Just watched the Presidents eulogy for Ted. As restrained and controlled as it was, by the middle I was in tears that still keep breaking out 10 minutes later. If you didn't see it, its HERE.
In the summer of 1971 I was an intern for Ted in his Senate office. I was there for the vote that killed the SST. A few of you here may remember that, for those who don't, it doesn't really matter.
Every Friday after work we would have a softball game against other Senator's offices. I don't remember any of the other Senators showing up, but Ted was there more often than not.
On numerous occasions he would invite us out to his home in Virginia for a summer barbecue. He treated all of us the same, Senators and interns alike.
I learned more from him than anyone else excepting my father that "nobless oblige" was not an arrogant toleration of the "rabble," but a genuine respect for each human being as a "fellow traveler."
My heart is broken in a way it hasn't been for a pubic figure since the loss of Bobby and Martin in '68. I know I'll recover, and I hope somehow the US will find its way out of its current catastrophic meltdown without Ted's input.
It's just hard for me to imagine how..
For those who missed it, this is my simple video tribute to the last politician in the US that I considered a true statesman, who also happened to be my friend.
Goodbye