armored. And they have really dedicated their lives
to making sure that other men and women don't suffer the
same fate.
BRIAN HART: John died just after his 20th birthday.
Senator Kennedy agreed to call hearings. Within 6 months
of those hearings, all troops in Iraq had body armor. And,
for that, I owe the Senator.
Senator KENNEDY: Brian and his wife, Alma, turned that
enormous personal tragedy into a remarkable force for
change.
BRIAN HART: Senator Kennedy had been there for his family
before I was born. He remembers where his mother was,
where his father was, when they came to tell him his
brother Joseph was killed. We share a wound that doesn't
heal and a deep and abiding love for this country. And
Senator Kennedy taught me that government can function for
the common man.
VICKI KENNEDY: His patriotism, his family, his faith,
really, those three things are just intrinsic in who he
is. And I think of him as this guy who's got really,
really big shoulders. And he's strong for all of us. And
he's funny. And he sort of leads the way. He's the Pied
Piper in our family.
EDWARD KENNEDY III: How many sails are up?
Senator KENNEDY: Well, let's count them. What do we call
the one that's way, way, way up at the tippy top?
EDWARD KENNEDY III: Oh, that? The halyard isn't it? Oh,
no, no, the fisherman?
Senator KENNEDY: Fisherman.
EDWARD KENNEDY, Jr.: Don't tell me you want to put the
fisherman on the other side now, Dad.
President BARACK OBAMA: The year I was born, President
Kennedy sent out word that the torch had been passed to a
new generation of Americans. He was right. It had. It was
passed to his youngest brother. From the battles of the
1960s to the battles of today, he has carried that torch,
lighting the way for all who share his American ideals.
Congressman LEWIS: I see the day when President Barack
Obama and Ted Kennedy would be moving progressive
legislation through the Congress to help some of the most
vulnerable people in our society.
Senator KENNEDY: We will break the old gridlock and
finally make health care what it should be in America, a
fundamental right for all, not just an expensive privilege
for the few. The people in this country are going to
respond to the hopeful in a positive way. It's going to be
a very, very dramatic and important alteration and change.
And it's one that I'm looking forward to being a part of.
We're all set now!
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: What a treat. I now have the privilege
of welcoming a friend and colleague of Senator Kennedy,
and now the senior Senator of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, John Kerry.
Senator JOHN F. KERRY: Vicki and Teddy, Kiki, Kara,
Patrick, Curran, Caroline, thank you for the privilege of
sharing some words here today about my friend and my
colleague of a quarter of a century. From the moment of
fateful diagnosis 14 months ago until he left us, we saw
grace and courage, dignity and humility, joy and laughter
and so much love and gratitude lived out on a daily basis
that our cup runneth over.
How devastating the prognosis was as Ted left MGH with
his family waving to all in June a year ago. And that he
lived the next 14 months in the way that he did--
optimistic, full of hope, striving and accomplishing
still--that he did that is in part a miracle, yes, but
it's equally a triumph of the love and the care that Vicki
and their children and all who cherished him gave him in
such abundance.
In many ways, I think it's fair to say that this time--
these last months--were a gift to all of us. The last
months of his life were in many ways the sweetest of
seasons, because he saw how much we love him, how much we
respect him, and how unbelievably grateful we are for his
stunning years of service and friendship.
And what a year he had, my friends. He accomplished more
in that span of time than many Senators do in a lifetime--
mental health parity, the Tobacco Act, a health care bill
out of his committee. He spoke at the Democratic
Convention. He wrote his memoirs. He was there for the
signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Service America Act, and
received the Medal of Freedom from the President and a
knighthood from the Queen of England.
I think many of you who were there would agree with me
that perhaps one of the most poignant moments of all was
when he was awarded an honorary degree from Harvard. His
staff through the years were gathered in the front. His
friends and family and admirers were scattered throughout
the audience and filled the room. Vice President-elect
Biden was there.
You have no idea how hard Ted practiced and worked to be
able to speak at Harvard and at the convention and at the
White House, and to make a speech that lived up to his
high standards. He took the stage at Harvard and, for a
few moments, we all worried that it would be difficult to
pull off. And then, before you know it, his voice began to
soar and the pace picked up, and he inspired us all again
with a stunning restatement of his purpose in public life.
When it was over, the applause never wanted to end. He
stayed on the stage, reaching out to us and we to him, and
we wanted him to stay there forever.
I first met Ted Kennedy when I was 18 years old as a
volunteer for his first Senate campaign in the summer
before I went to college. I met him again when I returned
from Vietnam, and we veterans encamped on the Mall in
Washington. It was Ted Kennedy who had the courage to come
down to the Mall one night, and in a tent listen to us
talk about Vietnam. We were controversial, but Ted broke
the barriers, and other Senators followed.
He worked his heart out for me in the Presidential race
of 2004. And he made the difference in Iowa. When we were
down in the polls and I was slugging it out there, Ted
brought his humor, his energy, and his eloquence to
Davenport to help melt the snow of that State. There we
were, just 2 weeks before the caucuses, and his voice
boomed out in this room: ``You voted for my brother. You
voted for my other brother. You didn't vote for me.'' And
as the crowd roared with laughter, Ted bellowed, ``But
we're back here for John Kerry, and, if you vote for John
Kerry, I will forgive you. You can have three out of
four,'' he said, ``and I will love you, and I will love
Iowa.''
And let me tell you, Iowa loved him. We had a lot of fun
there. He would open an event, and he would come out and
say: ``I want to talk to you about a bold, handsome,
intelligent leader, a man who should not only be
President, but who should end up on Mount Rushmore. But
enough about me. Now I will talk about John Kerry.''
After that agonizing Tuesday night in November when we
fell so short in one State, there were Ted and Vicki on a
Wednesday morning sitting with Teresa and me in the
kitchen in Boston as we prepared to concede. He was always
there when you needed him. And so were Sunny and Splash,
incidentally, when you didn't.
Once, when we were at a Senate retreat, Ted had just
spoken, and then Joe Biden got up to make a point and
rejoinder. As Joe got more forceful in his argument, he
started to gesture, and he took steps toward Ted. Boom!
Sunny and Splash were up on their feet barking wildly,
defending Kennedy territory with a vengeance. And, ladies
and gentlemen, for the first time in history, we witnessed
a Biden rhetorical retreat.
I have to tell you, one of my really favorite moments
was Ted campaigning with my daughter, Vanessa, who is
here. They were campaigning in New Mexico, visiting an
Indian reservation, and the tribal medicine man wanted to
bestow a blessing. He took a feather and he chanted, and
he asked that Ted and Vanessa stand side by side and
extend their hands and bow their heads. With a sacred
feather, he touched their feet and he touched their
foreheads, and he touched their hands, all the while
chanting away. And when he finished, Ted leaned over to
Vanessa and whispered, ``I think we just got married.'' A
couple of months later, she got a note from Teddy which
said, ``No matter what happens, we will always have New
Mexico.''
One of the framed notes in Ted's Senate office was a
thank you from a colleague for a gift, a special edition
of ``Profiles in Courage.'' This is what it said. ``I
brought it home and reread it. What an inspiration. Thank
you, my friend, for your many courtesies. If the world
only knew.'' It was signed by Trent Lott, the Republican
leader of the Senate.
Indeed, if everyone only knew. When George Wallace was
wounded in an assassination attempt, the first to visit
him was Ted Kennedy. When Joe Biden underwent brain
surgery for an aneurysm, the first to board the train to
Wilmington was Ted Kennedy. When Jesse Helms announced
that he had to undergo heart valve surgery, Helms told his
constituents back in North Carolina, ``It's no piece of
cake, but it sure beats listening to Ted Kennedy on the
Senate floor.'' So, Ted wrote a note to Jesse saying, ``I
would be happy to send you tapes of my recent Senate
speeches if that will help your speedy recovery.''
And just 2 weeks ago, when I was in the hospital after
hip surgery, just like Chris Dodd, there was Ted Kennedy
on the phone, asking how I was doing, with all that he was
dealing with.
In his life, as we all know, Ted knew the dark night of
loss. I think that's why his empathy was global and deeply
personal. After my father died of cancer just days before
the convention in 2000, there was a knock at the door,
completely unexpected, and standing there on the front
porch was Ted Kennedy, dropping by to hug and talk and
just to pass time with us.
For 25 years, I was privileged to work by his side,
learning from the master. Over the years, I have received
hundreds of handwritten notes from Ted, some funny, some
touching, a few correcting me, all of them special
treasures now. He thanked me for my gift of a Catholic
study Bible, commenting, ``My mother would be very
grateful to you for keeping me in line.'' He thanked me
for a particularly challenging charter lift home after 9/
11, when it was hard to get anything in the air. And he
wrote: ``Here's a riddle for you. What do you get when you
make three calls to the FAA, two calls to the Secretary of
Transportation, and three calls to Signature Flight
Support? You get a great trip to Boston.'' His way of
saying thank you.
He thanked Teresa and me for the gift of a vintage
bottle, concluding, ``I just hope that I have aged as well
as this wine.''
The personal touch Ted brought to life extended, as we
know, well beyond Senate colleagues. It reflected the kind
of man that he was and the kind of laws that he wrote. For
1,000 days in the White House, as Chris Dodd mentioned,
President Kennedy inspired. For 80 days on the
Presidential campaign trail, Robert Kennedy gave us reason
to believe in hope again. And for more than 17,000 days as
a U.S. Senator, Ted Kennedy changed the course of history
as few others have.
Without him, there might still be a military draft. The
war in Vietnam might have lasted longer. There might have
been delays in granting the Voting Rights Act or in
passing Medicare or Medicaid. Soviet Jewish refuseniks
might have been ignored, and who would have been there to
help them as Ted did?
Without him, we might not have stood up against
apartheid as forcefully as we did, and the barriers to
fair immigration might still be higher today. If everyone
only knew. Without Ted, 18-year-olds might not be able to
vote. There might not be a Martin Luther King Day, Meals
on Wheels, student loans, increases in the minimum wage,
equal funding for women's college sports, health
insurance, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans
with Disabilities Act, workplace safety, AmeriCorps,
children's health insurance.
If everyone only knew. He stood against judges who would
turn back the clock on constitutional rights. He stood
against the war in Iraq, his proudest vote. And for nearly
four decades and all through his final days, he labored
with all of his might to make health care a right for all
Americans, and we will do that in his honor.
In these last months, every visit Ted made to the Senate
elicited an unstoppable outpouring of affection. Tears
welled up in the eyes of Republicans and Democrats.
Everyone missed his skills, his booming call to arms and
conscience. On his last visit, Chris Dodd and I sat in the
back row beside his desk and listened to Teddy regale us
with an imitation of his efforts to practice throwing out
a ball for the Red Sox opening game. He laughed and he
poked fun at how reluctant his hands and muscles were to
obey his commands. I was in awe of this moment of humility
and self-deprecating humor in the face of genuine
frustration.
As he often said over the years, we have to take issues
seriously, but never take ourselves too seriously. He was
a master of that, too, and it was one of the great lessons
that he taught me. In the end, his abiding gift was his
incomparable love of life and his commitment to make
better the life of the world.
In between his time changing the world, he found time to
capture it in marvelous paintings. He was a talented,
gifted artist--and as we know, an incurable romantic. Who
else would have thought to hide their engagement ring on a
coral reef in St. Croix as they were swimming and diving
so Vicki could find it. It never occurred to him that the
waters might wash the ring away. But one thing is certain,
their love endured from then until now, and it will endure
forever.
Massachusetts has always had its own glorious love
affair with the sea. Like his brothers before him,
saltwater was in his veins. Teddy lived by the sea, and he
lived joyously on it. The evening he passed away, I looked
out at the ocean where gray sky met gray water. No
horizon. The sky almost seemed to be in mourning. It was
not a time for sailing. But the next afternoon as I sat at
his home, I looked out at a perfect Nantucket Sound, and I
thought to myself with certainty, ``He's on a schooner
now. He's sailing.'' Jack, Joe, Bobby on the foredeck,
Rosemary, Eunice, Kathleen, Pat, trading stories with
their parents, and Teddy at the helm steering his steady
course. Sail on, my friend. Sail on.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: The next speaker is one who has seen
Senator Kennedy's name and the names of his colleagues on
legislation--another great American, who sat across the
aisle and serves our country well in the U.S. Senate.
Please welcome Senator Orrin Hatch.
Senator ORRIN G. HATCH: This is a tremendous honor to be
in this wonderful city and this State where our revolution
was begun. I'm just so grateful to be here.
Vicki, Teddy, Patrick, Kara, Ethel and Jean, and all the
rest of the Kennedy family, it's a great honor for me to
be here with you today, to talk about a man I have so much
regard for, so much reverence for, with whom I've done
battle for 33 years and have enjoyed every minute of it--
like two fighting brothers, to be honest with you.
There are a lot of things I could say about Ted
Kennedy's career, but what I'd like to do is just take a
few minutes to talk about Ted Kennedy, the man, and Ted
Kennedy, my friend.
By the time I came to the Senate in 1977, Teddy was
already a giant among Senators. As a Republican coming
from Utah, I stated numerous times on the campaign trail
that I planned to come to Washington to fight Ted Kennedy.
In fact, I used to say that Kennedy's name was my very
best fundraiser in the country.
When I came to Washington, I hadn't the slightest idea
that I would eventually have a strong working relationship
with and love for the man that I came to fight. If you had
told me that he would become one of my closest friends in
the world, I probably would have suggested that you needed
professional help. But that's exactly what happened.
People called Teddy and me the odd couple, which was
certainly true. There are few men with whom I have had
less in common.
Ted was born in a famous well-to-do family in Boston. He
attended private schools and Harvard University, was
politically liberal and liberal in his lifestyle--at least
until he married Vicki, who set him straight, by the way.
I grew up in a poor working class family in Pittsburgh,
PA. I attended public school and the Harvard of Utah, BYU.
Great school, Harvard. While Ted often played the role
of the affable Irishman, I was the teetotaling Mormon
bishop. He was so proud one day to discover that I'm also
Scots-Irish. Yet despite our differences, we were able to
work out a lot of things together.
And that was due in large part to Teddy's willingness to
recognize and work with those who shared his goals, even
if they had different ideas on how to reach those goals.
One of the defining moments as a Senator came when I met
two families from Provo, UT. The parents of these families
were humble and hard working. They were prudent. They were
frugal. And they were able to provide food and shelter for
their children. But the one necessity they couldn't afford
was health insurance. This is what inspired me to begin my
work with Ted in creating the SCHIP Program, which
continues to provide health care and coverage for millions
of children throughout the world. It passed with
bipartisan support, even though it came at a seemingly
inopportune time, politically speaking.
Over the years, Ted and I worked successfully to get
both Republicans and Democrats on board for causes such as
assistance to AIDS victims. We passed the three AIDS bills
and equal rights for the disabled. Our latest
collaboration came just this year in the form of the
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, a new law that is
designed to empower and encourage private citizens of all
ages to volunteer in their communities. I named the bill
after Ted.
I don't think any of these bills could have passed if it
were not for Teddy's willingness to put bipartisanship
ahead of partisanship. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy
famously said:
We must think and act not only for the moment but for
our time. I am reminded of the story of a great French
Marshal Lyautey, who once asked his gardener to plant a
tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow-growing
and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshal
replied, ``In that case, there is no time to lose. Plant
it this afternoon.''
