Ted Kennedy

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die"

Edward M. Kennedy was the third longest-serving member of the United States Senate in American history. Voters of Massachusetts elected him to the Senate nine times—a record matched by only one other Senator. The scholar Thomas Mann said his time in the Senate was “an amazing and endurable presence. You want to go back to the 19th century to find parallels, but you won‘t find parallels.” President Obama has described his breathtaking span of accomplishment: “For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health, and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.” He fought for and won so many great battles—on voting rights, education, immigration reform, the minimum wage, national service, the nation‘s first major legislation to combat AIDS, and equality for minorities, women, the disabled and gay Americans. He called health care “the cause of my life,” and succeeded in bringing quality and affordable health care for countless Americans, including children, seniors and Americans with disabilities. Until the end he was working tirelessly to achieve historic national health reform. He was an opponent of the Vietnam War and an early champion of the war‘s refugees. He was a powerful yet lonely voice from the beginning against the invasion of Iraq. He stood for human rights abroad—from Chile to the former Soviet Union — and was a leader in the cause of poverty relief for the poorest nations of Africa and the world. He believed in a strong national defense and he also unceasingly pursued and advanced the work of nuclear arms control.

He was the conscience of his party, and also the Senate‘s greatest master of forging compromise with the other party. Known as the “Lion of the Senate,” Senator Kennedy was widely respected on both sides of the aisle for his commitment to progress and his ability to legislate.

Senator Kennedy was Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Previously he was Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and served on that committee for many years. He also served on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Congressional Joint Economic Committee. He was a leader of the Congressional Friends of Ireland and helped lead the way toward peace on that island.

He was a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Virginia Law School. He lived in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, with his wife Vicki. He is survived by her and their five children Kara, Edward Jr., and Patrick Kennedy, and Curran and Caroline Raclin, and his sister Jean Kennedy Smith.

Iraq War
Kennedy voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

In 2003, during the debate over the FY2004 Defense Appropriation, Kennedy introduced an amendment (S.AMDT.1273) to require President Bush to report to Congress his strategy for reconstruction efforts in Iraq, humanitarian aid assistance to Iraqi citizens, and encouraging international support for the rebuilding efforts. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who referred to other Democratic calls for presidential accountability in regards to Iraq "nitpicking," effectively motioned to table (kill) the amendment.

In debating the FY2005 defense appropriations bill the following year, Sen. Kennedy introduced an amendment (S.AMDT.3377) requiring that, no later than 30 days after the bill's enactment, the president submit a public report to Congress on the strategy of the United States regarding stabilization and rebuilding in Iraq, an estimate on the number of U.S. troops that will be serving in Iraq as of December 31, 2005, and the percentage of these forces that will be members of the National Guard and Army Reserves. Supporters argued that the bill would require accountability on the part of President Bush. Opponents, however, felt as though the measure was both too burdensome and unrealistic, for it would be impossible to predict troop levels far into the future. The amendment failed 48-50.

Main article: Congressional actions on the Iraq War following the 2003 U.S. invasion On January 9, 2007, Sen. Kennedy introduced legislation (S.233) prohibiting President Bush from committing more troops to Iraq without specific approval from Congress. Specifically, Sen. Kennedy stated, “Today I am introducing legislation to reclaim the rightful role of Congress and the people’s right to a full voice in the President’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. My bill will say that no additional troops can be sent and no additional dollars can be spent on such an escalation, unless and until Congress approves the President’s plan.”

Kennedy argued that the original mandate authorizing the Iraq War (passed by Congress in October 2002) had expired because "the mission of our armed forces today in Iraq bears no resemblance whatever to the mission authorized by Congress." He continued to explain that the Iraq War resolution "authorized a war to destroy Weapons of mass destruction. But there were no WMDs to destroy. It authorized a war with Saddam Hussein. But today Saddam is no more. It authorized a war because Saddam was allied with Al Qaeda. But there was no alliance."

Health Care:
Throughout his Senate career, Senator Kennedy has championed the cause of quality health care for all Americans.

Education:
Education has always been a top priority for Senator Kennedy. His commitment to ensuring that more high quality learning opportunities are available to people of all ages – especially the neediest and most disadvantaged – has been a major legislative priority throughout his career in the United States Senate.

Labor:
Workers are the backbone of America’s economy, and Senator Kennedy has spent his career standing up for the rights and priorities of workers.

Disability:
For his entire career, Senator Kennedy has been a strong supporters of our most vulnerable populations. His tireless efforts has resulted in some our most ground-breaking legislation protecting persons with disabilities.

Judiciary:
Senator Kennedy has a long-standing record of advancing the principles of equality and fairness in our justice system.

Foreign Policy:
For more than forty years in the United States Senate, Senator Kennedy has been a leading voice for human rights, social justice and democracy throughout the world.

Defense:
As a member of the Senate Armed Services committee and and chair of the Subcommittee on Seapower Senator Kennedy has fought tirelessly for the men and women of our armed forces and their families. He has worked hard to ensure that our military maintains its place as the finest in the world, ensuring that our services have the best resources and equipment available.

Energy and Environment:
Whether it was his support for the Clean Water Act of 1972 or the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 and 1990, Senator Kennedy has always stood for a cleaner environment.

Campaign Finance:
In 1973, in response to the Watergate scandal, Kennedy introduced the first ever bipartisan campaign finance bill to help clean up the electoral system.