Praise for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy rolled across the nation and crossed party lines Wednesday.
“In a life filled with trials, Ted Kennedy never gave in to self-pity or despair.”
— Former President George W. Bush
“While we didn’t see eye to eye on many political issues through the years, I always respected his steadfast public service.”
— Former President George H.W. Bush
“Ronnie and Ted could always find common ground, and they had great respect for one another. … In recent years, Ted and I found our common ground in stem cell research, and I considered him an ally and a dear friend.”
— Former first lady Nancy Reagan
“Teddy spent a lifetime working for a fair and more just America. … For 36 years, I had the privilege of going to work every day. … Every day I was with him, and this is going to sound strange, but he restored my sense of idealism and my faith in the possibilities of what this country can do. …. We will never see the likes of him again.”
— Vice President Joe Biden
“The liberal lion’s mighty roar may now fall silent, but his dream shall never die. … It was the thrill of my lifetime to work with Ted Kennedy.”
— Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
“His ties go back, with his father and my father, back many, many years here in Chicago. … I knew Teddy very personally over many years.”
— Chicago Mayor Richard Daley
“Teddy taught us all that public service isn’t a hobby or even an occupation, but a way of life, and his legacy will live on.”
“The commitment to build a stronger and fairer America, a more perfect union, was deeply ingrained in the fiber of who he was. … That’s why he stands among the most respected senators in history. But it was his sympathetic ear, his razor wit and his booming, raucous laugh that made him among the most beloved.”
— Sen Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.
“You couldn’t help but like him, but on the other hand the fights were real and they were knockdown, drag-out battles. But that’s the way it should be. We were like fighting brothers.”
— Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
“He faced the last challenge of his life with the same grace, courage and determination with which he fought for the causes and principles he held so dear. … And in these last 14 months he taught us much more about how to live life, sailing into the wind one last time.”
