Best of Ted

In my mind the most important thing Ted Kennedy ever did was help change the voting age to 18, suddenly giving a political voice to millions of young people that previously had none.

He was liberal, yes, but he was a broker. He was the one who got people to agree on things, and now only two days after he's gone, the Senate and House have descended into chaos. Democrats are on a kick that they ought to pass health care reform as a symbol of the man. Republicans are on a moral stance that health care shouldn't be politicized (kind of hypocritical, no?). Senator Orin Hatch of Utah said it most simply on ABC News: "some are saying let's pass the bill in honor of Ted, but I'm saying, hold on a minute, he would want us to pass something that's good."

Kennedy's morals were always above the rest it seems, when he said during debate of the voting age law, "If at 18 you are old enough to be drafted to fight for your country, then you should be old enough to elect leaders that might send you to do so."