The President's wisdom was not lost on his youngest
brother. By force of will driven by the sense of immediacy
that he brought to every endeavor, Ted Kennedy had the
ability to take actions today that might not bear fruit
until the distant tomorrow. Like all good leaders when
they struck out on a mission, he was able to inspire many
to follow him until the job was done, no matter how long
it took or how hard the task was.
Now that is not to suggest that working with Ted on a
difficult piece of legislation was sheer drudgery,
although sometimes it could be utterly fatiguing. More
often--and this is what most of us who worked closely with
him or against him will miss--Ted Kennedy would bring a
sense of joy to even the most difficult, contentious
legislative negotiating session.
While many of my more conservative constituents have run
me over the coals for just being willing to sit in the
same room with Teddy Kennedy, the truth is that he and I
didn't agree on much. We didn't agree on a lot of things.
We sat next to each other in the Health Committee for the
better part of two decades. Some may not remember this,
but there was a time when smoking was allowed during the
committee meetings and hearings. And during that time, you
could always tell when Teddy and I were in an argument or
were fighting by the amount of cigar smoke that he blew my
way as a nonsmoking Mormon.
If there was a particularly strong disagreement, he
would just sit back in his chair puffing smoke my way,
giving me an actual headache to go along with the
political headaches he gave to all of us on the Republican
side. At other times in committee, or on the floor, or
even in the press, Teddy would lay into me with the
harshest red meat liberal rhetoric you can imagine.
But just minutes later, he'd come over and put his arm
around me and ask, ``How did I do, Orrin?''
I will not tell you every response that I made to him.
Of course, this wasn't spiteful. Teddy just knew how to
push people's buttons. It was one of the qualities that
made him such an effective Senator. And for those who were
lucky enough to become his friends, it was a source of no
small amount of laughter.
It was in the late 1980s when I knew that I'd finally
made it into Teddy's inner circle. I was working out in
the Senate gym one day in December when Teddy came in and
asked me if I was going to be at his party that night. Now
I'm ashamed to admit that I'd been in the Senate for over
a decade, and I hadn't heard about the annual Kennedy
staff Christmas party. Those who have been to one or more
of those parties will agree a different side of Teddy was
on display on those nights.
At the first party I attended, Teddy came out and did a
surprisingly accurate and hilarious impersonation of Elvis
Presley--tight jumpsuit and all. He looked awful as far as
I was concerned.
Then he joined the staff performing skits making fun of
Ronald Reagan, Dan Quayle and even himself. It's really
too bad that Teddy was never asked to host ``Saturday
Night Live.'' But of course, serving in the Senate doesn't
really leave you with enough time to do that sort of
thing. Just ask John McCain.
Whenever Teddy and I would introduce a bill together,
Teddy would tell reporters that if he and I were on the
same bill, it was obvious that one of us hadn't read it.
It always got a huge laugh, and I was just left there
grinning, pretending it was the first time I'd ever heard
him say that.
So one time I decided to come prepared. Right after
Teddy made his remark, I pushed out a copy of the bill
that was heavily highlighted and said, ``Here you go, Ted,
you can have my copy. The important parts are already
underlined.'' Ted got a big laugh out of that, and so did
all the reporters who were there.
Complementing Teddy's sense of humor was his personal
generosity. On one occasion after a particularly late
night in the Senate, I have to say that Teddy was feeling
no pain at that time. He was with his friend, Chris Dodd--
my friend.
I did what my former AA asked me to do. He called me one
day--it was Frank Manson and he had just become the Mormon
Church Mission president in Boston, MA, presiding over 200
young Mormon missionaries.
When he called me, Frank Manson said, ``Could I ask you
a favor?'' And I said, ``Sure.'' He said, ``Would you be
willing to come to speak to my 200 young missionaries up
here in Boston?'' I said, ``Well, for you, Frank, I
will.'' He said, ``Can I ask you another favor?'' I said,
``Sure.'' He said, ``Would you ask Teddy Kennedy to come
and speak, too?'' I said, ``Well, I don't know. But I'll
ask him.''
He said, ``Well, can I ask another favor?'' I said, ``My
gosh, what's that?'' He said, ``Will you ask Teddy to get
Faneuil Hall for the meeting?'' I said, ``Oh my goodness.
Well, I'll ask him.''
So that evening, when Teddy and Chris were feeling no
pain, I walked off the floor and Teddy put his arm around
me and he said, ``Oh, Orrin, I want you to come up to
Hyannis Port and I want you to go sailing with me. I want
you to do that.'' I said, ``Great.''
I said, ``Teddy, I have a favor to ask of you.'' He
said, ``You do? So what's that?'' I said, ``Do you
remember Frank Manson, my administrative assistant?'' He
said, ``Oh, yes, good guy, good guy.''
I said, ``Well, he's now the mission president in the
Mormon Church. He's asked that you and I come and speak to
over 200 young Mormon missionaries in Boston.'' He said,
``Done.'' Just like that.
I said, ``Well, I have another favor to ask of you. He
would like you to get Faneuil Hall.'' He said, ``Done.''
So the next day I got into the office, and I sent a nice
letter thanking Teddy and got it over to him. I saw him
later in the day, and he was holding that letter and his
hands were shaking. He said, ``Orrin, what else did I
agree to last night?''
After telling these things, my eyes start to water. My
nose starts to run. It was just a mess, I tell you. But in
any event, Teddy Kennedy and Orrin Hatch appeared before
200 young Mormon missionaries in Faneuil Hall, and they
will never forget the tremendous altruistic talk that he
gave to them on that day.
All I can say is, it was really something. He didn't try
to weasel out of it. Instead, he produced the hall, and he
gave that beautiful speech. I was impressed as usual, and
those missionaries will never forget that. Though they
were of a different faith, he commended them for their
willingness to serve a cause bigger than themselves and
thanked them for their selflessness. This is just one
example of the graciousness of my dear friend, Ted
Kennedy.
There was another time when the Mormon Church was
nearing completion of its temple here in Boston. I was
approached by several people working in the temple and
informed that the city would not allow a spire to be
placed on the top of the temple with an angel on top of it
as is customary on Mormon temples. I immediately called
Ted and asked for help. Not long after the conversation,
he called me back and said, ``All of Western Massachusetts
will see the Angel Gabriel on the top of the Mormon
temple.''
Though I was tempted to leave it alone, I had to inform
Teddy it was actually the Angel Maroni, a prominent figure
in the LDS faith. At that point, Teddy replied, ``Does
this mean I'm going to get another Book of Mormon for
Christmas?'' Of course he did. Of course, Teddy was always
respectful of my faith and that of others, but everyone
around us knew that I liked to give him a hard time.
One thing that has been recounted in the tributes of the
last few days has been Teddy's dedication to his family,
what he has been to his own children, to his mother, to
his nieces and nephews and to his siblings. I can attest
to this. After I spent some time getting to know the
Kennedy family, Eunice started interceding for me when Ted
and I disagreed. I love to this day Eunice Kennedy Shriver
and Sargent Shriver, and I love their family. Let me just
say Bobby is one of my best friends and so are the other
Shriver family members. What they do for this country and
what Eunice did is just beyond belief.
Well, when Ted and I weren't getting along one day,
Eunice told Teddy, ``I don't want you mistreating that
nice, young Senator Hatch from Utah.''
I'm only a couple years younger than Ted. But, it was
just wonderful to have her stand up for me. And when he
and I had really tough trouble reaching agreement on
really important occasions, and he'd get really
recalcitrant and bullheaded, and his back would go in the
air, I would say, ``All right, Teddy, I'm going to see
Eunice.'' He'd say, ``No, no, no. Don't do that. We'll
work it out.'' Well, Eunice had a great effect on both of
us and we loved her very, very much.
The love Teddy had for his family provided him with
insight and empathy for others. This was reflected in his
policy and in his dealings with his friends.
When Teddy lost his wonderful mother, I snuck up here to
Boston. I didn't tell him I was coming. I just thought I
would sneak into the back of this beautiful Catholic
Church and pay my respects. But they caught me, and he
moved me right up closer to the family.
When I lost my parents, Ted was there with empathetic
words and sincere sympathy. Ted was a man experienced with
facing family tragedy, having grieved more than his share.
And yet he became stronger for it. He and Vicki flew to
Utah to attend my mother's funeral. I didn't know they
were coming. It was a gesture that will always mean a
great deal to me.
It was in a humble Mormon Church, and I had to give the
eulogy. So, he was right in the front row with my family,
and I just gave him the business as much as everybody
else. But it was wonderful, and I'll never forget it.
I love Vicki Kennedy as well. She's been a tremendously
wonderful wife to my friend, Ted. I've said publicly that
I've been present to witness two major changes in Ted
Kennedy's life and career. The first was after the
elections of 1980. Freed from the pressures that come from
Presidential ambitions, Teddy returned to the Senate with
a singular focus on accomplishing his legislative goals,
on building consensus and doing good for the American
people.
The second change was, for those who knew Teddy, I think
much more profound. It's when he met and married Vicki.
Vicki was the love and light of Teddy's life. Their
marriage in many respects saved Teddy. He was forever a
different man. He was still the fierce stubborn leader in
the Senate he always was, but it was clear from that time
on that he enjoyed his life and the role he played far
more than he had in the past. Teddy and Vicki's marriage
made him a better man and a better Senator.
I remember one time he got mad as heck at me and
demanded to come to the office. I brought him in and he
started yelling at me. Finally, I just said, ``Wait a
minute.'' I said, ``You know, I wrote a song for you and
Vicki.'' He said, ``You did?''
I said, ``Yes. So you want to hear it?'' He said, ``Oh,
yes.'' He forgot all about his anger. I just had a little
cassette, and I played it for him. He said, ``I've got to
have that.'' It was called ``Souls Along the Way.''
Actually that song was in ``Oceans 12.'' You can't hear
it, but it was in there. I could hear it, barely.
Soon after that, I was working as usual, I think July 3
of that year in Salt Lake City, and I got this phone call
from Ted Kennedy. He was out on his boat, as usual. And he
said, ``Orrin--I just played that song for Vicki. She's
over there crying at the end of the boat. She loved it.''
I said, ``That's great.''
Then I said, ``Why aren't you working like I have to
work?'' He just laughed, because he knew that his life was
a far different one from mine. And I laughed, too, because
I knew it as well.
On my way here today, let me just say that I thought
about our relationship and how much I sorely miss him. A
couple of months ago, we met for our last hour together,
had pictures taken together. That meant so much to me, and
I have to say it was a wonderful occasion.
I miss fighting with him in public, and joking with him
in the background. I miss all the things that we knew we
could do together and what he had to do with others as
well.
On my way here today, I thought about the Apostle Paul,
who shortly before his death wrote, ``For I am now ready
to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I
fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have
kept the faith.''
So as I came here, I just wanted to write a few thoughts
down in my own handwriting. And I hope you won't mind if I
read them to you just before I finish.
Some are weak and some are strong.
Some people go along to get along.
Some people are larger than life.
Some are born in poverty, some are born in wealth.
Some are like a flashing light that dissipates in air.
Some are like a gift of life who never find a spare,
Some fulfill their destinies.
Others lose each day.
Some are filled with daily joy, while others waste away.
Some are like my liberal friend.
God be with you till we meet again.
In the end, the good thing's won.
He leaves the Earth a better place.
In the end, we all can smile.
He cared for all the human race.
In the end, we all look back and see many things.
In the end, we all look up--he's carried there on angels'
wings.
In the end, those in repose are greeting as we speak.
In the end, the darling rose no longer has to seek.
I will miss my Irish friend. God be with you till we
meet again. God bless this family. God bless all of you.
Thanks so much.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: We all know how much Senator Kennedy
loved songs. And now it's my pleasure to introduce the
vocalist that he admired so very much, Brian Stokes
Mitchell, accompanied by Vytas Baksys on the piano, with
the song that captures a lot of what tonight is about.
BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL: Thank you. Senator Kennedy really
loved the arts as we all know. And those of us in the arts
really have loved Senator Kennedy also. It's how we met,
through music, through singing. And it was rare that we
wouldn't greet each other with not a hello but a
spontaneous duet of ``Some Enchanted Evening'' or ``Oh
What a Beautiful Morning.'' And I have to say to my heart
and to my ear and to my mind, he is one of my favorite
singers ever, because he sang with his heart.
Singing notes is easy. Singing from your heart is hard.
And he sang as he lived his life and as he did everything
else.
There's a song that I sang for him at one of his
birthdays quite a few years ago. And I can't sing it now
without thinking of him. It is about an impossible dream
or somebody who dreams the impossible, to make the
impossible possible.
The quest is what's important. And I have to say now
that Senator Kennedy and this song will forever share a
very special place in my heart.
``THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM,'' from ``Man of La Mancha,'' Music
by Mitch Leigh, Lyrics by Joe Darion:
To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go.
To right the unrightable wrong,
To love pure and chaste from afar,
To try when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star.
This is my quest,
To follow that star,
No matter how hopeless,
No matter how far.
To fight for the right,
Without question or pause,
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause.
And I know, if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest.
And the world will be better for this,
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove with his last ounce of courage,
To reach the unreachable star
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: Senator Kennedy's grandfather, as you
all know, presided over this city many years ago and the
Senator enjoyed a working and friendly and warm
relationship with the incumbent mayor of the city of
Boston. We welcome him this evening, the Honorable Thomas
Menino.
Mayor THOMAS M. MENINO: Thank you, Paul. Paul said he was
going to ask me to sing. I got thrown out of the choir
when I was in the eighth grade, and I haven't sung since.
Ted Kennedy was my friend. I feel tremendous sadness
today, but also a sense of pride. The history books will
show that Boston wasn't just the cradle of liberty. It
birthed its champions, too. Senator Edward M. Kennedy was
born here. The man of the Senate came from the Boston
neighborhood of Dorchester, where he now rests.
Angela and I, together with all Bostonians, are mourning
a native son. Many of our neighbors have met Ted--some
were immigrants from our ports, others were trained in our
hospitals, or educated in our schools. They stepped foot
onto the greenway, they knew his work.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Vicki and the entire
Kennedy family. Your imprint across the city is indelible.
The new Edward Kennedy Institute is another lasting legacy
of the Kennedys from Boston.
I hate to say it in these tough financial times, but we
need to buy some more red paint to extend the Freedom
Trail.
I had the privilege of serving in the office that
Teddy's grandfather once held. Honey Fritz would have had
a good laugh at Teddy and me sitting together at Fenway
Park. Teddy called me up one day and he said, ``Let's go
to the ball game next week.'' It was a very cold night,
but we decided to go. And I said, ``Teddy, I'll get a seat
upstairs in the luxury boxes.'' He insisted we stay out of
the skybox so we could be with the people.
By about the fourth or fifth inning, Senator Kennedy
finally leaned over to me and said, ``Mr. Mayor, I love
the people, but I'm freezing my bottom off.''
I'll always be thankful that he worked so hard to bring
the Democratic National Convention to Boston. Yes, because
it put our city on display to the world, but also because
it gave Senator Kennedy and me reason to spend so much
time together. We worked hard. We worked relentlessly. We
had tremendous fun doing it. We played so much good cop/
bad cop that I couldn't remember sometimes what role I was
supposed to play. Senator Kennedy would say to a person,
``John, umm, I'd like to see $1.5 million from you
folks.'' And within a half an hour later, this person
would call me up and say, ``Does he really mean that?''
I'd say, ``Well, if you gave us $1 million, we'd be
happy.'' And that happened so often, it raised the money
for the Democratic National Convention.
