new signs dr. conrad murray isn't alone. arne klein may be a major part in the investigation. so could five other doctors. randi kaye is working the story. our top story. another fired at president obama than none other than dick cheney. mr. cheney accused the president of playing politics and threatening our safety. the investigation, he says, serves, quote, as a reminder of why so many americans have doubts about this administration's ability to be responsible for their nation's security. mr. chainly this long-standing claim that harsh interrogation of 9/11 suspects, so-called torture, did, in fact, work, did prevent terror attacks. does a new report back up cheney's claim? tonight tom foreman is "keeping them honest." >> reporter: the former vice president has said all along if top secret papers were made

public, they would also make his case, that what he calls enhanced interrogation and others call torture was necessary to make captured terrorists talk. >> the intelligence officers who questioned the terrorists can be proud of their work, proud of the results. because they prevented the violent death of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of people. >> reporter: but "keeping them honest," the newly released papers are not so black and white. in page after page, they do say that much information used to disrupt al qaeda came from detainees, such as khalid shaikh mohammed and abu zubaydah, both of whom were repeatedly subjected to the controversial techniques. both of those men revealed potential targets but their information held to the arrest of others and disrupted attack plans, including some aimed at high-rise apartment and more passenger jets. but those plots were, in many cases, little more than vague ideas, according to cnn

terrorism analyst peter bergen. so -- >> did coercive interrogation reveal plots that were really serious threats? i think the short answer is no. >> reporter: the papers say khalid sheikh mohammed was given outdated, inaccurate information until the tougher techniques were applied. even some former members of the bush administration like fran townsend, now a cnn contributor, admit he might have given up the more important intelligence anyway as his captivity wore on. >> it's very difficult to draw a cause and effect because it's not clear when techniques were applied versus when that information was received. it's implicit. it seems when you read the report we got the most critical information after techniques had been applied. but the report doesn't say that. >> reporter: so in terms of determining whether mr. cheney's claims are accurate, the new papers make for murky reading. and a tough job for the justice department. as it tries to sort out what was

done and why and whether it was illegal. anderson? >> more on the implications, repercussions. what we know so far, where this is leading and why the fight is far from over. strategy from left and the right with cnn contributor paul begala and marly matalin, who was an adviser to dick cheney when he was vice president. vice president cheney is essentially saying that president obama is politicizing the justice department and damaging national security. >> right. i got to say, for dick cheney to be accusing anyone of politicizing the justice department after what bush administration did, it's like paris hilton saying that girl is a little too -- for me. it's preposterous. eric holder, who was smeared today by the former vice president when he was a u.s. attorney, he indicted the democratic chairman of the house ways and means committee when we were trying to pass a health care bill through his committee. eric holder is beyond politic, believe me, and it's a sleazy thing for cheney to say, particularly given the bush

record of politicizes the justice department. >> mary? >> well, anderson, of course, even in its redacted sense, you can tell from these released documents, cia dump, that these programs, these interrogations were highly successful. they thwarted second-wave mass casualty attacks. they revealed domestic cells. they were responsible for the bulk of our intelligence. which is our first line of defense against these terrorists. and they resulted in the apprehension of almost every al qaeda extremist that we got so -- >> mary, the report -- >> dick cheney is not playing politics. >> maremary, the report isn't sg that enhanced interrogation, which others call torture, resulted in these things. it's ambiguous on that. all along cheney has been saying these classified reports are going to show enhanced interrogation techniques saved lives and resulted in terrorist activity being stopped. in fact, these reports don't show that. >> these are -- reports are --

and subsequent -- or previously declassified reports are not ambiguous. they categorically show the success of these interrogations from khalid sheikh mohammed to awe bu zubaydi, that's how we got this intelligence. >> but cheney today, didn't -- in his statement, doesn't even make that claim anymore. he's now just saying, i quote, the documents released monday clearly demonstrate the individuals subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques provided the bulk of intelligence we gained about al qaeda. he's no longer saying enhanced interrogation held to this information. >> well, we've been having an ongoing conversation here. he gave a quick statement. he happens to be on his way back from alaska. i'm sure you'll be hearing more from him and all the other experts on this. the politicization of this is barack obama going backwards to -- it's dumb politics, too, because the last time he went up

against dick cheney, dick cheney moved the needle against barack obama on the security issue some 20 points. i don't know why barack obama is picking this fight. it's going backwards. the way people throw around the term torture, it has a very strict legal test. the way the political people throw around this word, as if our first line of offense, our war heroes, our intelligence collectors, our sadists, i don't really understand what the democrats think they hope to gain by maligning the first line of defense in the war against terrorists. >> i think this is a political loser for the democrats, that's right, but it's a matter of justice. i mean, i'm just not that interested in the polls. i don't think dick cheney grew up wanting to torture people. in fact, there's ample evidence he grew up wanting to avoid conflict. he got five draft deferments in vietnam, my goodness. my own suspicion is something happened. he was given responsibility for america's security. he was asked to chair a task force on terrorism. the task force never met. they plainly ignored the

