Barnicle: Courageous Ted Reaches Out To Accident Victims

If the aphorism de mortuis nil nisi bonum instructs us to speak only good of people who have passed away, perhaps there is a corrollary applicable to those dealing with a dread disease. While I am thus somewhat reluctant to do so, I cannot let pass without comment Mike Barnicle's words about Ted Kennedy on today's Morning Joe.

MIKE BARNICLE: Last night when he came out, it was clearly a bittersweet experience. There was a tinge of sadness to it, to be frank about it. He's an enormously courageous man . . . You know, I've encountered very few people of my life, Joe, who are more extraordinarily attuned to others who are in pain. Whether it's physical pain, whether it's something caused by an illness.  Whether it's an accident of fate, whether it's something that has befallen them, some tragedy of any sort.  He is uniquely equipped to reach out to people who are hurt and damaged.

View video here.

Now it should be said that as many of us have learned in the course of the coverage of his illness, and as Barnicle and Scarborough described, Kennedy does have a long tradition of extending a variety of kindnesses to those in pain.  He apparently does this behind the scenes and without fanfare.  But how was it possible for Barnicle to say what he said, and for Joe to second it as he did, without mentioning Chappaquiddick, if only to describe how Kennedy has grown since then?

Barnicle is shown in the screencap displaying  his "Tedstrong" wristband, a variation  on Lance Armstrong's Livestrong. Barnicle mentioned that Kennedy is passing them out at the convention.