Ted Kennedy

Yesterday Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignent brain tumor. While I disagree with everything this man has stood for during his more than forty years in the Senate, my prayers and best wishes go out to him and his family.

With the sad news out of Boston yesterday it occurred to me that the passing of Kennedy wasn't the only impending loss the country was about to suffer. The Kennedy news reminded me of Senator Warner's retirement, of the days when gentlemen joined the "most exclusive club" in the world and referred to each other as the Honorable Gentleman from Such and Such (and meant it).

With the passing of Kennedy we lose another key to a bygone era, when deals could be made with handshakes and a slap on the back. We lose part of our connection to an America where one colleague can make a heartfelt tribute to another <http://youtube.com/watch?v=CCwwCCQozPM> and make a Nation feel the power of his words.

Again, from the issue of life to healthcare to taxes and the role of government in the lives of ordinary Americans, I disagree with the ol' Liberal Lion, but he is from the era where that makes him my opponent, not my enemy. I think that's a subtle. but important point that's missing in American politics today.

May God watch over you, Edward Moore Kennedy.