warnings before 9/11, whether it was richard clark, the expert. whether it was the cia briefing that was later released that said bin laden determined to attack america. from that point on, all of a sudden, dick cheney wanted to play tough and be a cross between jack nicholson in "a few good men" or jack bauer on "24," or something, but none of that is what makes america safer. >> paul, what about the argument these interrogations were examined in 2004 by career justice department? people who were not political appointees? why not just leave it at that and move forward as president obama, himself, wants to do? >> i think that's a legitimate point. there's always this worry about scapegoating someone way, way down. the responsibility ultimately has to lie at the top. it has to lie with mr. cheney. has to lie with mr. bush. has to lie with mr. gonzalez. i'm not for prosecuting them. i think the better of the argument is not the selective releases mr. cheney is asking for but the sort of thing nancy pelosi asked for, the speaker of the house. a truth and reconciliation commission. >> mary worked in south africa. would a truth and reconciliation commission work here? >> have at it. dick cheney has not been for

selective anything. he's for laying it all out. the notion of this truth and reconciliation, there's nothing to hide except from the terrorists who now know everything we're doing to thwart their activities. >> got to leave it there. marly matalin, paul greg gabega. thank you. well, the conversation continues online. let us know what you think. join the live chat now under way at ac360.com. i'm about to log on during the commercial break, myself. up next, what randi kaye is learning about not one, not two, but seven doctors now named in the michael yax homicide investigation. later, anti-health reform anger at a congressman's town hall directed at a big-name guest, howard dean. >> howard dean is a baby killer! he's a baby killer! this is my verizon small business specialist, tom. now, i know the catering business but when i walked in here

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about in the michael jackson homicide investigation. more evidence that dr. murray jackson's personal physician at the time of his death was far from alone on the roll call of jackson's live under this investigation. features at least seven doctors, including this man, dr. arnie klein. named on the search warrant affidavit that came out yesterday. that is not all we're learning tonight. much more now from randi kaye. >> reporter: the day michael jackson died, a search of his bedside revealed numerous bottles of medications prescribed not only by dr. conrad murray, jackson's personal physician at the center of this case, but also by two other doctors. including the singer's longtime dermatologist, dr. arnold klein. klein's name was on a prescription pill bottle of dan flex, a muscle relaxer. court documents show most of the other drugs were used to treat insomnia.

together, medical experts say the combination can be deadly. >> there's no rational basis for this combination. there's no protocol on earth that would include these substances. >> reporter: dr. klein's criminal lawyer told me via e-mail, the affidavit does not say that dr. klein was giving sleeping medication to michael jackson. based on our analysis, we continue to strongly believe in dr. klein's lack of couple blt in this matter. on cnn's "larry king live," dr. klein discussed the dangers of propofol, also known as diprivan, the powerful sedative the coroner's preliminary report shows jackson overdosed on. >> i know at one point he was using diprivan when he was on tour in germany. he was using it with an anesthesiologist to go to sleep at night and i told him he was absolutely insane. >> reporter: just last week, the coroner's chief investigator was back at dr. klein's office serving a second subpoena. klein's criminal attorney does not believe his client will be charged with manslaughter. when i asked dr. klein's civil attorney if it's possible the dermatologist had seen jackson

within 24 hours of his death, he told me simply, i don't know. and there's more. turns out, a few weeks after jackson died, court records showed a woman gave police a list of aliases jackson used when he visited dr. klein. including the alias omar arnold. court documents showed detectives found a prescription at jackson's residence in the name omar arnold prescribed by dr. klein. the name of the drug was not given. now, after two months of searching for answers, according to the affidavit, the detectives believe miscellaneous prescriptions from multiple doctors could have contributed to jackson's death, and it cannot be determined whether the cause of death is due to the actions of a single night and/or a single doctor or the grossly negligent treatment of several doctors over an extended period of time. for the pop star's long list of doctors, that's more bad news.

