Kennedy returns to Senate

God bless this great man. His return is a testiment to his dedication to all the people of America. Personally, I cannot imagine this government, this country without Senator Kennedy.

Just go away!?!?!?!?! Sooner rather than later.

If anyone can get national healthcare passed at this time in history, it is Teddy. Even the hard-nosed souless ones have got to give him this. And why do we always forget that a substantial majority of the country wants universal healthcare?

Senator Kennedy is the Daniel Webster of our times. Hopefully the dream of universal care will be realized during his tenure.

Go get 'em Teddy!

Always wishing Senator Kennedy the best. When it comes to healthcare for all, I believe Senator Kennedy will make it happen.

Keep up the fight to turn the US into a socialist nation, Teddy! I know that you won't rest until every facet of the lives of your fellow American citizens is firmly under the control of the government. I can only pray that once you pass a national healthcare system plan, you have the courage (and strength!) to craft and enact legislation to turn ALL private industries and practices into government programs. Then we Americans can *finally* turn more of our paychecks over to the government, instead of the pittance we pay now. We all realize that BIG GOVERNMENT is the WAY TO GO, and that Americans can no longer rely on traits like innovation, competition, and the free market to make our country stronger. Go, Teddy, go! We are ALL BEHIND YOU!

Good the see the Lion of the Senate back in action! With a cooperative executive, I see good things coming from our senior Senator.

isn't this like the third time he has returned to the senate after getting diagnosed? remember he showed up with his dogs and wife? the previous time escapes me.

Why is Ted Kennedy so celebrated? I just don't understand it.

I met Ted Kennedy when I was 10 or 11 years old when my middle school went to DC for a school trip. I was in charge of finding someone to speak to our class and I contacted every Baystate Senator and Rep and he was the only one that would even give me the time of day and he spoke to us and had a photographer come and take a picture of all of us with him. Then he had copies made for each kid and sent it back to the school for us to have. I am 28 now and I remember it like it was yesterday! I am so glad he is up and around and I pray that he keep getting better. He is one of very few that fights for little people like me even though he makes millions!

Kennedy's health care plan will do for America what his transportation plan(Big Dig) did for Boston. It will have the same cost accuracy and have the same quality.

Great to hear Senator Kennedy is back to work! Here's hoping 2009 will finally see the culmination of his hard work for a national health care plan--it's overdue and sorely needed. Thank you Senator!

Senator Kennedy........God bless you.....You are a man of honor and strength.
I am proud to call you my Senator..... I have followed you from the day you
opened the Head Start program in Jefferson Park... Cambridge, Mass. over
40 years ago...........and you are still making a differance...

Welcome home Ted, thanks for caring about the common people.

Ted Kennedy is celebrated in this country because he's one of the few politicians we have who actually cares about the poor and the vulnerable and has fought for them all his political life. He is also one of the few politicians we have who has spoken out fearlessly to people in power, as he did when he told Bush it was foolhardy to invade Iraq. Not a perfect man, but a great one.

"Kennedy's health care plan will do for America what his transportation plan(Big Dig) did for Boston. It will have the same cost accuracy and have the same quality."

Oooh, love it.

Who's Kennedy?

I wish Senator Kennedy well. He is certainly a warm hearted soul.

As for his politics I agree with Post No. 7. But, for he as a person, and so many others who have suffered with any form of cancer, and other illness, my heart goes out to him. I wish him the very best.

Great to have Senator Kennedy back. Go get them, Teddy.

I wish Senator Kennedy good health as he battles his glioma but that does not mean I wish him to get all his pet projects passed. Remember he is the one who was so instrumental in changing the US Immigration laws many years ago, after the Senate seat was 'kept warm' for him by a former roommate of the late President Kennedy. (Ted was 28 years old and one must be 30 to become a US Senator). I have to chuckle, really - politics is all about nepotism and some do it for power because they have plenty of money (the Kennedy family) and some do it for money (because they were not born with a 'silver spoon' (Gov. Blagojevich). I find it hard to point the finger at one and not at the other.

The second comment by Marie makes her a loser. Perhaps you should go away Marie. LOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have to give him credit. Working in the Senate during what may be his final days. He gives 'greatness' to the Kennedy name.

Rory, only the rich and the stupid might not understand Senator Kennedy's accomplishments. I hope you are rich!

I can't wait for him to return yet again when Mrs. Schlossberg gets sworn in. I'm sure "K" will be mailed an 8X10 glossy print along with the whole class. I am so puzzled just what does he fight for? "Rory" I have to agree with you...I don't understand it either.

I can't believe that with all of his problems, he's back to work trying to fulfill a promise to overhaul our failing and tragic health care industry. The time is now for this badly needed legislation and I hope to see Senator Kenndey standing next to President Obama when it's signed into law!

