Eternal Flame

"[Senator Ted Kennedy] was well-intentioned, but made a singular mistake that liberals often make. He did not apply discipline to his programs. [The] disastrous McCain-Kennedy immigration bill, for example, did not secure the border or provide assurances that criminal aliens would be deported. It was a pure amnesty play, and most Americans quickly rejected it. Kennedy had the third longest tenure in the Senate ever. So like him or not, he was a patriot, a man who was well thought of by conservatives. I said a prayer for Senator Kennedy today and his family. And it was sincere." - Bill O'Reilly on the passing of Ted Kennedy
My feelings about Bill O'Reilly are well known. My feelings about Ted Kennedy are a little more hidden, perhaps even from me. I was surprised at how much pause I had Wednesday morning when I heard that the Senator from Massachusetts had died. In so many ways, Ted was the punchline for the whole Kennedy family. He was there for abuse. Big, fat, drunken Teddy. Chappaquiddick. Why hasn't anybody shot him yet? Ha, ha, ha.
But this was a guy who served in the Senate since I was five months old. More than three hundred bills that Kennedy and his staff wrote were enacted into law. Aside from his "disastrous" work on immigration, he was also tireless in his efforts on cancer research, health insurance, apartheid, disability discrimination, AIDS care, civil rights, mental health benefits, children's health insurance, education and volunteering. Then there's that whole universal health care thing. He helped raise the minimum wage. He voted against the resolution of war against Iraq. He drank and fooled around a lot.
Nine terms in the United States Senate. Cal Ripken type numbers. Ted Kennedy was a man of enormous appetites and generosity. He worked with conservatives, liberals, Democrats, Independents and Republicans. He worked to make this country live up to its promise. When he ended his campaign for president in 1980, he gave himself a fitting eulogy: "For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. 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."
Thank you Ted. I'll say a prayer for you too, and I don't need a disclaimer to make it sincere.