>> so, randi, of all the doctors being looked at, how many does the affidavit actually say that gave michael jackson propofol? >> two doctors in all. one being dr. murray. the other a doctor named david adams from las vegas. the affidavit says dr. murray told investigators he was in vegas at a cosmetologist office when dr. davis sedated jackson with propofol. he told me, quote, my client did not administer propofol to michael jackson. in a cosmetologist office. i pressed him whether or not his client ever gave jackson that drug anywhere at all, not just in that office and he would not say, nor would he say if his client has been questioned by police. anderson, just add dr. adams to the list of doctor who may or may not have contributed to michael jackson's addiction and death. >> reports from years ago that dr. gupta followed up on about other doctors going on tour with michael jackson, giving him propofol while michael jackson

was on tour for days at a time. a lot more to be discovered. up next, more on jackson's drug use, reputed drug habit and chronic pain. we'll speak to a pain specialist and anesthesiologist who was asked to consult on the case. also, dr. son jay gupta on the scary swine flu report. do the numbers check out? possibly 90,000 deaths in america. who should be vaccinated? will the bug roar back before vaccines can stop it. dr. son jay gupta answers your questions. kate gosselin opened up on "larry king live," exclusive interview about her marriage collapsing and her thoughts. with an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon. and up to 600 miles between fill ups. it's the most fuel efficient crossover on the highway. better than honda cr-v, toyota rav4 and even the ford escape hybrid. the all new chevy equinox.

more now on what went into michael jackson's body on the day he died. what he might have been taking prior and who got him the drugs in question. dr. murray says he gave jackson valium and two other powerful cousins on the morning in question. then he administered the anesthetic propofol. somehow jackson ended up with what the coroner calls a lethal amount in his body. as randi kaye reports, there were other drugs found nearby and other doctors named in a document. it raises a lot of questions.

anesthesiologist and pain specialist, dr. jason heims who declined an offer to consult on michael jackson's pain problems. how did that come to pass? >> a number of years back, i was called to see if i would be interested in working with this gentleman's pain problems. and i had known one or more of the physicians involved in his care. and i decided that it was probably not in my best interest -- >> why -- i've heard from a lot of doctors who say it's hard from celebrities to get good quality medicine. why is that? is it just because they're demanding? they think they should get special treatment? >> you know, celebrity medicine is different in many ways than regular medicine. and celebrity patients, whether they be entertainment industry or politicians or captains of industry, tend to not get such good care because in many ways the people that care for them

may be placed in ethical situations that your care or my care might not ordinarily be. you know, many -- >> -- sort of sucked into the world of a celebrity and want to be kind of part of that world? >> "sucked in" is a very, very reasonable way of looking at it. no one goes out necessarily with the concept that "i'm going to start giving people things that i know better than to give them." but, in fact, they become your patients and you're somehow now involved in a world that you wouldn't ordinarily see and you're asked to make a decision or do something you might not ordinarily do and another and another and these people are demanding and if you don't give them what they want, you know that they will get it from someone else. and somehow of course you think that, well, if i do it, i can keep a lid on the situation. and in reality, you get sucked in like anyone else would. >> and here's this dr. conrad

murray who had financial problems of his own suddenly getting $150,000 a month from this patient to be this guy's only doctor. what do you make of a cardiologist suddenly giving drugs an anesthesiologist in a hospital would normally give and weaning somebody off an addiction. you know, was he qualified to do any of this? >> was he qualified to do any of this? you know, my personal opinion is probably not. you know, practicing in los angeles as i do, you know, it is not uncommon where i would see someone brought in from out of town that lands in the middle of a bad situation and tries to come up to speed, is way over their head, has no one to call, and suddenly things go south very, very quickly. and so here you have someone that -- i don't know, i don't know what his qualifications are. but from what i've heard, he's a cardiologist, is asked to

administer anesthesia in a non-anesthesia-based setting. giving drugs he probably had only read about and certainly never used. dealing with someone that has problems, that he's unfamiliar with, addiction or substance abuse issues and pain problems. and they're running around trying to do these things, trying to do the right thing. they not only can't keep up, but they're unable to really fathom the depth of the problem. >> until it's too late. dr. jason hymes, i appreciate your expertise. thank you very much. >> it's my pleasure. still ahead tonight, singer chris brown's sentence. for beating his pop star girlfriend, rihanna. did he get off too easy? we'll let you know when you hear the sentence. and the new warnings about swine flu, dire warnings. as many as 90,000 of us, americans, could die this flu season. dr. sanjay gupta answers your questions tonight. cnn today continues with

breaking news coming to you out of the united states. that is of the legendary and longtime democratic senator teddy kennedy has died. we have just received word of that. kennedy was, of course, a member of the kennedy political dynasty, really, in the united states. he was the brother of president john f. kennedy and senator robert kennedy. both of whom, as you recall, were assassinated and teddy kennedy is one of only six senators in u.s. history that ser served for more than 40 years. he really made a very successful career in the senate and was a very, very key figure in the democratic party. specifically you may recall last year he played a very important role in the democratic nomination process when he came out and backed the then-senator barack obama for the democratic nomination. that was a huge boost to the now-president barack obama.

very, very important contribution from the kennedy family there. he really was in later years the spokesman for the kennedy family and was in office right up until his death. he was seen on the public scene even very recently during the reform debates over the social health reform in the united states. his health had been suffering of late. he -- we know that he suffered seizures during 2008 and it was actually announced in may of last year he had a malignant brain tumor. despite that, he was able to continue serving in office. let's cross now to dana bash who has been looking back at the glittering career of teddy kennedy.