I know that one of the great highlights of his career
was addressing that convention. Teddy called Boston a
place where every street is history's home. That's true of
the old North Church and Faneuil Hall. It's true now of
all the places Senator Kennedy walked.
We have followed in his steps on a path to equality and
opportunity. Teddy was always out front on the issues.
It's something I admired and tried to emulate. Sometimes
it got us into trouble. Several years ago, at the
beginning of the green revolution, we were supposed to go
to a green event together. I had been driving around in a
compact hybrid. I complained all the time it was tiny.
Well, our staffs thought--staffs always get you in
trouble--our staffs thought it would be good for Teddy and
me to ride over to the event together in my hybrid. We're
both small guys, by the way. Of course, it was really too
small for me and certainly too small for the two of us. We
were like two overgrown peas in a pod. We sought alternate
transportation, but we never stopped fighting for progress
together.
On the occasion of Teddy's 70th birthday, I threw a
party for him in Boston and made him an honorary Harbor
Master. I mention it, because thinking about him that day
makes me smile. The Senator took it a bit too seriously,
but set out to try to actually direct traffic on Boston
Harbor. I mention it, also, because I think it was a role
suited to him. The Harbor Master is a guardian. He watches
over the tired and the weary and the worn out. That was
Ted Kennedy.
When the phone rings, I miss Teddy's voice on the end of
the line. When debates rage, I'm sad he won't echo in the
well of the Senate. The sounds of schoolkids accepting
diplomas, immigrants taking citizenship oaths, neighbors
offering neighbors a helping hand--we'll forever hear his
call for justice. I'll always hear the familiar tunes of a
loyal friend.
He was a strong supporter of the Health Careers Academy
in the city of Boston, one of our pilot schools. He was
dedicated to health care. I sent a letter to the board of
trustees the other day, and we're going to name that
school after Edward M. Kennedy, because that's what
they're about. They train kids to get into the health care
field. And we know how much Teddy loved health care, how
he believed in it and how he led the charge. And shortly,
we will have reforms in health care because of Ted
Kennedy. I want to make sure that school in Boston reminds
everybody how hard Teddy fought for those things.
Vicki and family, thanks. Thank you for what you are.
Thank you.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: John Culver was a Harvard classmate of
Senator Kennedy's and a football teammate. Worked in his
Senate office. Went back home to Iowa. Served in the
Congress of the United States, and then the Senate of the
United States. Great friend for a long time--John Culver.
Senator JOHN C. CULVER: Thank you very much, Paul. To
Vicki, who, Orrin Hatch said, really was the love of Ted's
life. To his sister, Jean Smith, who always told me that
she was Ted's favorite sister. And to all the children--
Ted's children, Vicki's children, and all the extended
Kennedy family. In a real sense, everyone here in this
room, I think feels very strongly, a part of that
extraordinary family.
It was in the winter, I believe, 1975, when Ted called
me and said, ``I'd like you to come up to Boston with me.
They've suggested several sites for the John F. Kennedy
Museum and Library, and I'd like you to come along.'' So I
did. And I remember it was a winter day, rather cold and
overcast, and there was snow on the ground. When we came
to this particular place and looked across Dorchester Bay,
saw Boston, saw the water, Ted turned to me and he said,
``I think Jack would like this place.'' And, of course, it
wasn't many years later that this library was built, and I
think we all agree that Jack would really like this place.
But also, I was reminded, again, as I came here to the
library, of that little sailboat out front, the Victura,
which Joe Kennedy talked about.
I have a fond memory of the Victura myself. It was when
Ted and I were in summer school in 1953 at Harvard. Ted
turned to me one day, ``You know, why don't you come with
me this weekend. I'm going down to the Cape. It's a lot of
fun. There's gonna be a sailboat race. It's called the
Nantucket Regatta--it's a lot of fun. I want you to come
down and be part of my crew on the sailboat race.'' I
said, ``Ted, I'm sure that's an honor to be invited to be
part of your crew on a sailboat race, but I've never been
on a sailboat. I think I've seen a picture of a
sailboat.'' I continued, ``I come from Iowa, and the only
boats I ever saw were barges on the Mississippi River.''
``Well,'' he said, ``There's nothing to it.'' How many
times have we all heard Ted say, ``There's nothing to
it?''
At that time we were both young. I didn't quite
understand that comment, but I grew to understand it
later. I said, ``OK.'' So we got in the car and Ted and I
were driving down to the Cape. He turned on the car radio,
and we were enjoying the trip, listening to some music.
This was on Friday afternoon.
Suddenly, the radio broadcast was interrupted with a
bulletin, and the bulletin said, ``Serious storm warnings.
Danger at sea. Don't anyone go out in the ocean.'' I said,
``Well, Ted, I guess the sailboat trip is off.'' ``Ugh,''
he said, ``There's nothing to it.'' I said, ``Well the
fellow on the radio thought there was something to it.''
He said, ``There's nothing to it.'' I thought, he must
know what he's doing. He lives down there, and I've never
been on the ocean.
When we got down to the Kennedy house, it was about 3 or
4 o'clock in the afternoon. There were dark black storm
clouds gathering. I said, ``Ted, doesn't it look kind of
scary?'' He said, ``Nothing to it.'' So I said, ``Well,
I'm hungry.'' He said, ``I'm hungry too.'' It was about 3,
and we'd missed lunch. We went right to the kitchen, where
I often went with him when we were there. The cook was
still there, and he said, ``I'm just finishing up here,
but I have some leftover salmon salad mix, and I could
make you boys some sandwiches, if you'd like.'' We both
thought that was a good idea. We didn't have a whole lot
of time, so I only had two salmon salad sandwiches, and I
had a quart of milk with it. I would've had more, but we
didn't have time. Ted said, ``Come on, we gotta get going
now.'' It was about 4 o'clock.
So we went out. In those days, they didn't have all the
fancy docks and everything, even around the family
compound. It was a beach, as I remember. He said, ``We
gotta get in this boat.'' I looked out on the horizon for
the boat, and I said, ``Where's the boat?'' He said,
``There's the boat.'' Well, if any of you have seen the
Victura out front--that was the boat. That's the boat he
pointed out, and said we were going on a sailboat race
with it. It's 26 feet long. Ted and I both at the time
weighed over 200 pounds. We were both over 6 feet tall.
He said, ``Yep, that's the boat. Let's get it out into
the water.'' So I did what I could to help get it out into
the water. There were huge waves now. There was thunder.
There was lightning. The sky was black. I could hardly get
in the boat, it was bouncing so much and he's at the till.
Suddenly, I realized, this ``friend'' of mine I thought I
knew quite well, started screaming at me. Shouting at me.
I was terrified.
After a while I was more terrified of him than the
storm. I didn't know this man. He kept screaming at me--
``the spinnaker, the gib, portside, secure that.'' As you
know, Ted's not always easy to understand, even when you
know what he's talking about. And now, with his roar, with
the incredible roar of the ocean and the waves, and this
little, tiny boat bouncing all over like a cork--it's my
fault! I'm just hanging on for dear life. We'd gotten
about 200 miraculous yards out, and I lost the sandwiches.
I thought I was going to die! I've never been so
miserable--hanging over the side of the boat, and he's
screaming at me. Do you think he said, ``Hey, I'm sorry
you feel bad?'' Forget it. Somehow I pulled myself
together. Somehow we rode this boat in that incredible
storm--unbelievable. I'm still scared even thinking about
it.
We finally, finally, got all the way to Nantucket. It's
11 o'clock at night, and I'm saying to Ted, ``Which hotel
do we stay in?'' and Ted said, ``We're not staying in a
hotel.'' I said, ``We're not? We're all wet, we're all
cold--where are we staying, Teddy?'' ``We're staying on
the boat,'' he said.
I realized then that I was with something out of Captain
Ahab, ``Moby Dick.'' Believe it or not, there were four
cushions, and they were of course all wet. He took two. I
wanted to take three, but he took two, I took two. There
were 3 inches of cold seawater, seaweed, everything. We
pulled the boat up on the beach, and that's where we spent
the night.
Well, this was a lot of fun so far. The next day we got
up. ``We need a third man on our crew,'' Ted said. I
didn't have any idea what we needed, but I needed a lot
more than one more man.
So we went walking in Nantucket, and sure enough, there
was a poor little guy who was a salesman at the Andover
shop in Cambridge. Ted went up to him and said, ``Would
you like to go sailing with us today?'' and the poor kid
said, ``Yeah, I'd like to.''
We shanghaied him. We took him, just like I was taken.
Ted pulled him on the boat, and pulled me on the boat, and
off we go for the races. The races started and from that
point on all I remember is Ted yelling, yelling to me to
get up on the right side, the front of the boat, or the
left side. He always claims that when I was to rotate with
the other guy, I said, ``You heard him, get up there!'' Of
course, it was really my turn to go up.
I didn't see anything but this cold water, sunburn, T-
shirt--it was a nightmare. I didn't even see any of the
other boats, but we kept going around, around, around.
Finally, this thing was mercifully over, and Ted seemed
satisfied. I had no idea, but probably I was satisfied
too--I lived through it. I looked out and it was like a
mirage. Here's this great, big yacht. And it was the Honey
Fitz. Ted wanted to surprise me. We all know how much fun
Ted has making his friends uncomfortable at times. He
hadn't told me. But Ambassador Kennedy had come out to
watch the race, and had brought three or four friends
along, and they were out there in the big Honey Fitz,
named after Ted's grandfather. I never saw anything that
looked so good to me as that boat.
Ted said, ``Now we're gonna board the boat. They're
gonna tow the Victura back behind the boat.'' I thought,
``My God this is OK!'' So we come alongside the Honey
Fitz. I remember, it was just like Eddie Rickenbacker in
``South Pacific.'' I'd been on the boat, starving to death
on the water. Cold. Miserable.
Ambassador Kennedy had a megaphone, and he leaned over
the boat and said, ``Good race, good race, Teddy. But I
got some bad news for you. The captain says the sea is far
too rough to tow you boys back on that boat. So you'll
have to sail back.''
I couldn't believe my ears. I wanted to jump out of the
boat and take my chances they'd pick me up. He said, ``I
have something for you in this container.'' Clam chowder,
hot, vacuum-packed with the clam things on it. He's
lowering it with a rope. Teddy always claimed that I
grabbed it, tore the rope off, ripped off the top without
even opening it--just tore the top--then proceeded to
chug-a-lug the whole canteen. The only thing I missed was
what went down my T-shirt, I said, ``Boy that was good!''
and Teddy said, ``What about me? I'm supposed to have some
of that.''
I don't think it was entirely true that I drank all of
it, but I drank most of it. Anyway, they pull the rope up,
and we're on our own again. I'm 24 hours on this boat. Now
we head back home. Fortunately the trip back wasn't that
bad after what I'd been through. It was fairly calm. We
get in sight of Hyannis after many hours. You can see the
lights on the house. Probably a half-mile away. I'm
thinking, ``Boy, we'll be in a hot shower in no time.''
Suddenly, the boat stopped--no wind. I said, ``Teddy, no
wind.'' I could see the house. I didn't know how we were
gonna get there. It was too far to swim. I said, ``Teddy,
what do you do now?'' He said, ``We get out of the boat.''
I said, ``We get out of the boat?'' ``Yeah,'' he said,
``one of us has gotta push, and the other pull--pull the
rope ahead of the boat.'' You can't believe it, can you? I
couldn't believe it.
After 24 hours on this boat, its 11 or midnight. We
climb out of the boat and into the water again. He's
pulling and I'm pushing, and after a while we finally make
it to shore. When we were back at summer school, it was a
whole week before I could get the seaweed taste out of my
mouth.
In the following years I was fortunate to take many,
many sailboat trips with Ted, not only around Hyannis and
the island, but to Maine, the Caribbean, and to the Greek
islands. Those were some of the most memorable, really
truly enjoyable, pleasurable memories I ever had. Always
full of fun, always full of joy and full of laughter. Ted
was awfully good about it. I never learned how to sail,
but Teddy always gave me a pass on those voyages, and for
that I'm always grateful, and for those memories I'm
always grateful.
Smooth sailing, Teddy. Thank you.
``JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE,'' Performed by the Boston
Community Chorus:
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I am weak, but Thou art strong,
Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk. Let me walk close to Thee.
Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me gently, safely o'er,
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: Our next speaker is Vice President
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN, Jr., Vice President of the United States:
Thank you very much, Paul, Vicki and all the children.
John used to regale us like that all the time at lunch in
the Senate Dining Room. John is acting like Teddy always
took advantage of him. You should have seen it when they
both teamed up on somebody else.
John, I remember we were talking about Angola once. And
you and Teddy were working out a deal with some of our
more conservative friends. And you agreed on a particular
course of action. You and your colleague Dick Clark and
Teddy and myself were in Teddy's office. And being naive
as I was as a young Senator, we started talking about how
we were going to approach this issue on the Senate floor.
Teddy said, ``We've got to do this.'' And I said, ``But
that's not what we said. We told these guys we were going
to do that.''
And Teddy very politely tried to say to me, ``Well, no,
we're going to do the other thing.'' This went on for a
few minutes. And finally, John in a roaring voice said,
``Biden, what the hell do you think this is? Boys State?''
That was my introduction to the squeeze of Kennedy and
Culver. What the hell do you think this is? Boys State?
We're all here today to celebrate the life of an
incredible man. But I want to first say to the whole
Kennedy clan, I want to give thanks--thanks for your
father; thanks for your husband; thanks for your uncle;
thanks for your brother, who, in an astonishingly and
totally unexpected way, ended up playing an important part
in every critical moment of my adult life.
It was literally an accident of history. But he crept
into my heart, and before I knew it, he owned a piece of
it. Today, I was thinking about how I wouldn't be standing
here if it were not for Teddy Kennedy. I wouldn't be
standing here as Vice President of the United States. I
wouldn't have been a U.S. Senator, were it not for Teddy
Kennedy.
He was the catalyst for my improbable win as a 29-year-
old kid running for the Senate, in a year when Senator
McGovern got only 34, 35 percent of the vote in my State
for President. I was running against a fellow who was
extremely popular, the incumbent Senator.
Although it surprised the hell out of people, I was
coming astonishingly close. We needed something else. And
out of the blue, literally, about 8 days before the
election, Teddy Kennedy showed up. He showed up in a
neighborhood that we referred to as Little Italy in
Wilmington, DE, and drew a crowd of a couple thousand
people at a dinner. It was a community that would vote
nationally for the Democrats, but on all of the statewide
offices always voted Republican, including for the Senate
and the House seats.
I ended up winning that neighborhood. I ended up winning
the election by 3,100 votes. Although I don't know for
certain, it seems highly unlikely, Congressman Kennedy, I
would have ever won, were it not for your father
energizing people the way he did at the very end.
I remember what he said. He ended his speech by saying,
``I have only one problem with Joe Biden. I think he's a
little too young to be a Senator.'' And literally, the
next day, the Wall Street Journal played it straight,
``Kennedy Says Biden Too Young for U.S. Senate.''
Seven weeks later, my wife and daughter were killed in
an automobile accident, and my two boys were very badly
injured and hospitalized. One of them is with me today,
Hunter. The other is in Iraq.
I got a call from your dad. And I didn't know your dad
too well. I had just met him that one time. Here I was, an
Irish Catholic kid from Scranton, PA, who only thought of
Teddy Kennedy and the entire Kennedy family in distant
terms, hushed tones. And here he was on the phone.
