Seriously. Just think how different things might have been if Ted Kennedy had lived just this much longer.
His absence put Senate Democrats into an ideological tailspin from which they have yet to recover. Consider his words from the Democratic Convention of 2008:
For me, this is a season of hope, new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many and not just for the few, new hope.
Now consider how the man who spoke those words would have guided the members of his own party to display some backbone over the course of the last two years.
Without Kennedy, we got the likes of Max Baucus taking the helm of writing health care legislation: bloated, imprecise, and late. Without Kennedy, we got the mushy pronouncements of Harry Reid and a muddled approach to bringing legislation to the floor. Without Kennedy, we got the decision to put off a vote on tax cuts until after the 2010 election.
And, of course, without Kennedy, we got a race to fill his seat that went to a Republican, instantly wiping out the Democrats' short-lived 60-vote filibuster-proof (well, mostly) supermajority.
I truly think that had Kennedy lived longer, he would have been a spine-stiffener and a great mentor and guide for both Congressional Democrats and Barack Obama alike. This is the time when we most miss his counsel and his fiery dedication to JUST DO BETTER.
So maybe we feel we don't have anyone of his ilk today. Tough. Make a new one. Somebody in power must feel this way:
I have seen throughout my life how we as a people can rise to a challenge, embrace change and renew our destiny.
So let's get on with it.