President Obama to deliver eulogy at Kennedy's funeral

[Divine Discontent]

Source: Globe



President Barack Obama will deliver a eulogy at US Senator Edward M. Kennedy's funeral Mass on Saturday, a White House official has told the Globe.

Kennedy's funeral will be held at a time yet to be determined Saturday morning at The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Mission Hill section of Boston. Commonly known as the Mission Church, the 1,450-seat basilica on Tremont Street was built in the 1870s. Kennedy prayed there in 2003 while his daughter, Kara, was being treated for lung cancer.
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Obama was a political kindred spirit with Kennedy and the two became particularly close after Kennedy endorsed him for president before the Super Tuesday primaries. In a dramatic moment at the Democratic National Convention in August, the ailing Kennedy electrified the crowd with a speech that seemed intended to pass the Kennedy family torch to Obama.

Obama paid tribute this morning to Kennedy, appearing before the cameras to call him an "extraordinary leader" and "one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy."

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/08/kennedy_to_be_b.html

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This makes me very happy in hearing it. I know he'll honor him greatly. I searched and found that Faygo Kid posted this in GD, but I want everyone who stays in LBN to see the date.

[Dinger]

1. I Am Proud To Send This To The Greatest Page!

This is indeed wonderful news!:patriot:

[Divine Discontent]

3. it honestly made me very proud when I heard it... makes me have hope for the future and fighting for

Teddy's dream...

And thank you for sending his news, of giving the eulogy, the rec to send it to the greatest.

:patriot:

[Xipe Totec]

2. And Tropical Storm Danny is expected to hit Boston that night

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6400331&mesg_id=6400331

[Libertas1776]

4. It should make for a very

somber, yet appropriate atmosphere. Hopefully the President's eulogy will uplift the ceremony from the dreary tempest outside.

[nolabear]

9. Oh, Danny boy...

the pipes, the pipes are calling...

it's you, it's you must go and I must bide...

[Xipe Totec]

10. I had not made the connection!

Very poignant, thank you.

[Cha]

5. Thank you, for this news, DD.

It will be a beautiful poignant service.

[Divine Discontent]

6. Hey, Cha! YW! I wonder if we could go. I know, good luck. I would so love to sit & pay tributes to

this great man, along with several million other people who'd love to be there. I don't have much, but I have a strong urge to be there at least nearby... this man did so much for everyday Americans... he deserves a heroic sendoff.

[greennina]

7. Hopefully Obama will use this as a chance...

to push for health care reform. A lot of people will be watching so it is an important forum. It's what Ted would want.

[dflprincess]

15. He'll be walking a very fine line

this a Mass of Christian burial, a religious service, not a public memorial and it would be a very tricky place to push a political agenda no matter how noble the cause. And, some clergy can be picky about what gets said in a eulogy - some priests don't even allow them as they feel it distracts from the Mass (I don't make the dumb rules, only report on them).

Remeber how the media and the wing nuts went ape shit after Wellstone's memorial - and that was at the public service for the public man (the funeral had been private). The Reich-in-Exile is going to be listening very closely to this eulogy and like with Wellstone, they will be looking for anything they can spin out of context and make Obama look like such a crass politician he campaigned at Kennedy's funeral. I'm sure the president knows this and will be very careful.

[nolabear]

8. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Barack is the heir to Camelot. I know it's romantic and smacks of royalty and I don't fucking care. These people have my loyalty and my affection, and I'm glad there is someone to carry on. I'll be watching and weeping, for sadness and for joy.

[Tx4obama]

11. R.I.P.

[burrowowl]

12. May Obana show himself

worthy of delivering Teddy's eulogy,
May he get behind REAL HEALTH CARE REFORM!

[Divine Discontent]

13. hi!

you may want to edit, or not, the "n" in Obama to an "m". just letting you know in case you want to.

and I hope he mentions Teddy's cause of his life. I think he will properly and say he will continue doing everything in his power to make it happen.

[Wizard777]

14. I really can't think of a better speaker to do this. The chapel is amazingly beautiful.

[Divine Discontent]

17. that basilica is so gorgeously designed - whoever was the architect - they get kudos for great work!

obviously, being a basilica it's going to be gorgeous, but this one just blows my mind with how inspirational it comes across! I'd love to see it up close. What a wonderful place to have his service.

[DesertFlower]

16. this is great news. nt

[trof]

18. Full funeral events and schedule at link:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/kennedy-funeral-arrangements-set/?nl=us&emc=politicsemailema4