You know, it wouldn't be bad if Ted Kennedy's health care plan did for the nation what the Big Dig did for Boston. I have no doubt national healthcare will cost a lot more than anyone thinks right now. I'm sure there will be problems, disasters, horror stories, excesses, kickbacks, and all sorts of inexcusable behavior. But ultimately, despite its problems and once those problems are identified and dealt with, I think it will make life better for a lot of people. And the excesses and bribes will be nothing compared to the execrable, totally unaccountable greed and carelessness of private health insurance companies.

Regardless of whether you like his programs or his party affiliation, everyone should be rooting for him! He is a living legacy (I'm sure that he hates that) and a workhorse for Massachusetts residents and all US citizens. He will go down in Senate history of one of its' most productive and beloved senators. I hope he enjoys a long retirement after this current term. He deserves it!!! God bless.

Just the look at the record...don't forget the nonesense as it can never be forgotten, but the record also can never be forgotten. This man has done more for his state than any other legislator in our nations history. You may hate him personally, but please don't insult his constituents by trashing his record of public service.

That will be the day when the common man can get the same cancer treatment he received. Dream on!

To Dave P. If socialism means universal healthcare and real education then I'm all for it. We would not be sucked into cliches and we would all be innovative, competitive - and productive. Think of that!

I am very happy to see that Senator Kennedy is fighting the good fight, not only for us with the healthcare bill, but courageously fighting for his life. He has a beautiful family, children, and grandchildren that need him. My prayers are with you.

Maybe in what will hopefully be his last session of Congress Ted Kennedy willactually do something to straighten out the messes he has made.

HMO Act - Ted Kennedy author
Immigration Reform Act 1995

How'd they work? DISASTERS

I have followed his career from the first time I met him just after he was elected to the Senate. He visited a nursing home dad built... he was very tall as I remember. I was 10. Some 50 years later, as I recount the severe problems (Chappiquidick, etc.), he has redeemed himself to be a true statesman for America. I now have the opportunity to see him at many events (i'm a journanlist), and let me assure you, he is indeed, a noble force... and one helleva guy. I credit his wife with turning around his 'ways', but it's his way of negotiating bi-partisian accords that makes him historic.. We, as a country, should embrace this guy and hope that he can convince his brethren in the Senate that universal health care is the way to go...
there are people who need it badly, and Senator Kennedy is the one who can salvage the lives of the of the poor. Support this guy... you won't see the likes of him for a long, long time.

As soon as cancer was found, I noticed the immediate attempt at canonization of old Teddy by the main stream media. They are saying what a "great American" he is. I say, let's get a couple things clear & not twist the facts to change the real history.

1. He was caught cheating at Harvard. He was expelled twice, once for cheating on a test, and once for paying a classmate to cheat for him.

2. While expelled, Kennedy enlisted in the Army, but mistakenly signed up for four years instead of two. Oops, the man can't count to four. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, former U. S. Ambassador to England (a step up from bootlegging liquor into the US from Canada during prohibition), pulled the necessary strings to have his enlistment shortened to two years, and to ensure that he served in Europe, not Korea, where a war was raging. No preferential treatment for him like "he" charged President Bush received.

3. Kennedy was assigned to Paris , never advanced beyond the rank of Private, and returned to Harvard upon being discharged. Imagine a person of his "education" never advancing past the rank of Private.

4. While attending law school at the University of Virginia , he was cited for reckless driving four times, including once when he was clocked driving 90 miles per hour in a residential neighborhood with his headlights off after dark. Yet his Virginia driver's license was never revoked. Coincidentally, he passed the bar exam in 1959, amazing.

5. In 1964, he was seriously injured in a plane crash, and hospitalized for several months. Test results done by the hospital at the time he was admitted had shown he was legally intoxicated. The results of those tests remained a "state secret" until in the 1980's when the report was unsealed. Didn't hear about that from the unbiased media, did we.

6. On July 19, 1969 , Kennedy attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts .At about 11:00 PM , he borrowed his chauffeur's keys to his Oldsmobile limousine, and offered to give a ride home to Mary Jo Kopechne, a campaign worker. Leaving the island via an unlit bridge with no guard rail, Kennedy steered the car off the bridge, flipped, and into Poucha Pond. He swam to shore and walked back to the party, after passing several houses and a fire station. Then two friends returned with him to the scene of the accident. According to their later testimony, they told him what he already knew, that he was required by law to immediately report the accident to the authorities. Instead Kennedy made his way to his hotel, called his lawyer, and went to sleep. Kennedy called the police the next morning and by then the wreck had already been discovered. Before dying, Kopechne had scratched at the upholstered floor above her head in the upside-down car. The Kennedy family began "calling in favors," ensuring that any inquiry would be contained. Her corpse was whisked out-of-state to her family, before an autopsy could be conducted. Further details are uncertain, but after the accident Kennedy says he repeatedly dove under the water trying to rescue Kopechne, and he didn't call police because he was in a state of shock. It is widely assumed Kennedy was drunk, and he held off calling police in hopes that his family could fix the problem overnight. Since the accident, Kennedy's "political enemies" have referred to him as the distinguished Senator from Chappaquiddick. He pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, and was given a SUSPENDED SENTENCE OF TWO MONTHS. Kopechne's family received a small payout from the Kennedy's insurance policy, and never sued. There was later an effort to have her body exhumed and autopsied, but her family successfully fought against this in court, and Kennedy's family paid their attorney's bills... a "token of friendship"?