>> reporter: we first met him as the kid brother to jack and bobby, and, yet, edward, teddy, was the survivor. the one we watched grow old, evolve into the patriarch and struggle with the challenge and murder of carrying the kennedy torch. edward moore kennedy was born february 22nd, 1932, the last of joe and rose kennedy's nine children. his first prominent role in the family business of politics came at age 30. jfk was elected president and teddy kept his senate seat in the family. >> the president of the united states is dead. >> reporter: he was 31 when he said good-bye to jack. five years later in 1968, another assassination, another good-bye. bobby this time. often invoking his brothers, ted kennedy turned to make his mark in the senate in the '60s and

'70s, a proud liberal, champion of civil rights. in 1980 he set his sights on the white house. the most haunting of his personal demons would walk his path. >> i regard indefensible the fact i did not report the accident to the police immediately. >> reporter: in 1969, kennedy drove his car off the chappaquiddick bridge and 19-year-old mary jo, a former aide, drowned. ted kennedy fled the scene. it was a character stain he could not overcome. he would lose his bid to beat president carter. he promised to carry-on in one of his most famous speeches. >> the work goes on. the cause endures. the hope still lives and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: he would not be president, but he would master the senate and make his mark on

government policy. >> if we really care about work, about families, about children and the future, we will vote for an increase in the minimum wage for all workers. >> reporter: fighting for workers' rights, leading on education and health care reform. >> it's morally right, it's what this nation is all about. >> reporter: and immigration reform. >> si se puede. >> i describe ted kennedy as the last lion in the senate. held that view because he remains the single most effective in the senate, if you want to get results. >> reporter: to get those results, liberal kennedy learned the art of compromise. sometimes anering fellow democrats by partnering with ardent conservatives. >> though we fight each other most the time, those are knockdown, drag-out battles, i have to say, there are very few people in my lifetime than i had

more respect and reverence for than senator kennedy. >> reporter: all too often it felt to kennedy, the patriarch, to steer the family through trials and tragedy. the death of jackie o nas sass, a more painful good-bye to jfk and his dreams to camelot. his shuffle, a brush with death in the 1960s, a plane crash that broke his back and caused constant pain. he brought some pain on himself, dogged by too much drinking, a messy divorce, kennedy was frequent fodder for tab bloids. he re married, carried on, added to his accomplishments. >> i've come to admire him. he's a smart, capable senator. you want him on your side. i can tell you that. >> reporter: he stepped, once again, into presidential politics, bypassing hillary clinton and harkening back to brother, jack's call to a new generation of leadership. >> i'm proud to stand with him

here today and offer my help, offer my voice, offer my energy. my commitment to make barack obama the next president of the united states. >> reporter: just five months later he had a seizure. followed by a grim diagnosis. a malignant brain tumor. he made it to the democratic convention to pass the torch. >> the hope rises again. and the dream lives on. >> reporter: he ignored his doctors and when needed came back to his beloved senate. >> i look forward to being a part of the team. >> reporter: and made a dramatic appearance at a white house summit on health care reform. >> i'm looking forward to being a foot soldier in this undertaking and this time we will not fail. >> reporter: he never stopped looking forward and never lost

that trademark smile. to the end, the survivor. dana bash, cnn, washington. >> we're looking at live pictures of the kennedy compound in high yan nas port in massachusetts where edward kennedy died a short time ago. we're hearing that he died at home at the age of 77 following a lengthy battle with brain cancer. we've also just received a statement from the kennedy family which reads, edward m. kennedy, the husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle we loved so deeply, died late tuesday night at home in high yan nas port. we've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives. the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. we thank everyone who gave him

care and support over this last year and everyone who stood with him for so many years in this march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. he loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. he always believed our best days were still ahead. it's hard to imagine any of them without him. just to recap, the legendary democratic senator edward kennedy has died at his home at the age of 77. let's bring in cnn's political expert ed henry. ed, your naugthoughts at this t >> reporter: it's certainly a huge blow to the country. this is somebody who has been at the forefront of american politics for several decades now as dana bash was reporting about, you know, the kennedy political dynasty has really had a larger impact than any other family, probably in american political history and particularly for democrats in the united states. i mean, this is somebody who,

