At the end of Sunday’s Face the Nation on CBS, host Bob Schieffer fondly remembered Ted Kennedy, exclaiming: "In a sense he was the classic American hero, the imperfect man who was sorely tested and yet in that testing found a way to overcome personal flaws and go on to accomplish great things."
Schieffer began his commentary by noting how Kennedy: "...crashed and crashed again during the early turns of his life, but somehow he kept on going through the sorrows and tragedies over which he had no control and the self-destructiveness over which he did. And in the final laps he won. His children loved him. His contemporaries, even those who often opposed him, admired him. And those whose causes he championed thanked him. To what else can a man aspire?"
In addition to touting the Senator as an "American hero," Schieffer praised his liberal legislative accomplishments: "The thousands of laws that he authored changed the lives of millions who were less fortunate, a legacy few can match....You didn’t have to agree with his politics to appreciate what he achieved. Ted Kennedy made a difference."
Here is a full transcript of the commentary:
10:55AM
BOB SCHIEFFER: Finally, as I watched Ted Kennedy’s funeral yesterday, I thought of a book I read last week called ‘The Art of Racing In the Rain,’ in which the protagonist observes that no race has ever been won on the first turn, but many have ended there. Ted Kennedy crashed and crashed again during the early turns of his life, but somehow he kept on going through the sorrows and tragedies over which he had no control and the self-destructiveness over which he did. And in the final laps he won. His children loved him. His contemporaries, even those who often opposed him, admired him. And those whose causes he championed thanked him. To what else can a man aspire? His personal friend and sometime political foe, the long-time Republican leader Bob Dole, told me the day Kennedy died that what impressed him was the Kennedy boys could have gone through life and never worked a day. But all of them did. The thousands of laws that he authored changed the lives of millions who were less fortunate, a legacy few can match. In a sense he was the classic American hero, the imperfect man who was sorely tested and yet in that testing found a way to overcome personal flaws and go on to accomplish great things. You didn’t have to agree with his politics to appreciate what he achieved. Ted Kennedy made a difference.
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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Comments Policy
If he's a hero, I'm a monkey's descendant
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:29 ET by jon_torlinI'm sure the family of Mary Jo agree fervently in this regard.
I'd go on, but why?
-Jon
Do they have the right to
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:30 ET by 10ksnookerDo they have the right to use the Oldsmobile logo?
I'm sure the spirit of Mary
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:32 ET by Kat Outta the BagI'm sure the spirit of Mary Jo Kopechne would be thrilled to know she's been relegated to being someone else's "personal flaw".
millions who were less fortunate
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:37 ET by KevindFBob and his fellow travelers think the world is just a big casino where no one has any control over what happens to themselves.
Good point Kevin!
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:47 ET by MaximusBraveheartLike who was that in Congress who just disclosed he did not pay a HUGE amount of taxes? It was an accident don't you know. Ohh sorry for that but I get to keep my job governing taxation of the People! M-B
→ Could it be?
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:51 ET by Cool ArrowCould it be Charlie Rangel (D)?
Chairman of the House Way & Means Committee?
Writer of the tax laws?
Nahhhh, couldn't be.
We will Barry you! - Russian prophecy
Kennedy was an invertebrate . . .
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:50 ET by GalvanicIf he's a classical American hero, then we've lost the meaning of the word hero. At the moment of great personal crisis, he proved to not only lack a backbone; he waited for his family and handlers to clean up his mess.
Enough is enough. He's dead. They eulogized him. He's buried. Declare him a saint if you will, but it's time to move on.
It's easy to get up and rise to senator
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:52 ET by KC MulvilleWhen you have a few hundred million dollars in the family bank account.
Although, I have to admit, the story that his son told at the funeral, of the father helping the son up the hill with the new leg ... that speaks well for the man. I admired that.
Correct Translation:
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:52 ET by mattm"...he was the quintessential corrupt politician, the reprobate man who was propped up thanks to money and fame and was thereby allowed go on to do tremendous damage."
True but
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:55 ET by MaximusBraveheartTrue translation but the public is still taking the media at their word. The public is waking up and reading between the lines like you did! Not so much for the socialist publik however. M-B
Sure, if your thing is
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 12:56 ET by Six String SpiffSure, if your thing is getting outrageously hammered, offering to drive home young women, and then leaving them to die in 8 feet of water..
It's sickening to watch this monolithic MSM gloss over all of that with the harmless phrase "Troubled past".
