WASHINGTON, March 8, 2009
An Enchanted Evening With Ted Kennedy
CBS Evening News: The Lion Of The Senate Is Given The Profile In Courage Award At The Kennedy Center
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Play CBS Video Video Tribute To Teddy Ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy (D - Mass.) is being honored with a belated birthday gala at the Kennedy Center and will receive an award named in honor of his brother, John F. Kennedy. Nancy Cordes is there.
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Senator Ted Kennedy, seen here in a file photo leaving the hospital after a recent surgery, was given the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on March 8, 2009. (CBS)
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Photo Essay Ted Kennedy Long-serving Democratic U.S. Senator and member of dynastic political family
As birthday parties go, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes, it's hard to beat a blowout celebration in a building that carries your family's name. Especially when a who's-who of Washington makes the guest list.
The Kennedy Center calls it "Some Enchanted Evening." The entertainment includes Senator Kennedy's favorites - James Taylor, Bill Cosby, Bernadette Peters and Lauren Bacall.
It's not Kennedy's actual birthday - he turned 77 a few weeks ago. But the belated bash marks a somewhat rare appearance for the Senator in Washington.
As he battles brain cancer, Kennedy is spending most of his time in Florida, recuperating and writing his memoirs. He does make it to the capitol when necessary - voting on the stimulus bill and just last week attending the White House forum on health care, an issue he's long championed.
But his seizure at President Obama's inaugural lunch was a reminder that with brain cancer, the outlook is often grim. So this is more than just a birthday party - it's a celebration of Kennedy's life.
It's the latest in a string of honors for Kennedy - just Wednesday the British prime minister announced that the Irish senior Senator from Massachusetts had been made an honorary knight by the Queen of England.
"We owe a great debt to the life and courage of Senator Edward Kennedy," said prime minister Gordon Brown.
That, reports Cordes, is a sentiment shared by those at the Kennedy Center on this enchanted evening.
By Nancy Cordes
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- "An Enchanted Evening With Ted Kennedy"
Hopefully it didn't end up in a vehicle upside down in the water. - Reply to this comment
- only a kennedy would be able to get off scott free after basically killing the woman he had an affair with... & then have people treat him like some kind of royalty not to mention be elected to public office!!! how can 545 politicians continually act like they can't take responsibility for the state of our world(usa) year after year! it is time for "campaign for liberty" ... this is sickning to seeing what both democrats & republicans can get away with while we the people seem to have no sway in making our collective voice of common sense heard!
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- a dismal bunch of comments for an American who has had more ups than downs. for all you living in glass houses......thank you Teddy for never giving up.
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- Boo Someone needs to tell Sir Kennedy move to England.
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- It's the latest in a string of honors for Kennedy - just Wednesday the British prime minister announced that the Irish senior Senator from Massachusetts had been made an honorary knight by the Queen of England.
We've gotten the Enchanted NEWS from the Mutual Admiration Society. There's more of The Story of this Honorary Knight - The Chappaquiddick Kid.
On the night of July 18, 1969, Kennedy was on Chappaquiddick Island at a party for the "Boiler Room Girls", a group of young women who had worked on his brother Robert's presidential campaign the year before.[35] Leaving the party, Kennedy was driving a 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 with one of the women, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, as his passenger, when Kennedy drove off **** Bridge into Poucha Pond between Chappaquiddick Island and Cape Poge barrier beach. Kennedy escaped the overturned vehicle and swam to safety, but Kopechne died in the car. Kennedy left the scene and did not call authorities until after Kopechne's body was discovered the following day. So Sad! - Reply to this comment
- Maybe Ted had an undiscovered brain tumor at the time of his accident with Mary Joe and that's the reason he couldn't get his story straight. Yeah, that.s it!!!
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- It's funny how Kennedy is still hated for an accidental death he caused so many years ago.
Posted by jamesguy at 7:26 PM : Mar 8, 2009
he fled the scene and didn't report that she was still in the car until the next day AND, his power, big money and family name let his escape any prosecution. - Reply to this comment
- I remember Chappaquiddick. I know Mary Jo is waiting for him. When Kennedy was healthy, no one could stand him, and now that he's on his last leg, my God, it's honors!
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- I'm sure they had 'rape kits' available when you walked in the door...knowing the Kennedys were there.
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- I bet noone accpeted a ride from Ted that night.
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- I bet noone accepted a ride from Ted that night!
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- I bet noone accepted a ride from Ted that night!
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- so did anyone record Obama's Eulogy to Ted?
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- I am so fed up with media political bias that i cringe every time i turn on the television.What the hell is so enchanting about a Ted Kennedy?I feel sympathy.............for Mary Jo.
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- Ah, PLATTEMAN, it's so reassuring to have someone like you around to add absolutely nothing to any conversation!
Decist!!
Enough. already! - Reply to this comment
- Senator Kennedy indeed committed a horrific crime at Chappaquiddick.
And it is a crime that he was not justly punished for it then. But justice has worked its way so that, sadly but deservedly, his every opportunity and accomplishment have been foreshadowed by it.
I thank Senator Kennedy for all the good he has done, and I mean that without ambiguity, but he should have, at some time in his life, admitted to and justly paid for the crimes he committed against Mary Jo Kopechne.
I really, really, don't like saying that, and my chest is cringing because I feel so bad for him in his current condition, but truth does not change. Only our perception or qualification of it.
And justice is the same today as it was on that sad day of July 18, 1969.
I am very sorry Senator Kennedy, but I wish you the best. And if you do recover as I hope you will, I hope you will personally put this matter to rest. As you can see, your legacy depends upon it.
ST
"I understand your human frailties, because they are much like mine, and the rest of humanities. We are all frail and weak, we all do things that shame us, we all make mistakes. But our character is not born from our perfection; it is instead born from how we deal with our imperfection."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - Reply to this comment
- It's funny how Kennedy is still hated for an accidental death he caused so many years ago.
Posted by jamesguy at 7:26 PM : Mar 8, 2009
As usual the lieberals are out in force spreading their lies.
Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in the death of his passenger. He just walked away and left her to die. Nobody called the police until a passerby saw the car in the water the next morning.
And as if the longer ago it happened, the less guilty he was. - Reply to this comment
- Laura killed one guy, Kennedy killed one woman, and Bush killed thousands of people. It's all context.
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- It's funny how Kennedy is still hated for an accidental death he caused so many years ago. People seem to forget that Laura Bush ran over and killed someone. It's all about what party you're in, I guess.
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- Personally, I am thrilled to be in the company of so many perfect, never-made-a-mistake-in-their-whole-life posters. Remember the old proverb about people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks?
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