you know, sort of passed the torch, literally, from his brother, john f. kennedy to barack obama. this is the person who endorsed barack obama over hillary clinton just a year and a half or so ago. that was sort of a pivotal moment for barack obama when democratic illuminators were sitting on the sideline thinking hillary clinton was going to be the next president of the united states. when ted kennedy decided he was going to put his chips in, put his own reputation at stake to stand up for barack obama, that was a pivotal moment in the obama campaign. think it's one of many landmark moments where if you go back over the last 30, 40 years, every single health care bill, education reform bill, every major labor legislation in the united states has had the mark of ted kennedy and i think the most remarkable part of his death right at this moment is the fact that it comes in the middle of a major debate in the united states over health care reform which has been his pet cause since he entered the

senate in 1962. i think president obama has clearly felt senator kennedy's loss, even before this death, in terms of him being on the sidelines for the last several months. it was sort of a major, major blow to president obama's efforts to reform health care, not having ted kennedy at the fore front of that debate. obviously, this is going to be a painful moment for the president and many others in the country. this is a rather remarkable moment. >> it's decades, of course, since the assassinations of john f. kennedy and robert kennedy, but as you say, teddy kennedy really carried the torch for the family on right up until the present day, but is his death now -- does this mark the end of an era? >> reporter: it really does. as you point out, while around the world most people when they hear the kennedy name, they think about john k. kennedy, robert f. kennedy. while they had a major impact,

their political lives were very short, tragically because of their assassinations. ted kennedy is, as dana pointed out, the survivor. he was the one who, while his two brothers got most of the attention and all the books written about them, it was ted kennedy in the senate for well over 40 years sort of playing out the battles and finishing many of the fights that his brothers started. whether it was on civil rights, whether it's on education, health, many of the issues i mentioned. it clearly is the end of the era. while there are many -- his children, his nieces and nephews who are active in american public life, whether in politics or non-profits and the like, this is just a major passing and just end of a huge era. let's not forget, it happens a week or ten days after senator kennedy's sister, eunice kennedy shriver passed away as well. so it really does have the feelings of the real end of an

era right now. >> ed, it's really a testament to his standing in u.s. politics and his influence within u.s. politics. a couple of years ago he was given a reported $8 million to publish his memoirs which are due to be published next year. what sort of read would you expect that to be? >> reporter: well, i think that any of his memoirs and whatever is going to be published posthumously is going to be a remarkable walk through american and international political affairs for the last four, five decades. i mean, if you go back beyond his brothers, his father, joseph kennedy, u.s. ambassador to britain in run-up to world war ii. ted kennedy spoke many times about growing up as a child and going over to england with his father and seeing world war ii and right through, you know, vietnam war which ted kennedy was in the middle of trying to stop as united states senator on to the iraq, you know, first

gulf war then the more recent iraq war that's still going. ted kennedy right up until his dying days was fighting george w. bush on the iraq war and saying it was time to pull the u.s. troops out. basically every major international event, then, of course, as i mentioned, every domestic event in the united states on health care, education and the like, ted kennedy was at the forefront. his memoirs are going to be a rather remarkable walk through some of the most amazing moments in world history, not just american history. that's the kind of impact this death is going to have. it's going to be felt around the world, not just in the united states. >> okay, ed, stay on the line if you will. we're going to bring in john king as well now. john king is currently on assignment in oklahoma. john, let's talk about the passing, obviously, of edward kennedy. he was in the public light pretty much right up until his dying day, wasn't he? >> reporter: he certainly was.

a young man, of course, he lived in the shadows of his two brothers, president kennedy and senator robert kennedy as you've been discussesing. then he was the survivor in the kennedy family, as dana and ed both moted. imagine, not only eulogized his brothers but so many in his family, including his nephew, john f. kennedy jr. he was always the junefying force of the family when there was a challenge and too often in the kennedy family when there was a tragedy. he was a legendary figure in american politics and legendary figure -- i grew up in massachusetts. the kennedy name was the gold standard in politics in massachusetts. this is a generational passing, as ed noted, his sister eunice dying as well. the kennedy family has had such a giant stamp on american politics and on american life. it is a generational passing as well as an individual passing and the fact he has been on the sidelines in what was the most important debate in his lifetime, the fight for health care reform, was a sign of how

debilitating this cancer was in his final years. he was also a flawed character. that will be part of the history and analysis, now, that he has passed. he was a public figure who had tragedy in his own life and in more recent years it was remarkable, he remarried his wife, vicki, by his side at the end here and who changed him in the last decade of his life without a doubt. that will be part of the story as well. show the pictures of the young kennedy brothders, it is a reminder of the camelot era, is what they called it in u.s. politics. in more recent years when the clinton or bush name have been the two big family names in american politics we are reminded on this sad evening the kennedy name for a longer and for an entire generation own more was the brand name in american politics. best-known brand name in american politics for quite some time. >> john, for quite some time he has been battling health issues.

