The Loss of Lions
News is still coming in on exactly where and when, but CNN is reporting that Senator Ted Kennedy died this evening U.S. time, succumbing to his fight with brain cancer.
Even though he had known for months it is still tragic, the passing both of one of the last lions of the left in the U.S. Senate and the end to the political dynasty that lasted from Camelot through Iraq. For many people who did not grow up in the Kennedy generation, Edward Kennedy was the only link to a near mythic time and to two of the tragedies that rocked our country in the 1960s, the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy.
No matter how you feel about his politics it is safe to say that one of the last of the old guard of the Senate has passed away, and a dynasty is truly at an end. We mourn the loss of Edward Kennedy.
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Dear Matthew,
ReplyDeleteI have been discussing Teddy with various folks of late. Bottom line, if we insist on taking some larger lesson from his life, seems to be: it's never too late to clean up one's act. In general people born with a silver spoon get far too much credit, but Teddy seems to have grown, especially since marrying Victoria in 1992.
Being born with a silver spoon can also get one started down the wrong road: arrogant elitism, abuse of power, addictive behavior, etc. The final 17 years of his life went a long way to forgiving his earlier lapses - hey being Irish can be tough. I am a strong believer in recovery and personal redemption. Go figure.
Love
Dad