And not only was he on the phone, but he called me in
that hospital almost every day. And about every other day,
whenever I turned around, there was another specialist
from Boston, MA, one of your great hospitals, sitting next
to me, who I never asked for and didn't know I needed, but
I needed.
He was the prod. He convinced me to go to the Senate. I
had told my Governor that he should appoint someone else.
I didn't want to go to the Senate. And it was your father
who came to see me to tell me that I owed it to my
deceased wife and children to at least be sworn in and
stay for at least 6 months.
When I got to the Senate, he would literally come by
once or twice a week to my office in the middle of the
afternoon. I didn't want to be there. I wanted to get the
hell home. I didn't want to be around.
He took me the first time I ever went to the Senate gym.
He'd come by and take me to the Senate gym. I'll never
forget the first time he took me. I hadn't met any of
these famous players. I got sworn in late compared to the
other Senators.
I'll never forget walking into the Senate gym and him
introducing me to Senator Jack Javits and Senator Warren
Magnuson, both of whom were stark naked when I met them. I
remember one of them saying, ``My God, Senator, how are
you?'' He took on the role of being my older brother. He
just was there all the time. And I never had to ask.
I never could really understand, at first. I didn't
understand why he was going out of his way for me this
way. He got me on the committees that I ended up chairing.
He was my tutor, exposing this kid from Scranton to a
world that I had never seen and didn't fully understand.
I went home every night in the beginning, and I kept
doing it. I went home every night for 36 years. I went
home every night as soon as the Senate was out of session.
And I never once accepted any invitation in Washington--
not out of a desire not to be in Washington. I just wanted
to get home.
One afternoon, Teddy came to my office and said, ``Joe,
look, I've got to give you a piece of advice.'' He said,
``I got a call from Pamela Harriman. This is the fourth
invitation you've gotten from Governor Harriman to come to
one of his dinners.'' I didn't know enough to know that
was a big deal. I really didn't. I honest to God didn't.
He said, ``Joe, you've got to go. It just doesn't look
right--I'll go with you.'' I'll never forget going to the
Harriman home in Georgetown. He was sitting in a winged
chair. I was on a couch next to the chair nearest
Harriman. Teddy was next to me. Henry Kissinger was across
from me and so was Paul Warnke--both arms control experts.
And I was this 30-year-old kid. Averell Harriman had a
way of trying to include everybody in the conversation.
They were talking about a complicated arms control
agreement. It used to be the SALT Agreement. The
discussion was going on, and all of a sudden, Averell
Harriman looked at me and said, ``Well, Joe, what do the
young people think about this?''
I didn't know what the hell to say. I was scared to
death. I didn't want to make a fool of myself. Here I was,
a U.S. Senator. So I reached over and picked up an object
on the coffee table. I was nervous, and I was flipping it
back and forth with my hands, I guess, as I answered the
question.
I noticed everyone stiffened up when I was talking. The
butler came in and said, ``Time for dinner.'' And
everybody immediately got up and bolted for the dinner
table. Your dad grabbed my arm and said, ``Damn it, put
that thing down. It costs more than your house.'' I'd been
flipping a Faberge egg in my hands--the sophisticated kid
from Delaware.
It seemed like every single thing I did, he was there.
When my character was under attack, I sat with the
committee and said, ``Maybe I shouldn't chair this
committee until this issue gets settled.'' And your father
stood up and said, ``No. You stay right where you are.''
And I said, ``Let me explain.'' And he said before 10 of
my colleagues, ``We know you. You don't have to explain a
single thing.'' We walked out of the conference room. We
walked back into the hearing.
You have no idea what that meant to me at that moment,
because my character had never, ever been questioned.
I was sitting in Wilmington, DE, after recuperating for
6 months from two cranial aneurysms and a major embolism,
and feeling sorry for myself. And all of a sudden, up my
old dusty driveway comes a cab. And out jumps Teddy
Kennedy. And he had a great big picture frame under his
arm, about 2\1/2\ by 3 feet.
I was sitting by a pool, and he walked over and he said,
``Where can I change?'' and he had a bathing suit with
him. He put on his bathing suit and came back out. And he
said, I want to give you this. He gave me a picture of a
big Irish stag. And he said, ``To my Irish chairman, come
back, I need you.'' He sat there for 6 hours with me, then
called a cab and went back on the train.
For 36 years, I had the privilege of every single
solitary day going to work every morning with Teddy
Kennedy. I had the privilege every day for 36 years to
witness history. I had the privilege the last 20 of those
years to sit literally next to him every single day.
In the process, he had an incredible impact on me, and,
I noticed, on everyone around him. He'd constantly renewed
my faith and optimism in the possible. I never once saw
your father with a defeatist attitude. I never saw him
petty. I never saw him act in a small way.
As a consequence, he made us all bigger, both his
friends, his allies, and his foes. His dignity, his lack
of vitriol, his lack of pettiness forced some of the less
generous members of our community to act bigger than they
were. He was remarkable to watch.
People say we all have our theories of why Teddy was so
successful as a legislator. I think one of them was that
people didn't want to look small in front of him, even the
people who were small. The astounding thing to me after 36
years of having as a consequence, as my mother would say,
living long, I've gotten to meet almost every major
political figure in the world. And that's not hyperbole.
It's literally true.
Your father was one of the few who I ever met who, at
the end of the day, it was never about him; it was always
about you. A truly remarkable character trait. So many
others, when it got down to the end, it was about them,
not about others. With Teddy, it was never, ever about
him.
The interesting thing to me is that I think the legacy
of Teddy Kennedy--it's presumptuous of me to say this,
because who am I to judge?--but I think the legacy of
Teddy Kennedy can be measured in no small part as a
consequence of how we in America look at one another, how
blacks look at whites, how gays look at straights, how
straights look at gays, how we literally look at one
another, and, in turn, how we look at ourselves.
When you were with him, you had to measure yourself
against him. And it always required you to be larger than
you were inclined to be.
His death was not unlike his life, as we all know--
overcoming pain and loss with a sense of dignity and pride
that is amazing. He met his death in the same brave,
generous terms that he lived his life. Archie Ingersoll
could have been thinking about your father when he wrote,
``When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet
down to fate, when honor scorns compromise with death,
this is heroism.''
Your father was a historic figure. He was a heroic
figure beyond that. I will remember and celebrate his life
every single time I see a young adolescent kid coping
with, rather than cowering from, having to make a decision
about his sexuality.
I'll celebrate your father every single time I see my
granddaughter stand up with those boys and smack something
over the second baseman's head. I'll think of your father
every time a woman stands up and demands and is granted
exactly what she's entitled to. I'll think of your father
every time I see an individual walk out of recovery and
start a new life, start over again. And Vicki, I'll think
of you every time I recall those words of Christopher
Marlowe, who said, ``Come live with me and be my love, and
we will all the pleasures prove.''
It's exactly what the two of you did and everyone can
see it. Now, the pundits are writing, and they mean well
by it, that this is the end of an era, that this is the
end of the Kennedy era. But I watched at Eunice's funeral.
And I invite everyone to look around this room today and
take a look at this incredible family. Take a look. I mean
it. Take a look. Take a look at this generation of
Kennedys. It possesses more talent, more commitment, more
grit, more grace than any family I've ever seen. So when
they say--and they say that this is a new era, the end of
the Kennedy era--I want you to know I realize your parents
collectively left America a lot more than this great
library, a lot more than landmark legislation, a lot more
than inspirational leadership.
They left us you. As maybe your pop would say, ``Because
of you, the dream still lives.'' Thank you for the honor
of allowing me to be with you.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: Our final speaker is Senator Kennedy's
lovely niece. I've had the privilege of introducing her to
this stage many times, and I'm pleased to do it now. The
president of the Kennedy Library Foundation, Caroline
Kennedy.
CAROLINE KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Vice President and all of
the speakers tonight for the gifts of Teddy that you have
given to all of us. Thank you, Vicki, for loving him with
all your heart for so many years, bringing him so much
happiness.
To Kara, Teddy, Patrick, Kiki, Curran, and Caroline,
you're making him so proud, bringing him so much joy. To
Jean, I know you've lost your soulmate, because you and
Teddy lit each others' lives for your entire lives. And
all your nieces and nephews are here to help you as best
we can.
Welcome to this library that Teddy built and brought to
life with his spirit and dedication to public service. As
many of you know, over the last few years, or really for
most of my semi-adult life, one of my part-time jobs has
been introducing Teddy to crowds of people who already
knew him incredibly well.
Although this was unbelievably stressful for me, it was
just another one of the gifts that he gave me. When he saw
that I was nervous, he would give me a pat on the back.
When he knew that I was sad, he would call up and say: ``I
have got a great idea. There's a convention coming up. And
maybe you would like to introduce me.'' And off I would go
on another adventure in public speaking. But, no matter
how nervous I was, I always knew that, when I stepped down
from the podium, I would get a big kiss and hear him
whisper, ``Now I'm going to get you back.''
I can't believe that's not going to happen tonight. The
other night, after Vicki called, Ed and I went outside. It
was a beautiful summer night. The moon had set. There was
no wind. The sea was calm and the stars were out. I looked
up, and there was this one star hanging low in the sky
that was bigger than all the rest and brighter than all
the rest, with a twinkle and a sparkle louder than all the
others. I know it was Jupiter, but it was acting a lot
like Teddy.
His colleagues have spoken tonight about his work, his
devotion to the Senate, the joy he took in helping others,
his thoughtfulness and compassion, his inspirational
courage, and his commitment to the ideals of peace and
justice that his brothers gave their lives for and that he
fought his entire career for.
In our family, we were lucky to see his passion, his
self-discipline and his generosity of heart every single
day. He had a special relationship with each of his 28
nieces and nephews and with the 60 people who called him
Great Uncle Teddy. He was there for every baptism, every
school trip to Washington, every graduation, and every
wedding with his big heart, his big shoulders, and a big
hug.
He knew when we were having a tough time or a great
time, and he would just show up and say, it's time to go
sailing. He convinced us that we could ace the next test,
make the varsity team, win the next race, whether it was
sailing or politics.
And it was OK if we didn't, as long as we tried our
best. He did it by letting us know that he believed in us,
so we should believe in ourselves. He taught by example
and with love. He showed us how to keep going, no matter
how hard things were, to love each other, no matter how
mad we got, and keep working for what we believe in.
He never told us what to do. He just did it himself, and
we learned from his example. Though it was sometimes
overshadowed by his other gifts, Teddy was a creative
spirit. He loved painting and singing, the natural world
and the sea. He was always looking for new ways to bring
people together to make a better world, to get things
done.
And he was always doing things that other people could
have done, but he was somehow the one who did it. It's as
true in the Senate, as we have heard tonight, as it is in
our family.
So, I thought I would tell you a little bit about one of
the less-known examples, his creation of the annual family
history trips. Visiting historical sites is something
anyone can do, but Teddy made it into something special.
He realized that a family reunion was wasted if it was
just a cookout, so he made it a chance to learn and share
the love of history that he got from his mother and Honey
Fitz. In my childhood, these trips were relatively simple
affairs, an occasional visit to the Nantucket Whaling
Museum, or a Western Massachusetts campaign swing that
included the Crane Paper Factory where dollar bills were
printed, and the studio where Daniel Chester French
created the statue of Abraham Lincoln.
No visit to grandma's house was complete without Teddy's
recitation of ``The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.'' When I
was young, I thought Teddy was just entertaining us, but,
as I grew up, I realized he was passing down his belief
that each of us has the chance to change the course of
history.
Teddy lived for the future. Though he loved the past,
when a new generation came along, in typical Teddy style,
he decided to take it all to a new level. He wanted us all
to share his love of being together, his passion for
history, and to learn about the sacrifices upon which this
country was built, so that we would understand our own
opportunities and obligations.
He took this on with his enthusiasm and his
organizational magic--helped, as always, by the
extraordinary team that are all here tonight and will be
working for him forever.
Teddy illuminated the world around us and brought the
past to life. The trips were open to everyone. Although
there was always some pretrip moaning and groaning among
the teenagers, no one ever wanted to stay home.
We visited the monuments of Washington by night, and
Mount Vernon by boat. We walked the Civil War battlefields
of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Harpers Ferry, and
Gettysburg. In Richmond, we saw the Tredegar Iron Works
and the church where Patrick Henry made his immortal
speech about liberty.
We went to Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Valley Forge, and
Constitution Hall in Philadelphia. We walked across the
Brooklyn Bridge and learned about the Battle of Long
Island. But the culmination of this tradition was our trip
to Boston.
We took a ride on the Old Cape Railway and learned about
the building of the Cape Cod Canal. On the way to Boston,
we went to Plymouth Rock. When we got to Boston, we
visited the U.S.S. Constitution, saved by Honey Fitz,
Bunker Hill, Paul Revere's House, the Old North Church,
the Old South Meeting House, the house where grandma was
born, and the spot where the Irish immigrants came ashore.
We toured the Kennedy Library and had a picnic at the
Boston Harbor Lighthouse.
Although the rule for history trips was that they were
day trips only, we all knew that, to Teddy, Boston was
special. He had a surprise for us, which was that we were
going to get the chance to camp out on Thompson Island.
He didn't tell us that for most of the year, this
facility is used for juvenile detention, until after we
had set up our tents in the dirt. It was about 98 degrees.
The bugs were out. It smelled like low tide all night
long. And the planes from Logan were taking off and
landing right over our heads. We figured Teddy was trying
to teach us something, but, after a boiling hot 16-hour
history day with 20 children under 10, we weren't quite
sure what it was.
In any event, that was when Teddy decided that even he
had had enough of history, finally, and he snuck out under
cover of darkness on his secret getaway boat and headed
for the Ritz. Once again, he had it all figured out.
Yesterday, as we drove the same route up from the Cape,
I thought about all the gifts that Teddy gave us and the
incredible journey he took. I thought about how lucky I am
to have traveled some of that journey with him and with
all the wonderful people that he embraced, so many of whom
are here tonight. I thought about how he touched so many
hearts and did so many things that only he could have
done.
I thought, too, about all the things he did that we all
could do, but we just figured Teddy would do them instead.
As we drove through the Boston that he loved, and saw the
thousands of people who loved him back, I realized that it
was our final history trip together. Now Teddy has become
a part of history. And we have become the ones who have to
do all the things he would have done for us, for each
other and for our country.
PAUL G. KIRK, Jr.: Well, no celebration could close if
it's in honor of Senator Kennedy without a song, as he
closed them many times. Oftentimes, he closed them with a
song about his heritage of which he was so proud, ``When
Irish Eyes Are Smiling,'' Tonight, we have the distinct
pleasure to have two Irish tenors lead us in that song,
Colm Wilkinson and John McCormack.
``WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING,'' by Chauncey Olcott and
George Graff, Jr.:
There's a tear in your eye,
And I'm wondering why,
For it never should be there at all.
With such pow'r in your smile,
Sure a stone you'd beguile,
So there's never a teardrop should fall.
When your sweet lilting laughter's
Like some fairy song,
And your eyes twinkle bright as can be;
You should laugh all the while
And all other times smile,
And now, smile a smile for me.
When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.
For your smile is a part
Of the love in your heart,
And it makes even sunshine more bright.
Like the linnet's sweet song,
Crooning all the day long,
Come your laughter and light.
For the springtime of life
Is the sweetest of all.
There is ne'er a real care or regret;
And while springtime is ours
Throughout all of youth's hours,
Let us smile each chance we get.