we've been talking about the malignant brain tumor, even had a seizure on the day of president barack obama's inauguration. despite all of that, he kept battling on. he remained in office. he remained a very, very hard worker. do you get the sense that's partly because, you know, he was the last of the kennedy era and he wanted to keep it doing or was it because he loved the job so much? >> reporter: it was both of those things. he was a man who loved to legislate. he was -- if you go back to the last days of the cold war and when we had a politics in the united states that was divided between liberals and k conservatives, the conservatives wrote fund-raising letters and raised money off ted kennedy, the anti-bar liberal, yet they were the same conservatives who came to him when they wanted to negotiate compromise on legislation. as much as he was a liberal fire brand and the liberal lion was his nickname, he was also

someone people turned to. george w. bush turned to, as ed noted on education and major medicare prescription drug ben it in the united states. recent years, he worked with george w. bush, republican president and john mccain, last republican nominee for president on the emotional issue of immigration reform in the united states. missing in recent months from the health care debate without a doubt. you've heard it from his democratic colleagues and from republicans saying, perhaps the tone of the health care debate in the united states right now would be somewhat less partisan or would be better efforts behind the scenes. he was a man who loved to legislate. despite his liberal principles knew that the way to get things done was to compromise and make deals. that was his brand in american politics. that is something that beyond the kennedy name is sorely messed in washington these days. it's a much more partisan town than it was in the hay day of

teddy kennedy's legislative career. >> we're going to bring in dan lothian as well, actually in massachusetts at the moment. dan's covering as president barack obama's vacation there currently. dan, your reaction to the news. >> reporter: well, a couple of things first of all come to mind. i mean, i was in boston at the time when senator kennedy first was ill down on cape cod and we were out on the street just talking to people in the boston area. a couple of things that everyone would say is here was this senator who wasn't here to, you know, benefit himself or help out the wealthy but really everything that he did, he poured his time and career into was to benefit the poor and senior citizens. as i was walks around on the streets in downtown boston, just trying to get someone who would say, perhaps, something else, like what else do you remember about senator kennedy as he was in the hospital and there were a lot of questions at the time about what had happened to him.

he had suffered a stroke or what it might have been at the cape. everyone time and time again would say, here is someone who really cared about senior citizens and about the poor. and that's one thing. the other thing was that i was always sort of taken aback by how he just was a fighter. even after, you know, the prospects were not that good, he came out and said he was going to fight on. and he did. then he would, you know, this goes back to a question you asked a few minutes ago about how he was in the public on to the end. right after he came out of the hospital in boston, i remember he headed back down to the cape. this was after his surgery or after he was, you know, in the hospital here in boston. he went back down to the cape and there were a lot of questions about whether or not he would go back out on the water. he loved to sale. he was always out on the water. there was a special legata he took place in every single year. they were very clear of everyone

who was around him and even his medical doctors that senator kennedy probably would not be going out on a sailing boat so quickly after being diagnosed with brain cancer and we were all reporting that. that, well, this is going to be the year he will miss the regata. you know what? he didn't stay off that boat. there he was. he didn't win. in a way he did. he did compete in this ragata something he has done time and time again. he never stayed off the boat. any moment he could get free he was out on that boat. if he felt well enough he would get out on the boat. we see the picture of senator kennedy out on the water. that was another thing he loved to do. >> if you're just tuning to us here on cnn we're reporting the news that the legendary democratic senator in the united states, edward kennedy, has died at his home at the age of 77. we're speaking to our political correspondents and editors in the united states, john king, ed henry and dan lothian.

dan, let's just return to you. as the obituaries are being prepared, is it possible to separate teddy kennedy from the kennedy story or is it all kind of one big story rolled into one? >> reporter: well, it's going to be very difficult to separate. i mean, certainly as senator kennedy has his own story of what he has done for his state. the money he has brought to massachusetts. again, going back to what i said, what he has done for sort of the less -- you know, the people who are hurting the most in communities. certainly he is part of that kennedy mystique. he was always the face in recent years whenever there was tragedy in the kennedy family, whenever there are funerals, he was always sort of the strong one there supporting the widow, supporting, you know, the other family members who were going through a difficult time. he always seemed so strong. that is something that i don't think you can separate.

