There are few political figures who in the course of their careers and their lifetimes attain the status of beloved. Ted Kennedy is one of those rare individuals, and the very thought of a world without him in it is a painful one.Kennedy’s appeal and the affection in which he is held transcends party and ideology. This liberal lion has always been able to reach across the aisle because his word is his bond - and because it was no secret that he just wanted to get things done. And so he has found common ground with President Bush on education with No Child Left Behind just as he had found common ground with every other occupant of the Oval Office he has dealt with in his 46 years on Capitol Hill.
Yesterday GOP presidential nominee John McCain, with whom Kennedy has worked tirelessly on immigration legislation, called Kennedy “the single most effective member of the Senate.”
That is surely no secret around here. This editorial page has differed with him on issues about as often as it has agreed. But we could count on one thing: Unlike most political figures Ted Kennedy didn’t shift his positions with the prevailing winds. Some would call that stubborn - and, heaven knows when we disagreed with him we quite likely added that to his list of failings. Some would call it noble and courageous. And in a world where courage is a sometime thing, Kennedy has it in abundance.
He will need that courage now as he battles the malignant brain tumor doctors diagnosed following his Saturday seizures.
We have seen Ted Kennedy in the course of his lifetime assume the leadership of a family as it was abruptly thrust upon him - to comfort this sprawling clan in their sorrow and encourage them in their own quests.
We have seen him marshal more strength and courage than men half his age to battle injustice and to fight for what he believes in. May that strength and that courage never leave him in the days ahead.