Edward Kennedy: 1932-2009

In Edward Moore Kennedy's first run for the U.S. Senate, nearly a half-century ago, one of his opponents dismissed his campaign as nothing but legacy and entitlement. Were it not for the Kennedy name, charged another well-connected politician, the young man's candidacy would have been a joke.

Mr. Kennedy couldn't be separated from that storied name, of course. His destiny was to forever be judged as the youngest brother in an aspiring dynasty that left two siblings as political martyrs. And now, at the sad end of the long life none of his brothers enjoyed, Mr. Kennedy might be measured on his own terms.

He was a flawed yet accomplished man, with volumes of legislative triumphs to his credit, but with personal shortcomings and misdeeds that were just as memorable. He was an epitome of imperfection who nonetheless managed to make life better for the millions of people he served as one of the most able senators in history.

The man who didn't win that Senate seat 47 years ago so much as inherit it devoted his life to the legions who lacked such privilege and advantage. Health care reform, civil rights, economic justice, quality education, environmental protection and more humane immigration laws were his most passionate causes.

The results, said his hometown Boston Globe, "meant hospital care for a grandmother, a federal loan for a working college student, or a better wage for a dishwasher."

Mr. Kennedy embraced the traditions and protocols of the Senate in a way his brothers never did. In time, he mastered its ways and machinations as well. There hasn't been a piece of progressive legislation passed in decades that doesn't bear his imprint. That much was noted upon his death Wednesday by his friend, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Mr. Kennedy had a way of making allies out of adversaries.

Much of his Senate success came in the years after it became clear that Mr. Kennedy would never be president. His one attempt to do so, an unsuccessful challenge to President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic nomination in 1980, was among the low points of a life where failure was more often of a personal nature.

There was, we can't forget, the cheating scandal that got him kicked out of Harvard for a time; the lapse of judgment and responsibility that left Mary Jo Kopechne, just 28, dead at Chappaquiddick; and years later, the night of drinking he initiated that ended with his nephew arrested on rape charges.

Yet neither can we overlook the combination of courage, perseverance and, yes, good political fortune that made Mr. Kennedy such an influential figure. It's beyond daunting to think who might fill the void he leaves in the quest for a more just and compassionate America.

"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," he said in defeat to Mr. Carter.

Dream on, then, America, of the prowess of a liberal lion — free, next time, of tragedy and torment.