Last of the Brothers of Camelot: Edward Kennedy, Rest in Peace
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on August 26, 2009
The brothers of Camelot: Sen. John F. Kennedy, center, and his brothers Edward Kennedy, left, a University of Virginia law student, and Robert F. Kennedy, chief counsel to the Senate Rackets Committee, attend the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, DC, on March 15, 1958. (AP Photo)
Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy has died at the age of 77. No matter your party affiliation, Kennedy was a man who earned our respect, even if we didn’t agree with his liberal politics. He gave most of his life to the service of his government, a life that was filled with privilege and heartache and controversy.
Be ready for the onslaught of media coverage…
From Politics Daily:
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, longtime Democratic senator and the patriarch of the Kennedy political family, has died after a lengthy battle with brain cancer.
The Kennedy family released a statement early Wednesday morning saying, “Edward M. Kennedy – the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply – died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. 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. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. 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.”
In recent weeks, Kennedy had received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, and his younger sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, died. News came last week that the senator had sent a letter to the governor of Massachusetts, asking that he work to change the state’s laws of succession to fill his Senate seat quickly through a direct appointment, rather than through a lengthier special election process. Kennedy’s letter, as well as his absence from the White House Medal of Freedom ceremony and his sister’s funeral, fueled speculation that his health condition was grave…
From ABC News:
Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 1962, at the age of 30, and his tenure there would span four decades.
A hardworking, well-liked politician who became the standard-bearer of his brothers’ liberal causes, his career was clouded by allegations of personal immorality and accusations that his family’s clout helped him avoid the consequences of an accident that left a young woman dead.
But for the younger members of the Kennedy clan, from his own three children to those of his brothers JFK and RFK, Ted Kennedy — once seen as the youngest and least talented in a family of glamorous overachievers — was both a surrogate father and the center of the family.
And certainly it was Ted Kennedy who bore many of the tragedies of the family — the violent deaths of four of his siblings, his son’s battle with cancer, and the death of his nephew John F. Kennedy Jr. in a plane crash.
From Sarah Palin and her family:
I would like to extend our sympathies to the Kennedy family as we hear word about the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy. He believed in our country and fought passionately for his convictions.
From The Guardian:
Forty years ago on a dark night on a quiet island off Massachusetts, Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge after leaving a party with a young woman, killing her and forever marring his legacy.
The tragedy on Chappaquiddick Island, in which 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne was trapped in the car in a tidal pool and died, led to accusations that Kennedy used his name and influence to escape justice. With its whiff of sex, alcohol and privileged self-indulgence, the incident plagued Kennedy for decades.
Forty years on, historians and political analysts remain divided over whether Kennedy effectively dropped the keys to the White House that terrible night. His only run for the presidency in 1980 fizzled. But American political life is replete with second acts of contrite politicians who recover from scandal, and American voters have long shown a remarkable capacity for forgiveness. After Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts voters re-elected Kennedy to the US Senate seven times.
More reading on Kennedy:
Michelle Malkin: The wretched excess begins and Sen. Edward Kennedy has died
Crystal Clear Conservative: RIP Ted Kennedy
DaTechguy’s Blog: Did I just hear Joe Scarborough say…
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Rush Was Right: Dems Call For “The Kennedy Memorial Health Bill”
The Daley Gator: Sen. Edward Kennedy dies
NEOAVATARA: Sen. Ted Kennedy, R.I.P
Sister Toldjah: Politicizing Ted Kennedy’s death and RIP, Ted Kennedy
Ztower: Carl M. Cannon writes about Senator Kennedy’s passing in words I felt, but could not assemble.
Gateway Pundit: Ted Kennedy Dies- Long Serving Liberal In US Senate
Scared Monkeys: Ted (Edward) Kennedy … The Liberal Lion of the Senate has Died at the Age of 77
The American Spectator: Edward M. Kennedy, RIP
The Powers That Be: Chris Matthews is Wrong to Say Obama is the Last Kennedy Brother
Hot Air: Ted Kennedy, 1932-2009
Stop The ACLU: Edward Kennedy Dead at 77
GayPatriot: In Memoriam, Edward Moore Kennedy
The Substratum: Senator Edward Kennedy Dies And I Can’t Lie, The Champagne Will Be Flowing Tonight At My Place
CNN Politics: Kennedy remembered
The Anchoress, First Things: Ted Kennedy, Healthcare & Purgatory
Below The Beltway: Ted Kennedy Dies At 77
The Xtremist: Ted Kennedy’s Ghost Will Be Spotted Asking For ObamaCare
Vets On The Watch: And So It Begins
A Solitary Conspiracy: Ted Kennedy: A Personal Remembrance
Smart Girl Politics: Mary Jo can finally rest in peace.
The Underground Conservative: The Last Kennedy Brother
The Clampdown: Ted Kennedy, RIP
Outside the Beltway: Mary Jo Kopechne
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