When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
E d w a r d M o o r e K e n n e d y
1932-2009
AUGUST 29, 2009
``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 make.''
--sen. edward m. kennedy
A Mass of the Resurrection
Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Roxbury, Massachusetts
August 29, 2009
PRINCIPAL CELEBRANT
Reverend J. Donald Monan, S.J.
CONCELEBRANTS
Reverend Mark R. Hession, Homilist
Reverend Raymond Collins
Reverend Gerry Creedon
Reverend Percival D'Silva
Reverend Donald MacMillan, S.J.
PROCESSIONAL HYMN Holy God We Praise Thy Name
............................................ Words by Ignaz Franz
Holy God, we praise Thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before Thee!
All on earth Thy scepter claim,
All in Heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain,
Everlasting is Thy reign.
Hark! the loud celestial hymn
Angel choirs above are raising,
Cherubim and seraphim,
In unceasing chorus praising;
Fill the heavens with sweet accord:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord.
Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee;
While in essence only One,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
Thou art King of glory, Christ:
Son of God, yet born of Mary;
For us sinners sacrificed,
And to death a tributary:
First to break the bars of death,
Thou has opened Heaven to faith.
Therefore do we pray Thee, Lord:
Help Thy servants whom, redeeming
By Thy precious blood out-poured,
Thou hast saved from Satan's scheming.
Give to them eternal rest
In the glory of the blest.
Spare Thy people, Lord, we pray,
By a thousand snares surrounded:
Keep us without sin today,
Never let us be confounded.
Lo, I put my trust in Thee;
Never, Lord, abandon me.
OPENING PRAYER LITURGY OF THE WORD First Reading G. Curran Raclin, Jr.
The Book of Wisdom 3:1-9
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
And no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead:
And their passing away was thought an affliction
And their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are at peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
Yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed.
Because God tried them
And found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
And as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
And shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples
And the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
And the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
And his care is with his elect.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm Kara Kennedy Psalm 72
Reader: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever. All: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever. Reader: The mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice. He
shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor. All: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever. Reader: Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no
more. May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the
earth. All: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever. Reader: For he shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when
he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save. All: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever. Reader: May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall
proclaim his happiness. All: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.
Second Reading Caroline R. Raclin Letter of Paul to the Romans 8:31b-35, 37-39 If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him
over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will
bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn? It is
Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed
intercedes for us. What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer
overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Word of the Lord. Gospel Matthew 25:31-32A, 34-40 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his
throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate
the people one from another ... Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take
your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was
hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and
you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or
thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,
or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit
you?' The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers of mine, you did for me.' Homily Reverend Mark R. Hession
THE PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL Kiki Kennedy, Introduction
Kiley Kennedy
Grace Allen
Max Allen
Jack Schlossberg
Robin Lawford
Kym Smith
Anthony Shriver
Rory Kennedy
Teddy Kennedy LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST Offertory J.S. Bach, Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 6
Yo-Yo Ma, cello Gifts Kiley Kennedy
Grace Allen
Max Allen
Teddy Kennedy COMMUNION --Franck ``Panis Angelicus'' Placido Domingo, tenor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello --Brahms ``Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee'' Tanglewood Festival Chorus
John Oliver, conductor --Schubert ``Ave Maria'' Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano
James David Christie, organ REMEMBRANCES Ted Kennedy, Jr.
Patrick J. Kennedy EULOGY President Barack Obama FINAL COMMENDATION His Eminence Sean P. Cardinal O'Malley
Archbishop of Boston
RECESSIONAL HYMN ``America the Beautiful''
Words by Katharine Lee Bates
Melody by Samuel Ward
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea! O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine! O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
PALLBEARERS Kara Kennedy Christopher Lawford
Ted Kennedy, Jr. Ed Michael Reggie
Patrick J. Kennedy Bobby Shriver
G. Curran Raclin, Jr. Stephen E. Smith, Jr.
Caroline R. Raclin Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
Caroline Kennedy HONORARY PALLBEARERS Melody Barnes Wyche Fowler Michael Myers
Stephen Breyer Tim Hanan Carey Parker
David Burke Claude Hooton Edmund Reggie
Ranny Cooper Larry Horowitz Don Riegle
Greg Craig John F. Kerry Larry Ronan
John C. Culver Paul G. Kirk, Jr. Jim Sasser
Stephanie Cutter Kathy Kruse Robert Shrum
Bill Delahunt Nick Littlefield Barbara Souliotis
Christopher J. Dodd Ed Markey John Tunney
Kenneth R. Feinberg Eric Mogilnicki Vince Wolfington
Lee Fentress USHERS Kevin Callahan Jeannie Kedas
Heather Campion Joe Kennedy
Gene Dellea Matt Kennedy
Don Dowd Jackie Jenkins Scott
Bob Fitzgerald Susan Riley
Joe Gargan Tracy Spicer
Mary Jeka
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Photo Credit: Denis Reggie
MEMBERS OF THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA:
Malcolm Lowe and Haldan Martinson, violins; Cathy Basrak,
viola; Mihail Jojatu, cello; William R. Hudgins, clarinet
Anthony Fogg, Artistic Administrator, Boston Symphony
Orchestra
[Processional Hymn]
Rev. MARK R. HESSION, Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church:
Good morning. In the name of the Very Reverend Father,
Patrick Woods, the provincial superior of the Redemptors
of Baltimore Providence and the entire Redemptors
community, it is my privilege to welcome you this morning
to the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help,
affectionately known as Mission Church.
Most eminent Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archbishop of
Boston, welcome once again to this basilica. The
Redemptors fathers and brothers are most grateful for the
many occasions you've joined with us here and we look
forward to many future visits.
We gather today with sadness, but with hope, as we mark
the passing of the distinguished senior Senator from
Massachusetts, the Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy.
To Mrs. Kennedy and all of the family, we offer our
sincere condolences and prayers. In this place of faith
and hope and healing, we come together with confidence
that Senator Kennedy has gone forth to eternal life in the
presence and mercy of the Lord.
We are honored this morning to welcome President and
Mrs. Obama, Vice President and Mrs. Biden, Honorable and
former Presidents and First Ladies of the United States,
Members of Congress, the representative of the British
Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, mayor of
Boston Thomas Menino, and all of the distinguished guests.
As we begin our liturgy this morning for Senator
Kennedy, be assured that all of you are always welcome in
this blessed and holy place. May each of us share in the
gifts of strength and peace that Senator Kennedy found as
he came here to pray, especially at the altar of our Lady
of Perpetual Help.
Rev. J. DONALD MONAN, Chancellor, Boston College: My dear
friends, a few scant miles from here, the city on a hill
stands less tall against the morning sky. The sea out
toward Nantucket is a bit more forlorn at the loss of one
of its most avid lovers. We welcome you to the Mass of the
Resurrection, to commemorate the life of Senator Kennedy.
I'm sure I speak for everyone in expressing our sincere
sympathy to all of the Kennedy family, and especially to
the Senator's wife, Vicki, to his sons Teddy and Patrick
and his daughter Kara, and to his sister Jean. We share
your sadness as we share your love and your pride for your
husband and father and brother and friend.
In the church's solemn Liturgy of the Eucharist, sadness
is softened with hope. Fear is banished by the faith in
the love and compassion of Christ, our Lord, who, through
his own death and resurrection, has overcome death. And so
as a believing community, let us now pray.
Almighty God, our Father, it is our Christian faith that
your son died, and rose to life. We pray for our dear
friend and brother, Ted Kennedy, who has died in Christ.
Through your love and compassion, raise him at the last
day to share the glory of the risen Christ, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and
ever. Amen.
All be seated for the liturgy of the word.
[First Reading]
[Responsorial Psalm]
[Second Reading]
[Gospel]
[Homily]
Rev. HESSION: So, good morning, everyone. Once again there
have been a series of introductions already. But certainly
one to greet Your Eminence, Cardinal Sean, President and
Mrs. Obama, President and Mrs. Bush, President Clinton and
Secretary Clinton, President Carter and Mrs. Carter, and
our Vice President and Mrs. Biden.
All of us in church today, dear friends of Ted and
especially you, Vicki, Curran and Caroline, and Kara,
Teddy, and Patrick and your mother Joan; a sister everyone
in the world would love to have in you, Jean, with your
devotion; Dr. Larry Ronan and the great team of doctors
and nurses, and so many helpers at Hyannis Port these last
weeks and months. And most especially the youngest of
Ted's gang, Gracie and Max, Kylie and Teddy.
In the Catholic tradition, the Mass of Christian Burial
weaves together memory and hope. The worship of the
churches locates us precisely between a past we reverently
remember, and a future in which we firmly believe. We
gather today as a community drawn from across the Nation
to entrust the life of Senator Edward Kennedy into the
hands of God, and to provide you consolation and support.
We bring with us treasured memories of Ted Kennedy,
memories not only of a national leader and a master
legislator, but of a beloved husband, a great father, a
terrific grandfather, a sweet uncle, a dear friend, a
trusted colleague, a wise mentor.
We enter this church with these memories acutely alive
for each of us. We gather to treasure the memory and to
share our sense of loss. The liturgy of the Mass, its
scripture, its music and ritual are designed to
acknowledge these memories to provide a context of
prayerful and communal reflection in which they can be
held as deeply personal and sacred.
But the liturgy does not leave us in the past alone. It
points us in Christian hope to the future. Our prayer,
expressed in confidence and hope, is about the destiny of
our brother and friend, with his future with God. The
biblical readings of the day, selected by Ted and Vicki
and his family, move us from memory to hope, from the past
to the future.
Curran proclaimed the first lesson of the Mass, speaking
the words of Wisdom, ``The souls of the just are in the
hand of God'' in life and death. St. Paul states our case
with his usual confidence, and Caroline proclaimed it with
such beauty: ``For I'm sure that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.''
That confidence, the triumph of life over death, is
rooted in the central belief of Christian faith, the
resurrection of Christ the Lord. The Christian conviction
upon which all faith is built is that Christ, who passed
through death to new life, will, as he promised, lead us
through death to new life as well.
On this day, we hold the memory of the life of Senator
Kennedy with reverence and with respect. We also recognize
that like all of us, his life has a destiny beyond
history. The destiny of risen life in the Kingdom of God,
the Gospel of Matthew from which I proclaimed, focuses our
attention on this destiny by reminding us of the words of
Jesus, and the tests he posed for entrance into that
kingdom: ``Oh, come, blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and
you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I
was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited
me. I was in prison, and you came to me.''
In this text on this day, our memories and our hopes
converge. These words of the kingdom were daily concerns
of the public life of Teddy Kennedy. They were the fabric
of his mind, heart, and hands, as he sought to realize
them in a society dramatically more complex than the
society in which Jesus spoke these words.
Our hope, our confident Christian hope, is that the
fruits of his work as a political and public figure have
well prepared him for God's kingdom. As we together
reflect upon Ted's life, the choice of this incredible
Basilica Church as the place for his funeral provides a
fitting context for our thoughts and prayers. This
basilica reminds us of two important aspects of the
Senator's life and work.
First, we've come to know in the days since his death
that when critical illness threatened his own daughter, he
came to this place daily to pray. He came here, like
generations before him, seeking the healing hand of God.
We're reminded that the most public personalities also
live a very personal existence. This church was the place
of private prayer for a public man.
Second, this church sits in the midst of the
neighborhoods where the important issues that animated Ted
Kennedy's career are so frankly visible--the needs of the
poor--social justice, health care and education, housing
and the minimum wage. The Senator's choice of this church
for his funeral mass resonates with the meaning and the
purpose of his life and work.
As I search for words which could capture his life, I've
been struck by how many different perspectives could be
brought to bear upon it by so many gathered today--by
Vicki and their children, by the many members of the
Kennedy clan, by the Presidents, by Members of both Houses
of the U.S. Congress and of both political parties, by
dedicated staff who served him over four decades, and, as
we've seen these last days, especially by the citizens of
Massachusetts whom he faithfully served. The extraordinary
diversity of these many memories is rather overwhelming.
It is neither my place nor within my power to capture
them all. I know Ted and Vicki and their family as their
parish priest. My sources of reflection are the Scriptures
and the pastoral experience of ministering to Ted and his
family. My vision, like yours, can't encompass the
totality of his life. My memories, seen through the lens
of a Catholic parish priest, are about how one person, one
man, a husband, a father, a public figure, a Catholic, and
a citizen, tried to meet the tests of the kingdom of
Matthew's Gospel.
To know him as a pastor was to be introduced to the
Kennedy family. The Senator led the family. He was
supported by it through a long and complex career, and he
was sustained by his family as his life entered its final
chapter.
All of us know by instinct the fundamental importance of
our families. None of us expects to face the great
responsibility of being the most visible figure in a
family whose narrative is woven through the history of our
Nation over the past century. As a priest, I saw him
treasure and draw strength from his family. Like others
here today, I watched as his role of this family's leader
required that he sustain them all through life and death,
through victory and tragedy.
It is not too much to say that his abiding political and
legislative concern for the welfare of families,
especially those at the socioeconomic edge of American
life, was rooted in his own experience of a vibrant and
caring family life. Senator Kennedy was a tower of
strength to his family, and a towering presence on the
American public landscape.
Others are better suited than I to describe in detail
his legacy. As a pastor, my description seeks to root his
public life in his personal convictions. No person's faith
is easily summarized. The broad demands of Christian
discipleship are clear enough in principle. Few of us, if
any, meet them all, but we're all called to pursue the
full vision of faith, even as we recognize the inevitable
gap between what we're called to, and what we, in fact,
achieve. Indeed, most of us have a strong suit matched
with gaps and struggles.
There are few passages which express this more
pointedly, and more poignantly, than Senator Kennedy's own
eulogy for his dear brother, Robert, at St. Patrick's
Cathedral 41 years ago, in 1968. There, he said, ``My
brother need not be idolized or enlarged in death, beyond
what he was in life. To be remembered simply as a good and
decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw
suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop
it.''
Like both of his brothers, Ted Kennedy was a public man,
with a public faith. His strong suit was a central stream
of biblical faith, expressed both in the Hebrew and
Christian Scriptures.
His strong suit was the faith of the great Hebrew
prophets--Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos. It was they who tied the
quality of faith to the character of justice in the land.
It was they who stood in defense of the widows, the
orphans, and the refugees of their time. The striking
resemblance of these groups to the women, children,
families, and immigrants in poverty of our time did not
escape Ted Kennedy's notice.
His public faith was reinforced and nurtured in the
Christian Scriptures. We've heard Matthew today. Now we
should remember the Gospel of Luke, commonly known as the
Gospel of the Poor. The Jesus of Luke knew the poor of his
time well. He was in their midst often. He advocated for
them, defended them and reminded his disciples of God's
special concern for them.
At the heart of Luke's Gospel stands the person of Mary,
the mother of Jesus. Senator Kennedy had a special respect
for her great prayer, the Magnificat, a prayer which
simultaneously glorified God for his blessings and
promised God's protection of the poor. In his final days
the Senator and Vicki and I pondered this prayer in terms
of the meaning of his life's work.
Our blessed mother proclaims these sentiments: ``God's
mercy is from age to age to those who fear Him. He has
shown might with his arm and dispersed the arrogant of
mind and heart. He's thrown down the rulers from their
thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he's filled
with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.''