THE MSM - CLUELESS THRONE SNIFFERS
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:00 ET by SgthulkaEvery time I see a fawning piece about this drunk, I want to add:
"Gurgle, gurgle"
And the beauty is that
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:21 ET by ckc1227And the beauty is that works when Barney Frank is mentioned too.
→ ROFL ckc
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:25 ET by Cool ArrowOne man's throne is another man's potpourri.
We will Barry you! - Russian prophecy
Overcoming "flaws"
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:07 ET by sevenKennedy ."flaws"
Cheney "waterboarding" The unpardonable sin.
Cheney saved lives. kennedy snuffed out a life.
Schieffer: "To what else
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:07 ET by gopsteveSchieffer:
"To what else can a man aspire?"
Oh, I do not know. How about thinking about someone besides himself when a girl in a car he was driving crashed, which left her life in danger ans ultimately resulted in death...
OMG, I know the man is dead
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:10 ET by StarAZBut when will this be over? Will it EVER be over? All the gooey stuff, self-congrats (we knew him, etc). I am done.
"In a sense he was the classic American hero"
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:09 ET by BEGRUNTYa.....like Benedict Arnold!! A Traitor!!
"A nation can suffer it's fool's, but cannot survive the traitor"
Cicero
The real killer of all
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:11 ET by Six String SpiffThe real killer of all speculation as to whether he tried to save her life is the fact that he just WENT HOME.
A 4 year old knows what to do at the scene of an accident.
The mental gymnastics required to justify your positions is immense
when your political idols are self-serving, arrogant scumbags. Ted
Kennedy was everything the liberals say they hate, and they adored
him. Shame on them for not having the personal integrity to stand up
for their principles.
integrity of lies
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:23 ET by jon_torlinI seem to remember some years ago about how Clinton (pick one) was considered a good liar. It's a lot more than boasting about something rife with exaggerations but how to convince people of one thing or another to get what someone wants.
The swimmer is no different and as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, and there werer plenty of flocking around going around, especially those you might think were on the "other side of the aisle" but are called good friends.
I would never make a good politician, the idea that these people get like this and get to where they are like this just absolutely turns my stomach.
I don't CARE if this malignant piece of trash was a "beloved familiy member" or "a champion of (insert (un?)favorite cause here)" or"accomplished a lot of things(really??)," this was a person(loosely termed here) who rivals pondscum in quality and quantity!
There are blatant attempts by the same ilk of trying to control our lives and living and he even said as such during a hearing years ago in 1995.
And people aren't really none the wiser?
-Jon
American hero!!
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:13 ET by kengie"The thousands of laws that he authored changed the lives of millions who were less fortunate" ..a true American Hero. He will be missed..Good article.
→ kengie
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:17 ET by Cool ArrowOf course you can say that.
You survived the birth canal.
We will Barry you! - Russian prophecy
Berry You!!
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:30 ET by kengieOf course I did survived the birth canal, as you have also..so let us both thank Mr Kennedy!
Kengie, had it been up to
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:40 ET by bassndudeKengie, had it been up to Kennedy, you would have been aborted.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Always violence........club a liberal!!
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:08 ET by kengieViolence = GOP GOP: The Party of McVeigh It all make sense now!!
As a matter of fact, most
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:11 ET by Jack BauerAs a matter of fact, most violent criminals in prison are Democrats.
Kengie would say: That's
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:30 ET by anonymous621Kengie would say: That's because the majority of Democrats are black and you white Republican people need to keep the black man down, so you throw him in prison! (sorry. Couldn't resist that one.)
Or muslim, Jack. Dont
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:40 ET by bassndudeOr muslim, Jack. Dont forget the muslims. The dems are the party of inclusion, remember?
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Kengie, you are
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:19 ET by Six String SpiffKengie, you are weak.
"The party of McVeigh"?
Come on, boy. you better sharpen up before we hand you your 8 IQ points you've managed to cobble together in a bag.
pathetic
Go back to DNC.org.
"It all make sense now!!" - Kengie
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:25 ET by SickofLibsMe recommend not use colon and equal sign in same diatribe. Make look dumb.
But hey, at least you finally learned how to spell "McVay."
Keep 'em coming!
kengie......you seem to overlook.....
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:34 ET by BEGRUNTyour "heros" Treason......I.E; his collusion with the KGB to undermine a sitting president.....Look it up!!