7. Kennedy has held his Senate seat for more than forty years, but considering his longevity, his accomplishments seem scant. He authored or argued for legislation that ensured a variety of civil rights, increased the minimum wage in 1981, made access to health care easier for the indigent, and funded Meals on Wheels for fixed-income seniors and is widely held as the STRONG "standard-bearer for liberalism." In his very first Senate role, he was the floor manager for the bill that turned U. S. immigration policy upside down and opened the floodgate for immigrants from third world countries. Since that time, he has been the prime instigator and author of every expansion of and increase in immigration, up to and including the latest attempt to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. Not to mention the Pious grilling he gave the last two Supreme Court Nominees, as if he were the standard bearer for the nation in matters of right. What a pompous ass.

8 He is known around Washington as a public drunk, loud, boisterous and very disrespectful to ladies. JERK is a better description than "great American".

Let's not allow the spin doctors make this jerk a hero - how quickly the American public forgets what his real legacy is

Marie....

What a sad and nasty woman you are with your comment.

Sir, your devotion to public service for all these years, in spite of the sacrifices your family has suffered, is an inspiration to me..............fight the good fight and may God bless you

slm ---
I grew up in JP and remember the Head Start program well. I also remember Ted coming to CHLS (before the merge, to shows how old I am :)) to speak to us. There's a picture of him in my yearbook. We invited him to our 25th reunion several years ago, but he was in Washington at the time. I believe his assistant did everything in her power to try and make it happen. Had he been 'home', he would have come.

For those who don't know why people think he's 'so great' -- did you not hear his niece's speech at the DNC? He's your Senator, too.....

In our family, he's known as Uncle Teddy. More than any senator of his generation, or perhaps any generation, Teddy has made life better for people in this country and around the world.

For 46 years, he has been so much more than just a senator for the people of Massachusetts. He's been a senator for all who believe in a dream that's never died. If you're no longer being denied a job because of your race, gender or disability, or if you've seen a rise in the minimum wage you're being paid, Teddy is your senator too.

If your children are receiving health care thanks to the Children's Health Insurance Program, if you see a nurse at a community health center or if you're benefiting from the Medicare program that he fought to create, and that just last month he returned to the Senate to save, Teddy is your senator too. If your child is getting an early boost in life through Head Start, or attending a better school or can go to college because a Pell grant has made it more affordable, Teddy is your senator too. And if you're an 18-year-old who's going to vote for the first time -- and I bet it'll be for Barack Obama -- Teddy is your senator too.

Not only has Teddy helped put the American dream within reach for so many families, he's been a powerful force around the world for human rights and human dignity, for refugees and the dispossessed. He helped end apartheid in South Africa and bring peace to Northern Ireland. He's been a leader on nuclear arms control. And he took a strong, early and courageous stand against the war in Iraq.

He is a man who always insists that America live up to her highest ideals, who always fights for what he knows is right and who is always there for others. I've seen it in my own life. No matter how busy he is, he never fails to find time for those in pain, those in grief or those who just need a hug. In our family, he has never missed a first communion, a graduation, or a chance to walk one of his nieces down the aisle.

He has a special relationship with each of us. And his 60 great nieces and nephews all know that the best cookies and the best laughs are always found at Uncle Teddy's. Whether he is teaching us about sailing, about the Senate or about life, he has shown us how to chart our course, take the helm and sail against the wind. And this summer, as he faced yet another challenge, he and Vicki have taught us all about dignity, courage and the power of love.

In this campaign, Barack Obama has no greater champion. When he is president, he will have no stronger partner in the United States Senate. Now, it is my honor to introduce a tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

I wish Teddy well and thank him for all his efforts to extend the American safety net . It is needed now more than ever. You can rant about socialism but when times get rough it is not the "markets" but the government which provides unemployment benefits and medical care. No living Senator has done more to extend that safety net. I hope he lives to see universal care. He was born to privilege, and has dedicated his life to making education, athletics and now healthcare available to more Americans. Massachusetts should be proud that he has been its Senator..

Thank you Senator Kennedy for your passion and service - Go get em Teddy!!!!