Ted Kennedy: An American Great

I was saddened to hear of Senator Ted Kennedy's passing. Kennedy lost his battle with brain cancer at the age of 77 on Tuesday. He was a very inspirational person and a visionary leader. When Edward Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 1962, no one predicted he would become a master legislator, a liberal hero, "the lion of the Senate"—as not only Democrats but some Republicans called him.

Kennedy was recently honored by President Barack Obama with a Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Senator Kennedy was the third longest-serving senator in U.S. history. Kennedy emerged as a central figure in the 2008 presidential campaign, boosting Obama's candidacy by endorsing the rookie Illinois senator over former first lady Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination.

As a sponsor of landmark legislation including the Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Senator Kennedy worked his entire career to secure a higher quality of life for men and women with disabilities. Making sure everyone had access to a high-quality education – particularly the most disadvantaged – was a major legislative priority for Senator Kennedy throughout his career in the United States Senate. Senator Kennedy believed that civil rights remain America’s great unfinished business, and he had a major role in every civil rights battle in Congress for the past half century.

He attended President Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration despite being severely ill, only to collapse at an inaugural luncheon for the new president the same day. He made his final public appearance in Washington in April, joining Mr. Obama at the White House for the signing of a national service bill named in his honour. As he neared death in recent weeks, Kennedy remained a key Obama ally on the President's primary domestic issue – helping craft legislation intended to produce the most dramatic reforms to the U.S. health-care system in decades. Kennedy called the healthcare reform the summation of his life's work in Congress. I think that the passing of the healthcare reform would be the best way for Kennedy's colleagues to honor his memory.

This man has given so much to our country. We owe him a huge debt. My prayers and thoughts go out to his family and friends during this time of mourning.

"Every American should have the opportunity to receive a quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity."-Senator Ted Kennedy