Seeing and hearing Kennedy speak at the Health Summit today brought tears to my eyes, as I'm sure it did to millions of others. He's been fighting for some form of universal health care for his entire career. And it's looking more and more likely that he will live to see it happen.
Edit to add: there's a video at the link.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/05/the-lion-roars-once-more_n_172337.htmlPresident Barack Obama, concluding a summit with leaders from Congress, the non-profit world, the medical and the insurance industries, entered the closing session at the East Room of the White House with a guest by his side.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the voiced boomed over the loudspeaker, "the president of the United States accompanied by Senator Ted Kennedy."
The crowd of roughly 150 guests jumped to its feet in approval. Suffering from brain cancer and confined, largely, to a home in Florida, the Liberal Lion's mere presence in the Washington struck an emotional chord. Kennedy didn't disappoint. Introduced by the president as "Sir Edward Kennedy" - an ode to the knighting the Senator recently received from the Queen of England - the long-time health care champion waxed optimistically about this moment in history.
"I join with all of those who feel that this is the time, now is the time for action," he said. "I think most of us who have been in this room before have seen other times when the House and the senate have made efforts. But they haven't been the kind of serious effort that we are seeing right now. If you look over his gathering here today you see the representatives of all the different groups that we have met with over the period of years...That has not been the case over the history of the past going all the way back to Harry Truman time. But it is the case now. And it is I think a tribute to your leadership in bringing all these people together."
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