Kennedy

The article in the New York Times has the air of an obituary but, since Senator Edward M. Kennedy has not yet gone toward the light, the article is actually an appreciation. It's an appreciation of what Kennedy has done while in public service (he's been a senator longer than I've been alive, and I'm not all that young), but more tellingly about the man and his character, the article shows the appreciation Kennedy's colleagues have for him.

The emotion expressed by senators, both Republican and Democrat, was one of genuine sadness that their comrade might not be around much longer. Why is this, that a conservative Republican like Lindsay Graham might feel such a sense of loss at the thought of a liberal icon like Ted Kennedy no longer being around.

For one thing there is the reassuring continuity of someone who has been in the Senate since 1962, reassuring in the sense that, while power is fleeting and crises come and go, there are some things, like the presence of Ted Kennedy on the Senate floor, that remain a constant. And constancy is reassuring.

Even more important is the fact that Kennedy is an old fashioned politician, in the sense that he is always willing to give a little to get a little. He doesn't burn super hot, scorching the earth, like Newt Gingrich did in the House, taking no prisoners, giving no quarter, making no friends, all in the name of partisanship rather than genuine achievement for the good of all. Kennedy hearkens back to a day when, after the work in the public eye was done, senators could get together for a drink, hash out their concerns, come to an agreement, and when it came time to vote, stick to that agreement. I think the sadness Kennedy's colleagues feel is not just for Kennedy for himself, but for themselves because they know an era will be coming to an end, and that they, and perhaps the country, will be lesser for it.