I expect you'll say that never happened......go ahead, say it didn't happen!!
"A nation can suffer it's fool's, but cannot survive the traitor"
Cicero
look it up
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:43 ET by SickofLibsIf he does, he'll head directly to politifact.com and be back shortly with "proof."
SoL....I hope he does.......
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:44 ET by BEGRUNTif his head doesn't explode from reading the truth!! I'm ready for this one.
"A nation can suffer it's fool's, but cannot survive the traitor"
Cicero
Just what I thought......Crickets
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 17:06 ET by BEGRUNTThat, or his head exploded from the truth............
"A nation can suffer it's fool's, but cannot survive the traitor"
Cicero
We have to cut Kengie a break; this takes a heavy toll on him
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 17:25 ET by SickofLibsPlus he wouldn't accept the truth even if it was administered via a suppository.
LOL!!!
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 17:30 ET by BEGRUNTLOL!!!
"A nation can suffer it's fool's, but cannot survive the traitor"
Cicero
Whats wrong with clubbing
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:39 ET by bassndudeWhats wrong with clubbing liberals? They club themselves all the time. Have you seen the club Pelosi uses to keep the dems in line?
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
I'll thank my mother for
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:42 ET by dvdaughtryI'll thank my mother for having the scruples that Kennedy didn't.
He was not a good man, no matter what the liberal media spins at you.
You trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?
be thankful
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:44 ET by jdlybrandYou weren't cruising with Uncle Teddy across a bridge in an Oldsmobile forty years ago too.
"What a revoltin' development this is!"
Chester Riley
Schieffer
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:19 ET by Johnny LucidClearly, ol' Bob doesn't read Mark Steyn at all. Steyn's latest on NRO might be the last word on Teddy.
He's No Iron Man
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:30 ET by UtherpendSo like Tony Stark, Ted Kennedy was the rich man with a heart of gold and a need to help humanity. Except he never creats the Iron Man suit and simply continues to drink and relish in his wealth the rest of his life....yeah I see the similarities. /sarc
"For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security."
Ted Kennedy the "classic American hero"?
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:47 ET by PrairieSkyTed Kennedy was many things during his lifetime, but being a "classic American hero" was certainly NOT one of them.
Schieffer is delusional with his statement "In a sense he was the classic American hero, the imperfect man who was sorely tested and yet in that testing found a way to overcome personal flaws and go on to accomplish great things."
An "imperfect man" and "personal flaws"? None of us are perfect, to be sure, so in that regard Schieffer is right, but most of us are also not "imperfect" to the point that we would knowingly leave a woman trapped in a car underwater (that we had just driven off a bridge) to drown. And I think it's safe to say that most of us don't have "personal flaws" to the extent that would allow us to put our ambitions and political careers ahead of the life of another human being.
Ted Kennedy did both of these. If these are the type of things that Schieffer thinks are to be found in the "classic American hero", he must not hold a very high opinion of America's heroes.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
American hero? That's an
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:07 ET by arkansaszippersAmerican hero? That's an insult to REAL American Heros...
If Bob Schieffer truly believes Ted Kennedy to be a hero...
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:37 ET by R D Helm...then that speaks volumes as to the true nature of Schieffer's character.
-Dave
Even when the government tries to kiss you, it is just a prelude to a good screwing. -Neal Boortz
Right along with Al Capone...
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:37 ET by wnaegeleSigh!
Kennedy hero? Like Day to night.
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:42 ET by Jack BauerErr, NO.
Medal of Honor recipient Colonel George "Bud" Day is the classic American hero.
Col. Day is the most highly decorated living veteran. He is, by all accounts, a quiet unassuming man who is a hero down to his fingertips. In THAT sense, Day is the classic American hero.
I do not know Bud Day. I have never communicated with Bud. Day. But Ted Kennedy, you were no Bud Day.
Jack...Right you are...I have met Colonel Day and...
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:45 ET by PrairieSkyI can attest that your description of him as being an unassuming man is quite correct. He is a true, classic American hero.
Schieffer is clueless.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
Prairie .. thank you for
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:52 ET by Jack BauerPrairie .. thank you for sharing that personal story.
I just don't know how people like Shieffer think.
I am convinced this ludicrous hyperbole merely convinces folks that people in DC, or who cover DC, are unmoored from reality.
Jack...You're right on target...
