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Kennedy's Life Celebrated at Memorial

By BOB SALSBERG and DENISE LAVOIE

posted: ONE MINUTE AGO

comments: 7090

filed under: National News, Political News

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BOSTON (Aug. 28) - In death as in life, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy has brought together political rivals — this time to celebrate his life and half-century of service to his country.

A who's who of politics gathered Friday night at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston for the private service featuring music, laughter and plenty of anecdotes about Edward Kennedy's ferocious sense of humor and kindnesses shown to strangers who soon became friends.

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'Real Admiration and Affection'

Mourners pause in front of the casket of Sen. Edward Kennedy early Friday, before John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum opened its doors to the public. Thousands of people have filed past Kennedy's casket in Boston in the past two days. A private memorial service is to be held Friday evening.

Stephan Savoia, AP

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More on This Story:
· Who Will Replace Kennedy in Senate?
· No Obvious Heir to Kennedy Legacy
· Tributes Pour In From World Leaders
· Senator Helped Shape American Politics
· Kennedy's Battle With Brain Cancer
Politics Daily:
· Will Democrats Unite on Health Care?
· President Obama to Deliver Eulogy | Full Coverage

The "Celebration of Life" event follows two days of public viewing in which an estimated 50,000 people filed past the flag-draped coffin of Kennedy, who died this week of a brain tumor at age 77.

Speakers include Vice President Joe Biden, Republican Sens. John McCain and Orrin Hatch and Democratic Senate colleagues John Kerry and Christopher Dodd. Niece Caroline Kennedy is scheduled to speak last.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BOSTON (Aug. 28) -- Now that the public has said goodbye to Sen. Edward Kennedy, a who's who of politics is converging on Boston for a private service featuring music, laughter and, in all likelihood, calls to grant Kennedy's last political wish — health coverage for all Americans.

The event, billed as "a celebration of life," will contrast with the solemnity of the motorcade that carried Kennedy's body from Cape Cod to Boston a day earlier and the sobriety of the public viewing, where an estimated 50,000 people filed past the senator's flag-draped coffin at the presidential library named for one of his slain brothers.

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The event will honor Kennedy's love of family and friends and his commitment to public service. Scheduled speakers include Vice President Joe Biden; Sens. John McCain, Orrin Hatch, John Kerry and Christopher Dodd; and niece Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy.

Performances will include Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell singing Kennedy's favorite song, "The Impossible Dream" from the musical "Man of La Mancha," for which Mitchell was nominated for a Tony Award. Also on tap is a video tribute directed by renowned documentarian Ken Burns and Mark Herzog.

The speakers, many of whom worked for years with Kennedy in the Senate, are expected to share anecdotes of his congeniality and knack for compromise as they recall his congressional successes — and the ones he had yet to achieve when he died this week of a brain tumor at age 77.

The health care bill on which Kennedy took the lead has been among the most controversial pieces of legislation considered by Congress in recent years. Protests have erupted around the country, and opponents have called it a nationalized — even socialized — program.

Anyone addressing the health care bill at the service will tread a fine line between taste and politics, especially since conservative commentators have already objected to proposals to name the measure "The Kennedy Bill."

The dangers of politicizing a memorial event were illustrated by a 2002 memorial for Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat who was killed in a plane crash. The event became a political pep rally that turned off many voters, and some observers attributed it to Republican Norm Coleman's victory over Wellstone stand-in Walter Mondale in the special election.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said Friday that he planned to touch on Kennedy's blend of a "larger-than-life quality and his down-to-earth quality."

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Remembering Ted Kennedy

Edward M. Kennedy, who served in the Senate for more than four decades, died at his Massachusetts home Tuesday. "We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," his family said.

Susan Walsh, AP

"He had such a lovely touch with people and did things, acts of real grace, that were out of public view, that were incredibly transformative and meaningful for the individual," the governor told reporters Friday during a visit to Martha's Vineyard.

Plans for the private memorial picked up speed Friday afternoon after officials ended the two-day public viewing at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Maureen Conte, 44, rode her bike 40 minutes to the library, and was one of the last people allowed in the viewing.

"I did it for my parents. My mom called me and was so sad. She said, 'It's the end of an era.' I came to pay homage to Ted for all he's done for our country," Conte said.

Greeting visitors were members of the Kennedy family, including his daughter Kara Kennedy Allen, nephew Tim Shriver and 81-year-old Jean Kennedy Smith, the senator's sister and the last surviving Kennedy sibling.

Smith, the former U.S. ambassador to Ireland, choked back tears. "This is a hard time for me," she said when asked to talk about her brother.

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Remembering Kennedy

President Barack Obama: "For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts."

Jewel Samad, AFP / Getty Images

A five-person military honor guard stood at attention around the casket in a high-ceilinged room with a spectacular view of Boston Harbor. Large photos greeted mourners on their way into the room, including one of Kennedy as a boy with his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, and a 1960s-era shot of Kennedy with his slain brothers, John and Robert.

