The Wit and Wisdom of Ted Kennedy - Bill Adler [14]
—Massachusetts Memorial: A Celebration of Life,
Faneuil Hall, Boston,
November 16, 2001
In the aftermath of these shameful attacks, there is understandable anger across the nation. But it is wrong and irresponsible to jump to conclusions and make false accusations against Arabs and Muslims in our communities. Above all, we must guard against any acts of violence based on such bigotry. America’s ideals are under attack too, and we must do all we can to uphold them at this difficult time.
—Remarks on September 13, 2001,
in support of U.S. Muslim and Arab
communities in the aftermath
of the September 11 terrorist attacks
I don’t think you’re going to be a success in anything if you think about losing, whether it’s in sports or in politics.
—Quoted in Sportswit by Lee Green, 1984
ON THE KENNEDY FAMILY
AND ITS LEGACY
EDWARD MOORE KENNEDY WAS THE YOUNGEST OF NINE children, born into a family already famous enough for the birth of their fourth son to merit not a small birth announcement in the local newspaper, but a full column-length news article in each of the two competing Boston dailies.
Throughout his 77 years he was constantly surrounded by family: He was father to three, stepfather to two, grandfather to four, and uncle to more than two dozen, including Bobby’s eleven children and Jack’s two children, all left fatherless by assassins and for whom he was an active father substitute. As he told New York Times reporter Fox Butterfield in an interview in October, 1992, “Thankfully, I’ve been inundated with children all my life.”
With a lifetime of being part of a large and celebrated family, one can either try to escape it and strike out alone, or embrace it wholeheartedly, seeking refuge and support from its numerous members. With Ted Kennedy the path was clear: His love and reliance on his family is something noted by all.
Yet one of the most significant moments of his life, that he identifies as such in his memoir, True Compass, ended with a recognition of distinctiveness from his family, of his longing for a chance to be just himself, not “a Kennedy.” He had just won reelection to the Senate in what turned out to be hard-fought campaign against Republican challenger Mitt Romney in 1994. In his victory speech that night he gave full credit to his family, who, as always, had rallied around him and campaigned hard on his behalf: “Well, this victory isn’t really about me. It’s about my family and about the people of Massachusetts and their residual goodwill that goes all the way back to Grandpa’s day—” Suddenly, his wife Vicki interrupted with a truth that he needed to hear: “You know, Teddy, if you had lost, it would’ve been you that lost. It wouldn’t have been your family …” So, she concluded, “You won! Not your family. You.”
This, says Ted Kennedy, was something he had yearned all his life to hear. And it took a new family member, his second wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, to see it.
Like my brothers before me, I pick up the fallen standard. Sustained by the memory of our priceless years together, I shall try to carry forward that special commitment to justice, to excellence, and to courage that distinguished their lives.
—Speech given before the start of the
1968 Democratic Convention
I think about my brothers every day.
—Interview with Reuters, 2006
We loved him [Robert Kennedy] as a brother, and as a father, and as a son. From his parents, and from his older brothers and sisters—Joe and Kathleen and Jack—he received an inspiration which he passed on to all of us. He gave us strength in time of trouble, wisdom in time of uncertainty, and sharing in time of happiness. He will always be by our side.
Love is not an easy feeling to put into words. Nor is loyalty, or trust, or joy. But he was all of these. He loved