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:02 ET by PrairieSkyabout Schieffer and his ilk being detached from reality...They really are completely clueless.
And you're welcome about my comment concerning Col. Day. Meeting him has been one of the great privileges of my life.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
Hero my eye! He have a
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:42 ET by bassndudeHero my eye! He have a Silver Star like John Kerry? Noooooooo! Not hardly. Kerry is upset!
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
bleah
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:48 ET by katainkentliberals redefine the word hero.
I have officially had enough of the Ted Kennedy stories.
kata...Had enough of Kennedy...
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:50 ET by PrairieSkystories...I passed that point years ago.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
Was it really a good article?
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 13:53 ET by HockeyKidReally? Let's see: if he there were "thousands of laws that he authored" over his 47 years in the Senate, that means he had to have, on average, 22 bills that he himelf wrote be passed into law every year. That would be impressive indeed, if it were true.
Lo and behold, the U.S. Senate site has published, on 8/26, a document with the "Accomplishments of Edward Kennedy". According to Senate records, "several hundred" of Teddy's bills made it into law. Schieffer had to do all of 30 seconds' worth of research to find the actual number. Either he didn't bother, or didn't like what he found.
So obviously this is just another of Schieffer's many, many puff pieces that prefer hyperbole to fact.
Typical leftist "journalism".
Edit: gurgle, gurgle.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Irony?
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:21 ET by shuq4Kennedy apparently was "for waterboarding" before he was "against waterboarding"
RIP MJK
True..
Tue, 09/01/2009 - 14:00 ET by kengieThis is a true statement!!! ...until he saw the waterboarding victim's deformed tortured face that looked like Big Dick Cheney..then said this can't be right...
→ kengie
Tue, 09/01/2009 - 14:04 ET by Cool ArrowThat waterboarding victim you're referring to. Was her name Mary Jo?
We will Barry you! - Russian prophecy
It's past time when these
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:33 ET by celatorIt's past time when these old, fading, left wing media flacks must move on and find something else to do. They embarrass themselves on a daily basis.
So lets chip in and buy nice permanent reserve seats at the local race track for them all. Let's round up Scheiffer, Dan Rather, Bill Moyers, Andy Rooney, Andrea Mitchell, Barbara Walters, Canadian Morley Safer, Jim Lehrer, Mike Wallace..add your own. Make sure they have a nice view of the track. Keep the booze coming.
Let's then pass a law forbidding them to ever work as "news" presenters again. We cannot take it anymore.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
Daddy Joe
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 14:37 ET by StarAZDaddy Joe saw a need (liquor) and filled it and profited. Can't get more capitalistic than that. Now, it's all about expiating the guilt and the other generations giving back. Let's at least be clear. Yes, this is an American story...that part is true--but they are not royalty and do not rule by divine right.
I wonder
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 15:17 ET by jacktheripperhow long it will take a banger in the 'hood to use "personal flaw" as a defense when they get caught killing an innocent in a drive-by!
"The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can
bribe the people with their own money." – Alexis de Tocqueville
Here's another hero- Eric
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 21:19 ET by nyyankee55Here's another hero- Eric Holder
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/obama_holder_war_with_cia/2009/08/31/254698.html
If we have more heroes like Kennedy and Holder we'll be speaking Russian before the 2012 election
nyy55... Link
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 21:24 ET by bigtimernyy55...
Link saved...will be passed on.
Thank you.
I just cannot comment anymore at the moment...just thanks.
'Go Green...Recycle Congress!'
Re The Forehead
Mon, 08/31/2009 - 22:01 ET by slickwillie2001It's too bad that Sean Hannity gave Paul Begala the nickname "the Forehead", because it fits Eric Holder much better. If I didn't know otherwise I would think he might be from the Chattooga River valley here in Georgia.
classic?
Tue, 09/01/2009 - 00:40 ET by konoIf he believes Teddy was "the classic American hero", that can only mean that Schieffer has become the classic senile idiot. (Schieffer 'splains by saying Teddy was "the imperfect man who was sorely tested and yet in that testing found a way to overcome personal flaws and go on to accomplish great things." But I'm afraid the greatest thing Teddy accomplished may have been reaching room temperature.)
Be a hero, kill
Tue, 09/01/2009 - 08:05 ET by wiwfBe a hero, kill someone!
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
Tue, 09/01/2009 - 09:41 ET by jessieHThey are trying to make a hero out of a murderer.