Despite his illness, Senator Kennedy made a forceful appearance at the Democratic convention in Denver, exhorting his party to victory and declaring that the fight for universal health insurance had been "the cause of my life."
He pursued that cause vigorously, and even as his health declined, he spent days reaching out to colleagues to win support for a sweeping overhaul; when members of Obama’s administration questioned the president’s decision to spend so much political capital on the seemingly intractable health care issue, Obama reportedly replied, "I promised Teddy."
I saw this on Kos and just lost it. It's been a long day.
The House just passed the 216 mark for votes on the Senate bill - and we just entered into a new chapter in American history.
Celebrate tonight, and remember that tomorrow, the battle for progress will still carry on.