Ted Kennedy, of course, lived in a far more complex
world than that of Jesus' time and place. But that
challenge evoked from him his public gifts. He understood
the complexity of the society in which he lived. He was
renowned for his mastery of the data, for his sense of the
possible, and for his genius in crafting law and policy in
a way which benefited the widows and orphans of our time.
Again, he described the motivation of his public life in
light of the legacy of his brother Robert's vision when he
spoke these words, ``Our future may be beyond our vision,
but it is not completely beyond our control. It is the
shaping impulse of America that neither fate nor nature
nor the irresistible tides of history, but the work of our
hands, matched to reason and principle that will determine
our destiny.''
Every public figure has a uniquely personal life,
distinct from, but not totally separated from, the public
world of work and achievement. Others have remembered in
the past week and will address this morning the record of
achievement of Ted Kennedy.
I'd like to close with this reflection. As one lives
more toward the final moments of life, the public
character fades, and the deeper personal convictions and
commitments which have sustained a person through a long
and complex life come to occupy the center stage.
This was the case in the last few weeks and months, as
Ted and Vicki together faced the last measure of his life.
Like any priest would be, I was present for them, and with
them. The faith, which had sustained a visible historic
presence, now became the faith which teaches us how to see
this life in light of the next life.
The gift of the Eucharist, which Jesus promised would
nourish us in this life and would carry us to eternal
life, became a source of even greater strength and comfort
for Ted and Vicki. As the end approached, the convictions
that sustained Senator Ted Kennedy through so many public
struggles became the source of quiet confidence in a truth
taught by his church at the Second Vatican Council in
these words:
We do not know the time for the consummation of the
Earth and of humanity, but we are taught that God is
preparing a new dwelling place and a new Earth where
justice will abide, and whose blessedness will answer, and
surpass all the longings for peace which spring up in the
human heart.
Today, at this holy Eucharist, we pray, we are confident
that Ted Kennedy has entered this new dwelling of God. For
as the liturgy today inspires us, Lord, for your faithful
people, life is changed, not ended. When the body of our
earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting
dwelling place in heaven. May he rest in peace.
[The Prayers of the Faithful]
KIKI KENNEDY (Introduction): Now we pray to the Lord, not
only for Teddy, but for all of us he leaves behind. Among
his brothers and sisters, he was the youngest. So now his
grandchildren, his younger nieces and nephews and the
youngest child of one of his nieces will offer the
intercessions. Each time, please respond, ``Lord, hear our
prayer.''
Teddy served for nearly 47 years, and he summoned us all
to service. And so these intercessions are in his words,
for the work of his life is our prayer for our country and
our world.
KILEY KENNEDY: For my grandfather's commitment and
persistence were not for outworn values but for old values
that will never wear out. The poor may be out of political
fashion, but they are never without human needs.
Circumstances may change but the work of compassion must
continue. We pray to the Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear our prayer.
GRACE ALLEN: For my grandpa that we will not in our Nation
measure human beings by what they cannot do, but instead
value them for what they can do. We pray to the Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear our prayer.
MAX ALLEN: For what my grandpa called the cause of his
life, as he said so often, in every part of this land,
that every American will have decent quality health care,
as a fundamental right, and not a privilege. We pray to
the Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear out prayer.
JACK SCHLOSSBERG: For a new season of hope that my Uncle
Teddy envisioned, where we rise to our best ideals, close
the book on the old politics of race and gender, group
against group and straight against gay. We pray to the
Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear our prayer.
ROBIN LAWFORD: For my Uncle Teddy's call to keep the
promise that all men and women who live here, even
strangers and newcomers, can rise, no matter what their
color, no matter what their place of birth; for workers
out of work, students without tuition for college, and
families without the chance to own a home; for all
Americans seeking a better life and a better land; for all
of those left out or left behind. We pray to the Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear our prayer.
KYM SMITH: For my uncle's stand against violence, hate,
and war, and his belief that peace can be kept through the
triumph of justice, and that true justice can come only
through the works of peace. We pray to the Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear our prayer.
ANTHONY SHRIVER: As my Uncle Teddy once told thousands and
millions, ``May it be said of us in dark passages and
bright days, in the words of Tennyson that my brothers
quoted and loved that have a special meaning for us now:
`I am part of all that I have met. Though much is taken,
much abides. That which we are, we are. One equal temper
of heroic hearts, strong in will, to strive, to seek, to
find, and not to yield.''' We pray to the Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear our prayer.
RORY KENNEDY: For the joy of my Uncle Teddy's laughter,
the light of his presence, his rare and noble
contributions to the human spirit, for his face that is in
heaven, his father, his mother, his brothers and sisters
and all who went before him will welcome him home. And for
all the times to come when the rest of us will think of
him, cuddling affectionately on the boat, surrounded by
family as we sailed in Nantucket Sound. We pray to the
Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear our prayer.
TEDDY KENNEDY III: For my grandfather's brave promise last
summer that the work begins anew, the hope rises again,
and the dream lives on. We pray to the Lord.
CONGREGATION: Lord, hear our prayer.
Rev. MONAN: Lord our God, giver of peace and healer of
souls, hear the prayers of the redeemer, Jesus Christ, and
the voices of your people whose lives were purchased by
the blood of the lambs. Forgive the sins of all who sleep
in Christ and grant them a place in your kingdom. We ask
this through Christ our Lord, amen.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
[Offertory: Bach, Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 6, Yo-Yo
Ma, Cello]
[Presentation of Gifts of Bread and Wine by Kiley Kennedy,
Grace Allen, Max Allen, and Edward M. Kennedy III]
Rev. MONAN: My dear father, may your sacrifice with ours
be acceptable to God the Almighty Father.
CONGREGATION: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at our
hands, and the praise and glory of his name for our good
and the good of all his church.
Rev. MONAN: Lord, accept this sacrifice we offer for our
brother, Ted Kennedy, on the day of his burial. May your
love cleanse him from his human weakness and forgive any
sins he may have committed. All of this we ask through
Christ, our Lord, Amen. The Lord be with you.
CONGREGATION: And also with you.
Rev. MONAN: Lift up your hearts.
CONGREGATION: We lift them up to the Lord.
Rev. MONAN: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
CONGREGATION: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Rev. MONAN: Father, all powerful and ever living God, we
do well always and everywhere, to give you thanks through
Jesus Christ our Lord. In Him who rose from the dead, our
hope for resurrection dawned. The sadness of death gives
way to the bright promise of immortality.
Lord, through your faithful people, life has changed,
not ended. In the body of our earthly dwelling we lie in
death. We gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven.
And so with all the choir of angels in heaven, we proclaim
your glory and join them in their unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might. Heaven
and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna
in the highest.
Lord, you are holy indeed and all creation rightly gives
you praise. All life, all holiness, comes from you,
through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of
the Holy Spirit. From age to age, you gather a people to
yourself, so that from east to west, a perfect offering
may be made to the glory of your name.
And so, Father, we bring you these gifts. We ask you to
make them holy by the power of your spirit, that they may
become the body and blood of your son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, at whose command we celebrate this Eucharist.
On the night he was betrayed, he took bread and gave you
thanks and praise. He broke the bread and gave it to his
disciples and said, ``Take this, all of you, and eat it.
This is my body, which will be given up for you.''
When supper was ended, he took the cup. Again, he gave
you thanks and praise. He gave the cup to his disciples
and said, ``Take this, all of you, and drink from it. This
is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and
everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all
so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.''
Father, calling to mind the death your son endured for
our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension
into heaven, and ready to greet him when he comes again,
we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living
sacrifice. Look with favor on your church's offering and
see the victim whose death has reconciled us to yourself.
Grant that we who are nourished by his body and blood may
be filled with his Holy Spirit and become one body, one
spirit in Christ.
Rev. DONALD A. MacMILLAN, Campus Minister, Boston College:
May he make us an everlasting gift to you and enable us to
share in the inheritance of your saints with Mary, the
Virgin Mother of God, with Joseph, her husband, the
apostles, the martyrs and all your saints. On his constant
intercession, we rely for help.
Rev. HESSION: Lord, may this sacrifice, which has made our
peace with you, advance the peace and salvation of all the
world, strengthen in faith and love your pilgrim church on
Earth, your servant Pope Benedict, our Cardinal Archbishop
Sean and all of the bishops with the clergy, and the
entire people your Son has gained for you. Father, hear
the prayers of the family who has gathered here before
you.
Rev. MONAN: In a special way, Lord, remember our dear
friend, Ted. In baptism, he died with Christ. May he also
share his resurrection when Christ will raise our mortal
bodies and make them like his in his own glory. Welcome
into your kingdom our departed brothers and sisters and
all who have left this world in your friendship.
There we hope to share in your glory, when every tear
will be wiped away. On that day, we shall see you, our
God, as you are. We shall become like you and praise you
with every thought, through Christ our Lord from whom all
good things come, through him, with him, in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Almighty
Father, forever and ever. Amen.
And let us pray now together in the words that our
Father taught us. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed
be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and
forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who
trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant us peace in
our day. In your mercy, keep us free from sin and protect
us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the
coming of our savior Jesus Christ. For the Kingdom, the
power and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, ``I leave
you peace. My peace I give you.'' Look not on our sins but
on the faith of your church and grant us the peace and
unity of your kingdom where you live forever and ever.
Amen.
The peace of the Lord be with you.
CONGREGATION: And also with you.
Rev. MONAN: Let us offer each other a sign of Christ's
peace.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have
mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the
world. Have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the
sins of the world. Grant us peace.
Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy, we
ate your body and drank your blood. That does not bring us
condemnation, but health in mind and body. This is the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Happy
are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am now worthy to receive you. Only say the word
and I shall be with you. May the body of Christ bring us
to everlasting life.
[Communion]
[Franck, ``Panis Angelicus,'' Placido Domingo, Tenor, Yo-
Yo Ma, Cello]
[Brahms, ``Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee,'' Tanglewood
Festival Chorus, John Oliver, Conductor]
[Schubert, ``Ave Maria,'' Susan Graham, Mezzo-Soprano,
James David Christie, Organ]
[Remembrances]
EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Jr.: My name is Ted Kennedy, Jr., a
name I share with my son, a name I shared with my father.
Although it hasn't been easy at times to live with this
name, I've never been more proud of it than I am today.
Your Eminence, thank you for being here. You've graced
us with your presence. To all the musicians who have come
here, my father loved the arts and he would be so pleased
by your performances today.
My heart is filled, and I first want to say thank you.
My heart is filled with appreciation and gratitude to the
people of Massachusetts and my father's loyal staff--in
many ways my dad's loss is just as great for them as it is
for those of us in our family--and for all of my father's
family and friends who have come to pay their respects.
Listening to people speak about how my father impacted
their lives and the deep personal connection that people
felt with my dad has been an overwhelming emotional
experience.
My dad had the greatest friends in the world. All of you
here are also my friends and his greatest gift to me. I
love you just as much as he did.
Sarah Brown, the Taoiseach, President Obama, President
Clinton, Secretary Clinton, President Bush, President
Carter, you honor my family by your presence here today. I
remember how my dad would tell audiences years ago, ``I
don't mind not being President; I just mind that someone
else is.''
There is much to say and much will be said about Ted
Kennedy, the statesman, the master of the legislative
process and bipartisan compromise, workhorse of the
Senate, beacon of social justice, and protector of the
people.
There's also much to be said and much will be said about
my father, the man, the storyteller, the lover of costume
parties, the practical joker, the accomplished painter.
He was a lover of everything French--cheese, wine, and
women. He was a mountain climber, navigator, skipper,
tactician, airplane pilot, rodeo rider, ski jumper, dog
lover and all-around adventurer. Our family vacations left
us all injured and exhausted.
He was a dinner table debater and devil's advocate. He
was an Irishman, and a proud member of the Democratic
Party.
Here is one you may not know. Out of Harvard, he was a
Green Bay Packer recruit, but decided to go to law school
instead.
He was a devout Catholic, whose faith helped him survive
unbearable losses, and whose teachings taught him that he
had a moral obligation to help others in need.
He was not perfect, far from it. But my father believed
in redemption. And he never surrendered, never stopped
trying to right wrongs, be they the results of his own
failings or of ours.
But today, I'm simply compelled to remember Ted Kennedy
as my father and my best friend.
When I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed with bone
cancer. A few months after I lost my leg, there was a
heavy snowfall over my childhood home outside Washington,
DC. My father went to the garage to get the old Flexible
Flyer, and asked me if I wanted to go sledding down the
steep driveway.
I was trying to get used to my new artificial leg. The
hill was covered with ice and snow. It wasn't easy for me
to walk. The hill was very slick, and as I struggled to
walk, I slipped and I fell on the ice, and I started to
cry. I said, ``I can't do this.'' I said, ``I'll never be
able to climb up that hill.'' And he lifted me up in his
strong, gentle arms and said something I will never
forget. He said, ``I know you can do it. There is nothing
that you can't do. We are going to climb that hill
together, even if it takes us all day.''
Sure enough, he held me around my waist and we slowly
made it to the top. And you know, at age 12, losing your
leg pretty much seems like the end of the world. But as I
climbed onto his back and we flew down the hill that day,
I knew he was right. I knew I was going to be OK.
You see, my father taught me that even our most profound
losses are survivable. It is what we do with that loss,
our ability to transform it into a positive event, that is
one of my father's greatest lessons.
He taught me that nothing is impossible. During the
summer months when I was growing up, my father would
arrive late in the afternoon from Washington on Fridays,
and as soon as he got to Cape Cod, he would want to go
straight out and practice sailing maneuvers on the
Victura, in anticipation of the weekend's races.
We'd be out late. The sun would be setting, and the
family dinner would be getting cold. We'd be out there
practicing our jibes and our spinnaker sets, long after
everyone else had gone ashore.
One night, not another boat was in sight on the summer
sea. I asked him, ``Why are we always the last ones on the
water?'' ``Teddy,'' he said, ``you see, most of the other
sailors that we race against are smarter and more talented
than we are. But the reason why we're going to win is that
we will work harder than them, and we will be better
prepared.'' He wasn't just talking about boating. My
father admired perseverance. My father believed that to do
a job effectively required a tremendous amount of time and
effort.
Dad instilled in me also the importance of history and
biography. He loved Boston, and the amazing writers and
philosophers and politicians from Massachusetts. He took
me and my cousins to the Old North Church and to Walden
Pond and to the homes of Herman Melville and Nathaniel
Hawthorne in the Berkshires.
He thought that Massachusetts was the greatest place on
Earth. He had letters from many of its former Senators,
like Daniel Webster and John Quincy Adams, hanging on his
walls, inspired by things heroic.
He was a Civil War buff. When we were growing up, he
would pack us all into his car or a rented camper, and we
would travel around to all the great battlefields. I
remember he would frequently meet with his friend, Shelby
Foote, at a particular site on the anniversary of a
historic battle, just so he could appreciate better what
the soldiers must have experienced on that day. He
believed that in order to know what to do in the future,
you had to understand the past.
My father loved other old things. He loved his classic
wooden schooner, the Mya. He loved lighthouses and his
1973 Pontiac convertible.
My father taught me to treat everyone I meet, no matter
what station in life, with the same dignity and respect.
He could be discussing arms control with the President at
3 p.m. and meeting with a union carpenter on fair wage
legislation or a New Bedford fisherman on fisheries policy
at 4:30.
I once told him that he had accidently left some money--
I remember this when I was a little kid--on the sink in
our hotel room. He replied, ``Teddy, let me tell you
something. Making beds all day is back-breaking work. The
woman who has to clean up after us today has a family to
feed.'' And that's just the kind of guy he was.
