Republicans are outraged that Democrats may "inappropriately politicize" the death of Senator Ted Kennedy to advance the passage of health care reform. And they're right to be, because there is absolutely no precedent for using the tragic passing of a liberal hero as inspiration for action on legislation of which he was in favor. Except for that time in 1963 when President Johnson went to Capitol Hill and insisted that READ MORE

Joyce Carol Oates, whose 1992 novel Black Water was based on the drowning of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick, looks at the legacy of Ted Kennedy. She asks, "if one weighs the life of a single young woman against the accomplishments of the man President Obama has called the greatest Democratic senator in history, what is one to think?" It's not an easy question.

Vice President Biden gave an unexpectedly touching tribute to Ted Kennedy earlier this morning. The full clip is here, but I found these personal reminiscences to be the most moving part.

Longtime Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy passed away last night at the age of 77. He leaves a mixed and confusing legacy that historians will still be reckoning with fifty years from now. His career is proof that a lifetime of privilege and its attendant advantages need not make one callous to the suffering of the less fortunate who are so often denied those advantages. Former DNC Chair Paul G. Kirk called him "the most accomplished and effective legislator for economic and social justice in the history of our country," which is probably fair to say. One of the sadder aspects of his passing is that we've lost a politician who was able to bridge partisan divides in an age where that skill is too often scorned. To learn more about Ted Kennedy, read the entire Internet today.