he is, you know, a kennedy. at the end of the day that's what he is. you can look at what he has done on capitol hill. look at what he has done here in the state of massachusetts. you can't separate that from the kennedy missteek. >> dan, you're actually in massachusetts at the moment covering the president barack obama's vacation. in many ways teddy kennedy helped make obama's presidency. how do you think he'll be taking the news right now? >> reporter: well, i can only imagine that this is a major blow to barack obama. yes, he did. look back during the campaign when senator ted kennedy, some would have thought would have been supporting hillary clinton. he was looked at as the front runner in the campaign at the time. had all of the democratic money. had all of the democratic support. so it was sort of a given that the kennedys would have -- senator kennedy would have stepped behind hillary clinton

at the time, but he, instead, ended up supporting barack obama. that was a major turning point in barack obama's campaign. this was very important for the president. there was a lot of, as we were coming here to martha's vineyard, there were a lot of rumors circulating as to whether or not president obama would go over and meet with senator kennedy. in fact, there were some reports circulating he would be over there yesterday, but the obama team has said time and time again, that, no, there is nothing -- it has no been set up. there was no such meeting. i can only imagine this is very, very difficult news for mr. obama because certainly he has to credit at least in part senator ted kennedy for the job he now has. >> dan lothian, thanks very much for your comments. let's return now to ed henry. ed, the kennedys really are regarded pretty much as royalty. they're almost regarded as a

royal family within the united states. what will be the national reaction to his passing, do you think? >> reporter: oh, i think you're going to see several days of mourning in the united states. i think there has already been talk about the senator lying in state in the united states capitol. the united states he would be at the kennedy presidential library as well in massachusetts. i think all those plans obviously are being worked out by the family. people close to the family say they have been planning this for some time, unfortunately, because of the tragic nature of the malignant brain tumor and how they've been trying to come to grips with this in recent months. i think you're going to see several days of mourning in the united states because i think there are going to be a lot of people who want to pay their respects to senator kennedy because as you've been noting, as john king was noting, this is the end of an era. there are going to be people, many generations of americans, who are going to want to pay their last respects to them in

person. we'll see that in washington, massachusetts and all around the country. >> okay, ed, thanks very much. let's cross over to our cnn producer. he is actually on the scene at the moment right with those live pictures you're watching now. these are live pictures of the exterior of the kennedy compound in hyanis port in massachusetts. adam, how would you describe the mood where you are? >> reporter: john, it's, obviously it's very late at night. what you're looking at is a picture of a picture looking down the avenue. if it were daylight you would see the beautiful kennedy compound, a compound made up of several houses. it's been home to the kennedys for generations. there's a home there for the late joe p. kennedy, the patriarch of the family. ted kennedy, the former president and obviously robert kennedy. ted has been here for months and there has been anticipation that this day would come and it has.

we are awaiting the van that went in to take away the senator's body. just hours ago i was here and you would have never known this situation was about to happen. there were children riding around on their bikes. it's really a norman rockwell scene here, huck fin type of a place. beautiful, beautiful beaches. people walking around in their bare feet and just a lovely place to be. this is where he wanted to be at the end of his life. he could sit on the back porch and look out to the glistening ocean and beautiful sailboats and he loved to sail. he apparently was unable to sail in his last days, partly due to the heavy wind, but, again, this is a beautiful place and as you know, it's been home to the kennedys for generations. this day has finally come and family members are starting to

gather. the police have set up a cordon around the home and the compound. as you know, the family just suffered a loss several weeks ago. eunice shriver kennedy. they're getting ready to bury one of their own once again. >> if you're just joining us, the legendary democratic senator edward kennedy, teddy kennedy as he was better known, has died at home at the age of 77. he was battling some pretty serious health issues over the last year. he had several seizures following the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor. the family has released a statement a short time ago saying that edward m. kennedy, the husband, father, grandfatherer, brother and uncle we loved so deeply died tuesday at home in high yan nas port. we lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our life. his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our

hearts forever. let's return to adam now at the scene in hyanis port. adam, what do you think the local reaction to this will be? the kennedys really for the last 50 years, last half century, have been so key within u.s. politics. specifically in massachusetts. in the boston area. can you find anybody in that part of the world who has a bad word to say about the kennedys? >> reporter: not around here at least in hyanis and hyanis port. they are such a part of the fabric of this community. there are so many of them for generations, you know, there were in senator kennedy's generation there were nine. you know robert kennedy had 11 children. so it was a place always teeming with children. just a great place to be. you remember the pictures of then-president kennedy landing the marine 1 chopper on the

grounds of the kennedy compound and all the children running to greet him and it's just been a place for the children for so many generations. we did see several of the kennedys in the last couple days, regular sightings of ethyl kennedy, the late robert kennedy's wife, the kennedy daughters were here. obviously the whole kennedy family had gathered just weeks ago for eunice shriver kennedy's funeral. as i said, they're really part of the fabric of the community. they are so engrained here in so many parts of what goes on here in the community and in town and you can always see them walking around town at the local coffee shop or at the local restaurant or going to the beach. obviously they're big sailors and they play a big role out on the water, but it is a sad day, not only for the kennedy family, today, but for this local area of hyanis port as well.

