There is a little less light in Congress as this day ends. Ted Kennedy's death on August 25th as the result of a malignant brain tumor ends the life of a political icon. Kennedy's life spanned from 1932 to 2009, and much of that time was spent as a member of the United State's Senate. At the time of his death, only one other senator (Robert Byrd of West Virginia) had longer tenure in the senate.
Another person that was recently lain to rest was Robert Novac, the conservative columnist who covered the politicos of the Beltway. To republicans like Novac, Ted Kennedy was akin to an evil force. In a recap of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, Novac said that Bush "had capitulated to Ted Kennedy and George Miller (California) on education," who had wanted more federal funding for education. In fact, Novac referred to NCLB as a Kennedy-Miller bill. Well, that confirms that no one seemed very happy with NCLB. It was a compromise. Senator Kennedy knew how to get what he wanted from a bill. For that his memory should be applauded.
As bad as NCLB was, the version that the republicans wanted was even worse. For that, we owe Mr. Kennedy a great deal. Somewhere in Cape Cod, a star burns a little brighter in the sky looking down from the heavens.
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