Senator Kennedy

Floor Speech

SENATOR KENNEDY -- (Senate - May 21, 2008)

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, the television news folks spent much of yesterday looking at brain scans and pretty much counting out our friend Ted Kennedy. But I will tell you today, I think the TV crowd is missing a much bigger story; that is, Ted is the most determined person I have met, and anybody who counts Ted Kennedy out needs to have their head examined.

Now, earlier today, Senator Kennedy's son, Ted junior, gave me a call. Ted junior is a wonderful guy. We talked about all of the instances where his family has tackled illness, defeated cancer. Ted junior told me earlier today that his dad is mobilizing, he is building a battle plan against cancer, he is talking to the experts, he is digging out the facts the way we know Ted Kennedy does unlike anybody else here in the Senate. And certainly Senator Kennedy is not sugarcoating anything.

But I think it is also important to note that he sure is looking ahead. Senator Kennedy is especially looking forward to the passion of his life in public service, fixing health care and universal health coverage, coverage for all of our people.

Ted has always been America's go-to guy on health care. He has always been our conscience, our leader on the premier domestic issue of our time. Ted is always telling me--he is telling a lot of the Senators--that this time Democrats and Republicans here in the Senate can get it done, that after 60 years of bickering and quarreling partisanship, at this time, it can get done. Ted says there is no reason the richest and strongest country on Earth cannot figure this out and cannot figure out a way to get good health care to all of our people. I especially like the way Ted points out that we have thousands and thousands of wonderful doctors and hospitals and health care providers. They are ready and waiting for the political leadership to step up and tackle this issue.

Now, nobody has stepped up on health care the way Ted Kennedy has. Nobody has put the effort into looking ahead and what is it going to take to fix the system, to build the coalitions--business, labor, seniors, doctors, health care providers--all the people who are going to be necessary to fix health care.

We should be very grateful that Ted Kennedy has always stepped up on fixing American health care, particularly the challenge of our time, universal coverage. And I for one am very glad this afternoon that Senator Kennedy is looking forward to being back at his post, as we go forward, Democrats and Republicans, and tackle this issue, this issue so important to our people and our families. That is what Senator Kennedy and his public service is all about. I want to report this afternoon, he is sure looking ahead to the big challenges we face. And we want him back here with us as soon as he can.

I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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