Thank You, Senator Kennedy

Thinking about Senator Kennedy’s malignant brain tumor diagnosis, I feel very sad. Apart from the whole scary randomness of the disease, I’m sad that when we need him most, our country will soon lose one of its smartest, hardest working, and principled legislators. I’m also sad that my sons (really, all of our children who are under the age of 16) will not know this man, never really get to see him in action. They will never get a chill down their spines from listening to one of his fiery speeches, never watch him in awe and say, “Gosh, I wish I had the courage to say that.” They will never see him cross the political aisle, concerned more about good public policy than with partisan grandstanding. The Washington Post put it best yesterday (May 21st) in their lead editorial, the subtitle of which was “More than ever, the Senate needs the traits that have made him so effective.” A brief excerpt:

This is hardly the moment for eulogies, given that we hope much useful work lies ahead for Mr. Kennedy. But it’s an appropriate time to take note of a senator who has demonstrated, unusually for his era, that it is possible to forge both friendships and working partnerships across the political aisle, all without yielding on principle. The third-longest serving senator in U.S. history, Mr. Kennedy believes in the art of the possible and then in the power of hard work when the time comes to try again for more than that. He knows when to thunder against perceived injustice and when to cut a deal.