Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Ted Kennedy dies at 77 after long battle with cancer

Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, also known as the liberal lion of the Senate, has died after battling a brain tumor. He was 77.

The Kennedy family announced his death in a brief statement released early Wednesday.

This is very sad news to me, and I am sure to many many people around the world.

Kennedy was elected to the Senate in 1962, when his brother John was president, and served longer than all but two senators in history.

Over the decades, Kennedy put his imprint on every major piece of social legislation to clear the Congress.

We love you Ted!

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY CLINTON

On the Passing of Senator Kennedy

Today I join all Americans in mourning the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, one of our nation's finest statesmen and a dear friend. My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Kennedy's wife Vicki, his children, grandchildren, and all the members of the extended Kennedy family.

For five decades, Senator Kennedy was at the heart of our greatest debates, serving on the front lines of democracy. With optimism and courage, he helped us meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of our times. He was a champion for women and families, for health care, education, civil rights and the environment. He inspired generation after generation of young Americans to enter public service, to stand up for justice and to fight for progress. And he was a legislator without peer, who understood both when to stand his ground and when to seek out the common ground on which compromise and progress is built.

When I was First Lady, we worked together to provide health insurance for America's children. When I arrived in the Senate, he was a generous mentor and a thoughtful colleague. We worked together to raise the minimum wage, improve education, and champion the cause we shared so deeply: ensuring that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. And as Secretary of State, I valued his counsel on how to make America a force for peace and progress around the world.

I will always treasure the memory of his friendship and the time we spent together, from the Massachusetts waters he loved so much, to the floor of the Senate that will feel empty without his booming voice and broad smile.

We have lost Ted, but his life's work will shape our nation for years to come. His legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans who are freer, healthier, and more prosperous because of his efforts. As he said, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

6 comments:

Jackie said...

This is very sad. I was upset with him during the primaries, and I still have not gotten over it. I know I should , but I'm not there yet. He was a strong democrat, and I will miss not having him on our side.

Anonymous said...

How can you say "We love you Ted" after the backstabbing, misogynistic way he treated Hillary during the primaries? I will never forget what he did to Hillary and the vile, nasty, sexist, self-serving way in which he did it.

Sarah said...

I can't dwell on things from the primaries. If I did, I would be a very sad angry person.

I respect Ted Kennedy for being a champion in the Senate. I am saddened by his long fight with a brain tumor. I can't wait to hear what Hillary will say.

Jackie said...

I agree with you, we need to move on, and remember the good things he has done, but it's still hard.

derek said...

That’s a terrible thing for American…and the world; we all lost a great man and also a long legacy of family patriots and supporters to the American people and politics. We will miss you. Condolences to the family.

Stacy said...

Ted Kennedy was the last of the great liberals in the Senate (Paul Wellstone having been the other) and as a Bostonian, I can say he will really be missed and he will be difficult, if not impossible, to replace.

My thoughts and prayers are with the family who just had another significant loss recently.

As Ted Kennedy was a life-long advocate for health care for all, I really wish some REAL health reform had been passed prior to his death so he could see his dream realized.

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