Tin Man's Phony Prescription

We put politics aside on Hackwhackers yesterday to observe the passing of Sen. Kennedy. The legacy he most wanted was to have universal, quality health care for all Americans, and it's tragic that he didn't live to see his greatest wish fulfilled. Many opponents of health insurance reform are claiming that Sen. Kennedy would have made a difference in negotiations with Senate Rethugs, despite the fact that they've shown no willingness to do anything but stall, obstruct, and lie about the Dem proposals. The Rethugs had an opportunity in the years starting in 1994 that they controlled Congress, but did absolutely nothing, not surprisingly.

Now we have the clownish Rethug National Committee Chairman Michael "Tin Man" Steele writing an op-ed in the WaPo -- and shame on them for loaning the page to a propagandist like Tin Man -- about the evils of health insurance reform. But Steven Perlstein's column offers a good antidote to Tin Man's nonsense. He calls out the "lies, distortions and political scare tactics" that Tin Man and his Rethugs have used to "poison the national debate over health reform." Good work.

"The Greatest United States Senator of Our Time"

Those words are from a statement by President Obama on the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy last night. Kennedy, 77, was the last Kennedy brother of his generation, and was called "the lion of the Senate" by everyone, regardless of party affiliation. He was responsible for a range of legislation over his 47 years in the Senate that touched the lives of tens of millions of people.

Here is an excerpt from his "dream shall never die" speech to the 1980 Democratic National Convention. We won't see his like again. RIP.

Kennedy Has Brain Tumor

Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital said today that Sen. Edward Kennedy's recent seizure was caused by a malignant brain tumor. Although it's not clear from the statement what stage the tumor is at, information from the National Cancer Institute indicates that the prognosis for this type of brain cancer - - the most common type - - is poor.

Kennedy counts among his friends a diverse group in both parties. One close friend is Orrin Hatch, a conservative Senator from Utah. Well wishes from across the political spectrum have been streaming in to the Kennedy family, as do ours.