Some events leave you speechless. So many people are writing eloquent and moving tributes to Teddy Kennedy. I don’t yet have the words to meet the moment. It’s a testimony to Kennedy’s incredible influence that you can’t quite sum up what he accomplished and what his life’s work and example meant to this country. For me, there are two types of senators worth emulating. One is best exemplified by Paul Wellstone, an unapologetic fighter who never backs down. The other is Teddy Kennedy, who got more accomplished than any senator in history by knowing when to cut a deal. For me, this is Kennedy’s most important legacy. He will be studied by every future senator. And I hope those senators learn something from the exercise.
We’ve just lost the best and most effective senator to ever serve in the institution. As a man, he had large flaws. As a politician, he had no peer.
