TEDDY

Senator Edward Kennedy died of brain cancer late Tuesday evening at his Hyannis Port home. He was living proof of two old adages: the first is that money isn't everything. Despite the fortune amassed by his father, Joseph Kennedy, the Kennedys couldn't buy longevity for three of their four sons at any price. They had to simply struggle through multiple deaths and family tragedies like everyone else. Their money may have made it a more comfortable journey, but no less painful.

The second adage is Yogi Berra's great truism: it ain't over till it's over. It certainly looked like it was over at Chappaquiddick. Most political analysts were betting the ranch that Kennedy’s political future had drowned in the Poucha Pond inlet with Mary Jo Kopechne. But Kennedy rose from the depths and through humility and perseverance not only survived but went on to become the most enduring and important player in liberal American politics and a legend in the Senate. You never know.

Not to be forgotten or understated is the fact that as the last surviving male Kennedy of his generation, he became “Uncle Teddy.” He looked after the children of his fallen brothers and was the soul of what was arguably the most important American family of the 20^th century.