Edward M. Kennedy, RIP

There is little on which I agreed with Sen. Ted Kennedy, and I’ve never been much impressed with the Kennedy mythos; what’s more, I think his moral and physical cowardice at Chappaquiddick dishonored him. That said, it’s inappropriate to ignore the good things about people, and especially to do so with regard to one’s opponents; as such, I think it’s important to point out that there truly were some things about Sen. Kennedy that any fair-minded person would find admirable.

I like, for instance, what John Fund had to say:

Ted Kennedy and I didn’t occupy much political space in common, but I always admired his ability to build coalitions for the things he believed in, assemble a first-rate staff and bravely represent a coherent point of view. He was also a man who would answer your questions forthrightly and then invite you to have a drink.

In his last months, he and his wife Vicky also found time to come to the aid of a fellow cancer sufferer—my old boss and friend Bob Novak. He died only a week ago from the same type of brain tumor that felled Senator Kennedy. When the conservative columnist was diagnosed last year, Vicki Kennedy reached out to Novak with the lessons they’d learned about treatment. “He and his wife have treated me like a close friend . . . and urged me to opt for surgery at Duke University, which I did,” Novak wrote in one of his last published columns. “The Kennedys were not concerned by political and ideological differences when someone’s life was at stake, recalling at least the myth of milder days in Washington.”

He was a powerful, powerful advocate for the causes to which he committed himself—and his dedication was remarkable. As Bill Bennett writes,

Whatever one thought of him, there is no one in the Senate of his force, sheer power, and impact. If you think there is his equal in this, tell me who it is.

He fought hard, and sometimes viciously; but for all that, he seems to have earned a fair bit of sincere admiration and affection even from those on the other side of the aisle. Mitt Romney’s statement captures some of this:

In 1994, I joined the long list of those who ran against Ted and came up short. But he was the kind of man you could like even if he was your adversary. I came to admire Ted enormously for his charm and sense of humor – qualities all the more impressive in a man who had known so much loss and sorrow. I will always remember his great personal kindness, and the fighting spirit he brought to every cause he served and every challenge he faced. I was proud to know Ted Kennedy as a friend, and today my family and I mourn the passing of this big-hearted, unforgettable man.

Requiescat in pace, Edward M. Kennedy.