“At 74, Sen. Edward Kennedy Still Roars” – The Washington Post
“At rallies, congressional hearings and in the Senate, Kennedy orates with a booming voice. Sometimes it has the cadence of a drum roll, other times the fury of fireworks.
In his office this day, he talks softly and slowly.
“The defining aspect of our country is opportunity—the hope that you can do better, that your children can do better,” Kennedy said. “But you need an even playing field.”
“To do that, you can’t be sick and be in school. You’ve got to have health care. You’ve got to have an economy working to give people a chance to get ahead. It is not guaranteed. But you have to have an opportunity.”
“Our country is big enough and strong enough and wealthy enough to give that kind of opportunity to everybody. That’s what I work on every day,” he said.”
“The Original Old Fashioned Liberal” – Newsweek
“Republicans have raised millions by demonizing Ted Kennedy, and that will continue. But even Kennedy’s harshest critics have come to realize the man is a superb legislator, and if Republicans want to accomplish anything in any area of health, education and social welfare, they’ve got to contend with Kennedy.
“We talk about his brothers and lionize their brief time of public service, but the senior senator from Massachusetts has the most lasting legislative achievements. By any measure, he is one of the most effective senators to serve in the U.S. Senate over an extraordinary period of time. Through the years, 44 in all since he was first elected in 1962 to fill out the term of his brother, he never backed away from calling himself a liberal, even when the word was maligned and the ideas mocked.
“He’s also old-fashioned. He wants to achieve legislation.”
Senator Kennedy Stops by the Daily Show – MSNBC
“Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has pretty much done it all during his four decades in the Senate, but this week he’s venturing into a new frontier — late-night comedy.
“The patriarch of one of America’s most storied political families is slated to take a seat Thursday on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” the parody news show on Comedy Central, [Thursday, April 20] at 11:00 p.m. ET.
“Until now, the senior Senator, 74, has restricted his talk-show appearances mainly to the Sunday-morning news shows.”
Senato Kennedy Brings Posse To ‘The Daily Show’ – The Washington Post
“The veteran senator, 74, made his first appearance on a late-night comedy show. He sat with Stewart on the Comedy Central show’s set to hawk his latest book, “America Back on Track.” It’s a prescription for Democrats to take back power.
While President Bush is personally “pleasant” and “charming,” Kennedy said the Bush administration has governed with the “politics of fear” ever since the 2001 terrorist attacks.”
Senator Kennedy Named One of Time Magazines Ten Best Senators – Time
“Over 43 years in the Senate, Democrat Ted Kennedy has fought serial battles on behalf of the working class — from defending overtime pay and workplace-safety regulations to expanding health-care availability and penalizing discrimination. But the key to his legacy is not that he is determined to stick up for his principles. It’s that he is willing to compromise on them.”
The World According to Ted – The Boston Globe
“Ted Kennedy is 74. In the last few weeks, he’s been at the center of the action on immigration reform, offering, with Arizona Republican John McCain, the outlines of the approach the Senate seems likely to pursue. Last Wednesday, shortly after he spoke with me, Kennedy was among the dignitaries on stage for the signing of the healthcare law. In coming weeks, he’ll be one of the senators trying to loosen President Bush’s restrictive stem-cell policy.
“I think even his critics would have to concede he’s putting in a pretty good day’s work.
“Kennedy, in collaboration with journalist Jeff Madrick, also has a book out, ‘’America Back on Track,” a volume that’s part critique of the Bush administration, part agenda for the future.”
Way To Go, Ted” – Boston Globe Letter to the Editor
“Does Mr. Scot Lehigh know how lucky Massachusetts is to have such excellent representation? Does Kennedy know when it is time to go? Of course. The undertaker will pick him up. Stand proudly, Ted!”