He answered Uncle Joe's call to patriotism, Uncle Jack's
call to service, and Uncle Bobby's determination to seek a
newer world. Unlike them, he lived to be a grandfather.
And knowing what my cousins have been through, I feel
grateful that I have had my father as long as I did.
He even taught me some of life's harder lessons, such as
how to like Republicans. He once told me, ``Teddy,
Republicans love this country just as much as I do.'' I
think he felt like he had something in common with his
Republican counterparts--the vagaries of public opinion,
the constant scrutiny of the press, the endless
campaigning for the next election, but most of all, the
incredible shared sacrifice that being in public life
demands.
He understood the hardship that politics has on a family
and the hard work and commitment that it requires. He
often brought his Republican colleagues home for dinner.
He believed in developing personal relationships and
honoring differences. One of the wonderful experiences
that I will remember about today is how many of his
Republican colleagues are sitting here right before him.
That's a true testament to the man.
He told me to always be ready to compromise, but never
compromise about your principles. He was an idealist and a
pragmatist. He was restless, but patient. When he learned
that a survey of Republican Senators named him the
Democratic Legislator that they most wanted to work with
and that John McCain called him the single most effective
member of the U.S. Senate, he was so proud, because he
considered the combination of accolades from your
supporters and respect from your sometime political
adversaries as one of the ultimate goals of successful
political life.
At the end of his life, my dad returned home. He died at
the place he loved more than any other, Cape Cod. The last
months of my dad's life were not sad or terrifying, but
fulfilled with profound experiences, a series of moments
more precious than I could have imagined. He taught me
more about humility, vulnerability, and courage than he
had taught me in my whole life.
Although he lived a full and complete life by any
measure, the fact is, he wasn't done. He still had work to
do. He was so proud of where we had recently come as a
Nation. Although I grieve for what might have been, for
what he might have helped us accomplish, I pray today that
we can set aside this sadness and instead celebrate all
that he was and did and stood for.
I will try to live up to the high standards that my
father set for all of us when he said, ``The work goes on;
the cause endures; the hope still lives; and the dream
shall never die.'' I love you, dad. I always will, and I
miss you already.
Representative PATRICK J. KENNEDY: President and Mrs.
Obama, distinguished guests, friends of my father, all of
you. While a Nation has lost a great Senator, my brothers
and sisters and I have lost a loving father. When I was a
kid, I couldn't breathe. Growing up, I suffered from
chronic and crippling asthma attacks. The medications I
had to take were very difficult and gave me a throbbing
headache every night that I had to use my bronchial
nebulizer.
Now, obviously, I wish that I did not have to suffer
those attacks and endure those headaches. Nor did I like
having to grow up having a special non-allergenic, non-
smoking room reserved for me whenever we went on family
vacations. But as I now realize years later, while asthma
may have posed a challenge to my physical health, it
propped up my emotional and mental health, because it kept
my father by my bedside.
My dad was always sure to be within reach of me, and the
side effects of the medications meant that he was always
holding a cold, wet towel on my forehead until I fell
asleep again from my headache.
As far as the special effort that was made to ensure
that I had a proper room to sleep in while we were on
vacations as a family, this usually meant that I got the
nicest room and it also ensured that dad was my roommate.
I couldn't have seen it at the time, but having asthma
was like hitting the jackpot for a child who craved his
father's love and attention. When his light shined on me
alone, there was no better feeling in all the world.
When dad was away, I often didn't know when he'd return,
and as a young boy, I didn't know why he wasn't around at
Christmastime, when Santa came to the house. And I really
wondered why Santa had the same two moles on his face that
my dad had, and in the same place as my dad. Even after I
figured out that he was my dad and the costume finally
came off, he still remained to me a magical figure.
As a little kid, I didn't look like much of a sailor,
but my dad thought otherwise. You see, in sailing there
are rules as well, much like government. Tireless, mundane
rules that will surely make you seasick. The rule was four
people on the boat to race, just four. But my dad, of
course, dug around until he found a rule around the rule.
Sound familiar to you who served with him in the Senate?
Kids under 12, he found out, especially scrawny little
redheads like me, could tag along. My dad found that rule
that meshed with his mission. He refused to leave me
behind.
He did that for all of those around the world who needed
a special voice as well. When we raced in foul weather,
there was lots of saltwater and lots of salty language.
Those experiences not only broadened my vocabulary, sure,
but also built my self-confidence. I saw a lot of
political philosophy in those sailboat races. One thing I
noticed was that on the boat, as in this country, there
was a role for everybody, a place for everybody to
contribute. Another, in the race as in life, it didn't
matter how strong the forces against you were, so long as
you kept driving forward. There was nothing to lose. Maybe
you would even come out a winner.
My dad was never bowed. He never gave up, and there was
no quit in dad. And looking out in this audience and
looking out at the tremendous number of people who aligned
themselves along the roadways coming up from the Cape, and
throughout Boston when we went around, or who waited in
line for hours to see his casket as they came through the
JFK Library, there's no doubt in my mind that my dad came
out a winner.
I want to thank all of you for the amazing tribute that
you've given my father in the last several days. Just as I
was proud to be a crew on his sailboat, I am forever
grateful for the opportunity to have worked with him in
the U.S. Congress as his colleague.
I admit I used to hang onto his T-shirt and his coat
sleeve in the Capitol when I was just a little boy. So,
when I got a chance to serve with him on Capitol Hill, all
I needed to do was set my compass to the principles of his
life.
My father and I were the primary sponsors of the Mental
Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act, which was signed
into law last year. This bill represented not only a legal
victory for 54 million Americans with mental illness who
are being denied equal health insurance, but as one of
those 54 million Americans, I felt he was also fighting
for me to help ease the burden and stigma and shame that
accompanies treatment.
I will really miss working with dad. I will miss my
dad's wonderful sense of self-deprecating humor. When the
far right made dad their poster child for their attack
ads, he used to say, ``We Kennedys sure bring out the best
in people.'' And when he was in the Senate, and my cousin
Joe was a Member of Congress and I came to Congress, dad
finally celebrated saying, ``Finally after all these years
when someone says, `Who does that damn Kennedy think he
is?' There's only a one in three chance they're talking
about me.''
Most Americans will remember dad as a good and decent
hard-charging Senator. But to Teddy, Curran, Caroline,
Kara, and me, we will always remember him as a loving and
devoted father. In the 1980 campaign, my dad often quoted
Robert Frost at the conclusion of every stump speech to
indicate that he had to go on to another political event.
He would paraphrase the line from ``Stopping by Woods on a
Snowy Evening'':
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Well, dad, you've kept that promise both literally and
figuratively to be your brother's keeper. Now, it's time
for you to rest in peace. May your spirit live forever in
our hearts, and as you challenged us so many times before,
may your dream for a better, more just America never die.
I love you dad, and you will always live in my heart
forever.
[Eulogy]
President BARACK OBAMA: Your Eminence, Vicki, Kara,
Edward, Patrick, Curran, Caroline, members of the Kennedy
family, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
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 U.S. Senate--a man who graces nearly 2,000
laws, and who penned more than 300 laws himself.
But those of us who loved him, and ache with his
passing, know Ted Kennedy by the other titles he held:
Father. Brother. Husband. Grandfather. Uncle Teddy, or as
he was often known to his younger nieces and nephews, the
``Grand Fromage,'' or the ``Big Cheese.'' I, like so many
others in the city where he worked for nearly half a
century, knew him as a colleague, a mentor, and above all,
as a friend.
Ted Kennedy was the baby of the family who became its
patriarch; the restless dreamer who became its rock. He
was the sunny, joyful child who bore the brunt of his
brothers' teasing, but learned quickly how to brush it
off. When they tossed him off a boat because he didn't
know what a jib was, 6-year-old Teddy got back in and
learned to sail. When a photographer asked the newly
elected Bobby to step back at a press conference because
he was casting a shadow on his younger brother, Teddy
quipped, ``It'll be the same in Washington.''
That spirit of resilience and good humor would see Teddy
through more pain and tragedy than most of us will ever
know. He lost two siblings by the age of 16. He saw two
more taken violently from a country that loved them. He
said goodbye to his beloved sister, Eunice, in the final
days of his life. He narrowly survived a plane crash,
watched two children struggle with cancer, buried three
nephews, and experienced personal failings and setbacks in
the most public way possible.
It's a string of events that would have broken a lesser
man. And it would have been easy for Ted to let himself
become bitter and hardened; to surrender to self-pity and
regret; to retreat from public life and live out his years
in peaceful quiet. No one would have blamed him for that.
But that was not Ted Kennedy. As he told us,
``[I]ndividual faults and frailties are no excuse to give
in--and no exemption from the common obligation to give of
ourselves.'' Indeed, Ted was the ``Happy Warrior'' that
the poet Wordsworth spoke of when he wrote:
As tempted more; more able to endure,
As more exposed to suffering and distress;
Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.
Through his own suffering, Ted Kennedy became more alive
to the plight and the suffering of others--the sick child
who could not see a doctor; the young soldier denied her
rights because of what she looks like or who she loves or
where she comes from. The landmark laws that he
championed--the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with
Disabilities Act, immigration reform, children's health
insurance, the Family and Medical Leave Act--all have a
running thread. Ted Kennedy's life work was not to
champion the causes of those with wealth or power or
special connections. It was to give a voice to those who
were not heard; to add a rung to the ladder of
opportunity; to make real the dream of our founding. He
was given the gift of time that his brothers were not, and
he used that gift to touch as many lives and right as many
wrongs as the years would allow.
We can still hear his voice bellowing through the Senate
Chamber, face reddened, fist pounding the podium, a
veritable force of nature, in support of health care or
workers' rights or civil rights. And yet, as has been
noted, while his causes became deeply personal, his
disagreements never did. While he was seen by his fiercest
critics as a partisan lightning rod, that's not the prism
through which Ted Kennedy saw the world, nor was it the
prism through which his colleagues saw Ted Kennedy. He was
a product of an age when the joy and nobility of politics
prevented differences of party and platform and philosophy
from becoming barriers to cooperation and mutual respect--
a time when adversaries still saw each other as patriots.
And that's how Ted Kennedy became the greatest
legislator of our time. He did it by hewing to principle,
yes, but also by seeking compromise and common cause--not
through dealmaking and horse trading alone, but through
friendship, and kindness, and humor. There was the time he
courted Orrin Hatch for support of the Children's Health
Insurance Program by having his chief of staff serenade
the Senator with a song Orrin had written himself; the
time he delivered shamrock cookies on a china plate to
sweeten up a crusty Republican colleague; the famous story
of how he won the support of a Texas committee chairman on
an immigration bill. Teddy walked into a meeting with a
plain manila envelope, and showed only the chairman that
it was filled with the Texan's favorite cigars. When the
negotiations were going well, he would inch the envelope
closer to the chairman. (Laughter.) When they weren't,
he'd pull it back. (Laughter.) Before long, the deal was
done. (Laughter.)
It was only a few years ago, on St. Patrick's Day, when
Teddy buttonholed me on the floor of the Senate for my
support of a certain piece of legislation that was coming
up for a vote. I gave my pledge, but I expressed
skepticism that it would pass. But when the roll call was
over, the bill garnered the votes that it needed, and then
some. I looked at Teddy with astonishment and asked how
had he done it. He just patted me on the back and said,
``Luck of the Irish.'' (Laughter.)
Of course, luck had little to do with Ted Kennedy's
legislative success; he knew that. A few years ago, his
father-in-law told him that he and Daniel Webster just
might be the two greatest Senators of all time. Without
missing a beat, Teddy replied, ``What did Webster do?''
(Laughter.)
But though it is Teddy's historic body of achievements
that we will remember, it is his giving heart that we will
miss. It was the friend and the colleague who was always
the first to pick up the phone and say, ``I'm sorry for
your loss,'' or ``I hope you feel better,'' or ``What can
I do to help?'' It was the boss so adored by his staff
that over 500, spanning five decades, showed up for his
75th birthday party. It was the man who sent birthday
wishes and thank you notes and even his own paintings to
so many who never imagined that a U.S. Senator of such
stature would take the time to think about somebody like
them. I have one of those paintings in my private study
off the Oval Office--a Cape Cod seascape that was a gift
to a freshman legislator who had just arrived in
Washington and happened to admire it when Ted Kennedy
welcomed him into his office. That, by the way, is my
second gift from Teddy and Vicki after our dog Bo. And it
seems like everyone has one of those stories--the ones
that often start with ``You wouldn't believe who called me
today.''
Ted Kennedy was the father who looked not only after his
own three children, but John's and Bobby's as well. He
took them camping and taught them to sail. He laughed and
danced with them at birthdays and weddings; cried and
mourned with them through hardship and tragedy; and passed
on that same sense of service and selflessness that his
parents had instilled in him. Shortly after Ted walked
Caroline down the aisle and gave her away at the altar, he
received a note from Jackie that read, ``On you, the
carefree youngest brother, fell a burden a hero would have
begged to been spared. We are all going to make it because
you were always there with your love.''
Not only did the Kennedy family make it because of Ted's
love--he made it because of theirs, especially because of
the love and the life he found in Vicki. After so much
loss and so much sorrow, it could not have been easy for
Ted to risk his heart again. And that he did is a
testament to how deeply he loved this remarkable woman
from Louisiana. And she didn't just love him back. As Ted
would often acknowledge, Vicki saved him. She gave him
strength and purpose; joy and friendship; and stood by him
always, especially in those last, hardest days.
We cannot know for certain how long we have here. We
cannot foresee the trials or misfortunes that will test us
along the way. We cannot know what God's plan is for us.
What we can do is to live out our lives as best we can
with purpose, and with love, and with joy. We can use each
day to show those who are closest to us how much we care
about them, and treat others with the kindness and respect
that we wish for ourselves. We can learn from our mistakes
and grow from our failures. And we can strive at all costs
to make a better world, so that someday, if we are blessed
with the chance to look back on our time here, we know
that we spent it well; that we made a difference; that our
fleeting presence had a lasting impact on the lives of
others.
This is how Ted Kennedy lived. This is his legacy. He
once said, as has already been mentioned, of his brother
Bobby that he need not be idealized or enlarged in death
because of what he was in life--and I imagine he would say
the same about himself. The greatest expectations were
placed upon Ted Kennedy's shoulders because of who he was,
but he surpassed them all because of who he became. We do
not weep for him today because of the prestige attached to
his name or his office. We weep because we loved this kind
and tender hero who persevered through pain and tragedy--
not for the sake of ambition or vanity; not for wealth or
power; but only for the people and the country that he
loved.
In the days after September 11, Teddy made it a point to
personally call each one of the 177 families of this State
who lost a loved one in the attack. But he didn't stop
there. He kept calling and checking up on them. He fought
through red tape to get them assistance and grief
counseling. He invited them sailing, played with their
children, and would write each family a letter whenever
the anniversary of that terrible day came along. To one
widow, he wrote the following:
As you know so well, the passage of time never really
heals the tragic memory of such a great loss, but we carry
on, because we have to, because our loved ones would want
us to, and because there is still light to guide us in the
world from the love they gave us.
We carry on.
Ted Kennedy has gone home now, guided by his faith and
by the light of those that he has loved and lost. At last
he is with them once more, leaving those of us who grieve
his passing with the memories he gave, the good that he
did, the dream he kept alive, and a single, enduring
image--the image of a man on a boat, white mane tousled,
smiling broadly as he sails into the wind, ready for
whatever storms may come, carrying on toward some new and
wondrous place just beyond the horizon.