A funeral Mass is scheduled for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica — better known as the Mission Church — in Boston on Saturday. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and tenor Placido Domingo will perform, and President Barack Obama is delivering the eulogy.

All the living former presidents are expected to attend except for George H.W. Bush. Spokesman Jim McGrath said Friday that the 85-year-old Bush feels his son's presence will "amply and well represent" the family.

Kennedy will be buried Saturday evening near his brothers at Arlington National Cemetery in northern Virginia.

Associated Press Writer Glen Johnson contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2009-08-27 06:31:51

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smellyecoli

07:16 PMAug 28 2009

MCASTRO118---YOU SOUND JUST LIKE ANOTHER SIT ON YOUR AZZ AND DO NOTHING BLOOD SUCKING WELFARE PARASITE!! ALWAYS LOOKING TO FREE LOAD ON OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY !!THAT $4500 WAS MONEY LEGALLY STOLEN FROM THE HARD WORKING TAX PAYERS!! GET OFF THE DOLE !!

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Penbeckspf

07:15 PMAug 28 2009

Blano55 07:14 PMAug 28 2009 Penbeckspf 07:06 PMAug 28 2009 People on the left are still here bitching about Republicans and Bush. Bush is gone and the Republicans are insignifigant yet you still howl. It's no one's fault but the Democrats that they can't get things done right now. Perhaps you should quit your whining about the right and get some things done while you can. ********************* WE WILL NEXT MONTH!!! WE ARE GOING TO WIN ONE FOR TEDDY!!! I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE IT. IN VEGAS THERE IS 3 TO 1 ODDS OF IT PASSING. PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTHS ARE........LMAO, errr, yes. Ahhh, sure you will.

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NNancieJean

07:15 PMAug 28 2009

Bouncy Fat Jowls - I consider myself a conservative, not a Republican. But the war in Iraq should be ended. The stimulus package should have never passed, it was just full of payoffs. That money would have been better spent helping the uninsured getting insurance...that would have been my solution. You don't destroy an entire health care system for a minority of people...in numbers. You find alternatives to included them, not screw over everyone. Tort reform is needed but the dems won't look at that. There are solutions out there, but dems refuse to look at the sensible ones.

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Bouncy Fat Jowls

07:15 PMAug 28 2009

are people still trying to say Al queda and saddam were connected ? lmao geezus, and we just haven't found the WMDs yet either. lol good lawd neocons are really stupid.

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Danielistical

07:14 PMAug 28 2009

Gigantosapiens<<<<>>>>> Yes and BOTH of them were caught by Sadam's secret police,,,,,,,,,,

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Gigantosapiens

07:14 PMAug 28 2009

DELJHUN...Like any good liberal pseudo commie politician, they put their political agenda over principles. Pro life stance does not go well with liberoidiot voters

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OLDHORSEMA

07:14 PMAug 28 2009

Trbd37 : I apologize . It's a weakness of mine to sometime fighting back using vulgarity. The vulgarity I used was against a woman with whom I am very familiar and in the heat of discussion I unfortunately used it.

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Blano55

07:14 PMAug 28 2009

Penbeckspf 07:06 PMAug 28 2009 People on the left are still here bitching about Republicans and Bush. Bush is gone and the Republicans are insignifigant yet you still howl. It's no one's fault but the Democrats that they can't get things done right now. Perhaps you should quit your whining about the right and get some things done while you can. ********************* WE WILL NEXT MONTH!!! WE ARE GOING TO WIN ONE FOR TEDDY!!! I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE IT. IN VEGAS THERE IS 3 TO 1 ODDS OF IT PASSING. PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTHS ARE.

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ADavis1527

07:14 PMAug 28 2009

OBAMA'S friends and fellow lawyers are refusing to fix Meidcare and medicaid in favor of starting anothe program they can not fund without massive tax increases. What is the reason that they are not fixing the Medicare program if they have funds to pay for more free care. Do you think that the health care workers should pay huge bills to study hard for extended times of their youth and then will not need to pay back their Education bills? How do they do that. This alone makes health care expensive. To top this off, the LAWYERs are garnering huge profits from law suits which make every provider of healthcare good pay huge legal insurance premiums just to stay in business. Do any of you leftists have this kind of bills to pay because you are trying to help people with your God inspired talents? There is only so much expense that you can reduce but removing windfall profits from Obama, Pelosi and Reids supporter LAWYER ORGANIZATIONS. Do you think that will happen when Obama refuse...

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STaRgAzEr33154

07:13 PMAug 28 2009

Evan Barthold ....I WOULD MUCH RATHER HAVE A BLACK PRESIDENT THAN A WHITE ENEMY!!!!!@@@@ well you still don't have one because Obama is Bi-racial..1/2 white and 1/2 black

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