May God bless Ted Kennedy, and may he rest in eternal
peace.
Rev. MONAN: Let us pray. Lord God, your son Jesus Christ
gave us the sacrament of His body and blood to guide us on
our pilgrimage to your kingdom. May our dear friend Ted,
who shared in the Eucharist, come to the banquet of life
Christ prepared for us. We ask this through Christ our
Lord, Amen.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
Rev. MONAN: His Eminence Cardinal Sean O'Malley will
conduct the final commendation.
SEAN P. CARDINAL O'MALLEY, Archbishop of Boston: Mr.
President, we thank you for your presence and for your
words of appreciation for the life and work of Senator
Kennedy. We've gathered here today to pray for a man who
has been such an important part of our history and our
country.
We are here because Ted Kennedy shares our belief in
prayer and in eternal life. Vicki, you and the family
surrounded Ted with love at the end of his life and gave
us all an example of love and compassion in the face of
suffering and death. We die with dignity when we are
surrounded by love and such care.
And now, let us commend Ted's soul to God's loving
mercy. Before we go our separate ways, let us take leave
of our brother. May our farewell express our affection for
him. May it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope. One
day, we shall joyfully greet him again through Christ,
which conquers all things and destroys even death itself.
Into your hands, Father of Mercies, we commend our
brother Edward in the sure and certain hope that together
with all who have died in Christ, we shall all rise with
him on the last day. We give you thanks for the blessings
which you bestowed upon Edward in this life. They are
signs to us of your goodness and of our fellowship with
the saints and Christ.
Merciful Lord, turn toward us and listen to our prayers.
Open the gates of paradise to your servants and help us
who remain to comfort one another with assurances of faith
until we all meet in Christ and are with you and with our
brother forever. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
CARDINAL O'MALLEY: In peace, let us take our brother to
his place of rest.
[Recessional Hymn]
Edward Moore Kennedy
Service at the U.S. Capitol
Senate Steps
August 29, 2009
Rev. DANIEL P. COUGHLIN, Chaplain of the House of
Representatives: Mrs. Kennedy, we gather with you, the
family, and dear friends, to express our solidarity with
you at this time. Some Members of both Chambers of the
Congress, officers, co-workers, collaborators, and
especially former and presently serving staff of the
Senator are gathered here on the steps. Here we are to
briefly pray with you--to offer our sympathy, and to thank
you for sharing the Senator and so much of his life with
us. Thank you also for your love and your care throughout
the years, especially during the time of illness and these
last moments. Be assured of our prayers and anything we
can do for you as you move on.
Let us pray.
Though in the sight of people, your servant Senator Ted
Kennedy suffered greatly and took on enormous tasks, Lord,
you knew his hopes were unquenchable, full of immortality.
You knew his strengths and his limitations. He knew you,
Lord. He knew you could use anyone or anything to
accomplish your purpose and draw people closer to one
another and to His divine presence. Grounded in faith,
fashioned by family values, and once expanded to a world
vision, true contemplative leadership would draw staff and
friends to new depths of human understanding. Embraced
with compassion, such a vision would inspire people around
the world to believe, to believe with all their hearts
that peace and justice will conquer violence and division,
and competition can be converted to collaboration.
Although burdened by the weight of his passing, Lord, help
his co-workers and collaborators raise the torch of his
convictions and commitments for a new generation, one yet
even to be born, and for all in all those parts of this
Nation and the world who are still untouched by the social
responsibility inherent in every aspect of human freedom.
Faithful servant of the people and longtime spokesman for
government of the people, go now to your place of rest and
meet the Lord, your God. We thank you, Lord, for the short
time you have given us to work together, to be together.
To you, be all honor, power, glory, and praise now and
forever. Amen.
Now I would like to introduce Samuel Bonds, choral
director of the Duke Ellington School of Music, who will
lead all of us in singing ``America the Beautiful.''
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Rev. COUGHLIN: Thank you very much for attending. Eternal
rest bring unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine
upon him. May he rest in peace. May his soul and all the
souls of the faithfully departed to the mercy of God rest
in peace. Amen.
Representative PATRICK J. KENNEDY: I just want to say on
behalf of my brother and sister how proud my dad was to
serve here in the Senate and most of all for you to know
that he could not have done it without all the people that
he worked with. He knew that he was only great because he
had great people supporting him, and he knew the value of
good staff. That's why he was so successful.
I know that all of you, having watched what happened the
last 3 days, have to feel good that you were part of his
life. This country has outpoured its soul and heart these
last few days to say what a difference he's made in the
life of this country. I think you all today should be
feeling that you were part of that, too, because of all
that you have done to be part of the same legacy that he
wanted for this country.
I hope you feel some consolation that the many hard
hours you put into the nitty-gritty of legislating and
policymaking give you some sense of satisfaction at having
done a really important job for this country, because that
is the legacy he would want you to feel good about.
He would be very proud to see you all out here today
paying a final respect and tribute to his memory. I thank
you on behalf of my family for being here.
Edward Moore Kennedy
Burial Service
Arlington National Cemetery
August 29, 2009
THEODORE CARDINAL McCARRICK, Archbishop Emeritus of
Washington, DC: There is a certain fittingness in having a
burial at the dying of the day, because we know that the
sun will come back again tomorrow. As we think of Teddy,
we know that his new life begins, and as we look at this
great family, we're sure that new life is already
beginning, and that new great things are happening.
Mr. Vice President, Vicki, members of the family: It is
for all of us a very special time in our own lives, in
your life, and the life of our country. And so we begin in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.
ALL: Amen.
CARDINAL McCARRICK: Dear friends in Christ, in the name of
Jesus and his church, we gather together to pray for
Edward Moore Kennedy, that God may bring him to
everlasting peace and rest. We share the pain of loss, but
the promise of eternal life gives us hope, and therefore,
we comfort one another with these words.
[Reading of Letter of Paul to the Philippians, 3:20-21]
KARA KENNEDY: Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we
also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change
our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the
power that enables him also to bring all things into
subjection to himself.
CARDINAL McCARRICK: Thanks be to God.
May I, for just a moment, be the voice of so many, all
around the world, to pay a final tribute to Senator Ted
Kennedy, and to offer our heartfelt condolences to his
wife Vicki, to his sister Jean, to his children and
grandchildren, and to all the Kennedy family, and also to
that extended family that must probably include most of
America.
May I also add a word that we who were privileged to
watch the very beautiful funeral Mass this morning had to
be touched by the wonderful part in that liturgy played by
the younger generation of Kennedys. The warm and very
personal tribute in the eulogies of Teddy's sons, and even
that of the President of the United States, whose warmth
and whose friendship for Ted are obviously so powerful.
That, together with the splendid homily of Father Hession,
Ted's parish priest, made our farewell to Senator Kennedy
unforgettable.
On learning of his death last Wednesday morning,
tributes to his half century of leadership in American
life and politics came in from all over the globe. May I
offer my own short one again.
They called him the lion of the Senate, and indeed that
is what he was. His roar and his zeal for what he believed
made a difference in our Nation's life. Sometimes, of
course, we who were his friends and had affection for him
would get mad at him when he roared at what we believed
was the wrong side of an issue. But we always knew and
were always touched by his passion for the underdog, for
the rights of working people, for better education, for
adequate health care for every American. His legacy will
surely place him among the dozen or so greats in the
history of the Senate of the United States.
Shortly before he died, Senator Kennedy wrote a very
moving letter to the Holy Father, and took advantage of
the historic visit to the Vatican by President Obama to
ask the President if he would deliver it personally, which
President Obama gladly did. A couple of weeks later, the
Pope replied with a fatherly message of concern for the
Senator's illness, and a prayer for his progress.
When Vicki and I and others began to talk about the
organization of this brief service, the happy thought
emerged of using parts of these two letters to commemorate
the faith of Ted Kennedy and the warm and paternal spirit
of Pope Benedict XVI. I want to quote from that letter. It
begins:
Most Holy Father, I asked President Obama to personally
hand deliver this letter to you. As a man of deep faith
himself, he understands how important my Roman Catholic
faith is to me, and I am so deeply grateful to him.
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I pray that
you have all of God's blessings as you lead our church and
inspire our world during these challenging times.
I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for
me as my own health declines. I was diagnosed with brain
cancer more than a year ago, and although I continue
treatment, the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77
years old, and preparing for the next passage of life.
I have been blessed to be a part of a wonderful family,
and both of my parents, particularly my mother, kept our
Catholic faith at the center of our lives. That gift of
faith has sustained and nurtured and provided solace to me
in the darkest hours. I know that I have been an imperfect
human being, but with the help of my faith, I have tried
to right my path.
I want you to know, Your Holiness, that in my nearly 50
years of elective office, I have done my best to champion
the rights of the poor and open doors of economic
opportunity. I've worked to welcome the immigrant, to
fight discrimination and expand access to health care and
education. I have opposed the death penalty and fought to
end war. Those are the issues that have motivated me and
have been the focus of my work as a U.S. Senator.
I also want you to know that, even though I am ill, I am
committed to do everything I can to achieve access to
health care for everyone in my country. This has been the
political cause of my life. I believe in a conscience
protection for Catholics in the health field and I will
continue to advocate for it as my colleagues in the Senate
and I work to develop an overall national health policy
that guarantees health care for everyone.
I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic, Your
Holiness, and though I have fallen short through human
failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the
fundamental teachings of my faith. I continue to pray for
God's blessings on you and on our church, and would be
most thankful for your prayers for me.
Two weeks later, the reply came back from the Vatican,
and in part, it read as follows:
The Holy Father has read the letter which you entrusted
to President Obama, who kindly presented it to him during
their recent meeting. He was saddened to know of your
illness, and asked me to assure you of his concern and his
spiritual closeness. He is particularly grateful for your
promise of prayers for him, and for the needs of our
universal church.
His Holiness prays that in the days ahead you may be
sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious
grace of joyful surrender to the will of God, our merciful
Father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace
promised by the risen Savior to all who share in his
sufferings and trust in his promise of eternal life.
Commending you and the members of your family to the
loving intervention of the blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy
Father cordially imparts his apostolic blessing as a
pledge of wisdom, comfort and strength in the Lord.
With the prayers of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict,
added to our own prayers, we entrust the body of Edward
Moore Kennedy, Senator Ted, to his resting place, until
the Lord calls us forth, until the end of time. Amen.
And now, let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, by your own 3 days in the tomb, you
hallow the graves of all who believe in you, and so made
the grave a sign of hope that promises resurrection, even
as it claims our mortal bodies.
Lord, grant that our brother may sleep here in peace
until you awaken him in glory, for you are the
resurrection and the life. Then he will see you face to
face and in your light will see light and know the
splendor of God, for you reign forever and ever.
ALL: Amen.
CARDINAL McCARRICK: I'm going to ask Father Gerry Creedon,
an old friend of the family, to do the intercessions for
us. He will be saying some prayers and then adding,
``Lord, in your mercy,'' and our response is, ``Lord, hear
our prayer.''
FATHER GERRY CREEDON: Lord, in your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
FATHER GERRY CREEDON: Gracious Lord, forgive the sins of
those who have died in Christ. Lord, in your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
FATHER CREEDON: Remember all the good they've done. Lord,
in your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
FATHER CREEDON: Welcome them into eternal life. Lord, in
your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
FATHER CREEDON: Let us pray for those who mourn; comfort
them in their grief. Lord, in your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
FATHER CREEDON: Lighten their sense of loss with your
presence. Lord, in your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
FATHER CREEDON: Increase their faith, strengthen their
hope. Lord, in your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
FATHER CREEDON: Let us pray also for ourselves and our own
pilgrimage through life. Keep us faithful in your service.
Lord, in your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
FATHER CREEDON: Kindle in our hearts a longing for your
kingdom of justice and peace, a longing for heaven. Lord,
in your mercy.
ALL: Lord, hear our prayer.
CARDINAL McCARRICK: In the sure and certain hope of the
resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus
Christ, we commend to Almighty God our Brother Ted, and we
commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to
ashes, dust to dust. May the Lord bless him and keep him,
may the Lord make his face to shine upon him and be
gracious to him, may the Lord lift up his countenance upon
him and give him peace.
Let us join now in praying that prayer that Jesus taught
us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy
kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us
our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against
us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil.
And now I will say again the prayers with which his
Eminence Cardinal O'Malley ended the Act of Commendation,
because they are fitting for this moment as well.
Before we go our separate ways, let us take leave of our
Brother Ted. May our farewell express our affection for
him. May it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope. One
day, we shall joyfully greet him again, when the love of
Christ, which conquers all things, destroys even death
itself.
Into your hands, Father of Mercies, we commend our
Brother Ted in the sure and certain hope that together
with all who have died in Christ, he will rise with Him on
the last day. We give you thanks for the blessings which
you bestowed upon him in this life. They are signs to us
of your goodness and of our fellowship with the saints in
Christ.
Merciful Lord, turn toward us and listen to our prayers.
Open the gates of paradise for your servant. And help us,
who remain, to comfort one another with assurances of
faith, until we meet in Christ and are with you and with
our Brother Teddy forever. We ask this through Christ our
Lord.
FATHER CREEDON: Amen.
Let us now bow our heads and pray for God's blessing.
Merciful Lord, you know the anguish of the sorrowful. You
are attentive to the prayers of the humble. Hear your
people who cry out to you in their need. And strengthen
their hope in your lasting goodness. We ask this through
Christ, our Lord. Amen.
And may the peace of God, which is beyond all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge
and love of God and of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and
may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. Amen.
And now I know that two of Teddy's grandchildren are
going to come and be with us, and say something about
grandpa.
[Three Volley Salute; Taps]
KILEY KENNEDY: My name is Kiley Kennedy, and I'm the
oldest of the four grandchildren of Ted Kennedy. When most
people think of Ted Kennedy, they think about the man who
changed the lives of millions of people by fighting for
better health care. When I think about him, vibrant
memories of sailing, laughing, Thanksgiving dinner,
talking on the front porch and playing with Splash come to
mind.
To me, all the things he has done to change the world
are just icing on my grandpa's cake of a truly miraculous
person. You see, my grandpa was really a kid. If you ever
saw him conducting the Boston Pops, that's what he was
like all the time with me. He knew how to joke, laugh, and
have fun, like the time we played games with all the
cousins at my 14th birthday party. I remember him smiling,
playing, and dancing that day. And I'll never forget
everyone's smile that he had made.
I will always remember the times we spent sailing on
Mya, when I could tell that he was the happiest in the
world, even when he was yelling, ``Get that fisherman
up!'' But what I will miss the most are the times I woke
up at 6:30 a.m. and would go to the front porch, where my
grandpa would be sitting with Splash and gazing out to
sea. It would be just us on the porch for awhile, and we
talked and talked. And I would get a feeling that the
world was just right. It was me and him sitting on his
porch, watching a new day unfold as we stared into the sea
of freedom and possibilities. I love you so much, grandpa,
and I always will.
GRACE ALLEN: Hi. I'm Grace Allen. I'm the second oldest
grandchild. I just want to say a few words about my
grandpa. Our favorite time of the year was Thanksgiving,
because we were all together as a family, sailing and
eating together at the table, all of us, including
Caroline Kennedy and her family. I just want to give
thanks to my grandpa, because he's the best grandpa I've
ever had, and the best in the world.