you can bet there will be a lot of grieving tomorrow. >> adam, you've touched upon the fact it really is a huge family, but do you see this, perhaps, though, as the end of an era with regard to the kennedy's involvement in u.s. politics? >> reporter: well, you see, you still have patrick kennedy and you do see a lot of the younger generation getting involved in various philanthropic activities. whether they will be entering the political realm, that's for us yet to see. it's possible this could spur one of the family members to enter politics. we'll have to see. >> all right, adam reese, adam has been speaking to us from the scene. see there the exterior of the kennedy compound in hyanis port. we can only imagine the mourning that is taking place within those walls at the moment

follows the death of senator edward kennedy who died following a year-long battle against brain cancer. he passed away at home at the age of 77. let's bring back in john king at the moment. john, of course, you've been covering u.s. politics for many years. what do you think is going to be the reaction to this and really the next step? >> reporter: well, there will be a collective, i think, deep breath and first reflecting on the career and legacy of senator kennedy and generationally on his brothers and his family, his generation of the family, if you will. it is remarkable to think when we talk about senator edward m. kennedy and talk about him in the context of president john f. kennedy and senator robert f. kennedy, it was 41 years ago in 1968, more than four decades have passed since the assassination of his brother, robert. as senator kennedy said when he ran for president in 1980, a failed effort to take the

democratic nomination from then president of the united states jimmy carter. he gave the famous speech at the democratic national convention if which he said the dream would never die. that was his mission. he believed his mission in the senate and failed quest for the presidency was to carry the torch his brother, john kennedy, talked about when he was inaugurated as president of the united states. when he said a torch had been passed on a new generation of americans. he viewed that as a debt to his brothers who were killed by assassin bullets. it's remarkable to think for 41 years he was the survivor of the brothers who were pushed by their father and molded by their father to get involved in american politics and seek the highest office in the land. the question, now, generationally is as adam just noted, his son, patrick, is a congressman. see him in the pictures there. barack obama, caroline kennedy who thought about entering politics last year. patrick kennedy, just off the

screen as you watch the pictures. here's the congressman from the state of rhode island. he, himself, had personal troubles in recent years. he now will be the kennedy in the congress and it will be an interesting to watch what happens in massachusetts politics because senator edward kennedy in that state, republicans tried every six years to make a run at him, rarely was there any prospect of getting anywhere close to him. massachusetts is a democratic state that has had occasional republican governors. it will be fascinating to watch in his home and the beloved state of massachusetts what happens now. the question of who will succeed senator edward m. kennedy, his race in massachusetts? of course, in washington, they're all ready with a vacuum. he was missing in the debates. the health care reform debate. it sounds almost out of place to discuss it in this moment in the hour after we learned of his passing. his president, barack obama and his party will have to decide how to move forward knowing now

they're without his vote but they're without his passion. this was the moral cause of his life, to try to bring health care to all americans. that debate continues in the united states. it is a very difficult political challenge for the president of the united states now. on this night he has lost, perhaps, the voice of his greatest ally in that fight. >> incredible to think that edward kennedy has been in the senate since 1962. back when his brother, john f. kennedy, was actually the president and he served longer than all but two other senators in history. over the decades kennedy put his imprint on every major piece of social legislation to clear the congress. i'm just going to bring you now reaction from the office of nancy reagan, of course, the wife of president ronald reagan who was a republican. the statement says given our political differences, people are sometimes surprised by how close ronny and i have been to the kennedy family. ronny and ted could always find

common ground. they had great respect for one another. in recent years ted and i found common ground in stem cell research. i considered him an ally and dear friend. i will miss him. my heart goes out to vicki and the entire kennedy family. john, on that note, i just wonder if you could speculate what you think the response of the republican will be, of course the democrats and the republicans don't often have nice things to say about each other. how will the republicans regard edward kennedy's passing? >> reporter: i think they will issue statements much in the context and spirit of what you just read from nancy reagan. they will say they had differences with senator kennedy, policy differences, but they found him to be someone who fought for what he believed in and someone whose word was good. that was the greatest thing you would hear about ted kennedy in the hauls of congress. if you asked people negotiating with him on the most emotional, most difficult issues, don back to the days of the '60s, civil

rights, women's rights, uni unionized issues, minimum wage, health care, immigration reform, medicare, prescription drugs, teddy kennedy negotiated with people who were opposed to him but trusted him in the negotiations. if he gave you his word it was good and you knew he wanted to compromise to get things done. he had fierce critics in american politics. you'll see an overwhelming outpouring of support. he was someone who had a great passion for what he did. he was respected across the aisles. quick point to the nancy reagan statement. washington has changed in the last 25 years. american politics has become polarized. ted kennedy is from the generation where if you were having a disagreement be ronald reagan of george h.w. bush or a republican before that, they

would fight in public during the day but retire and have a cocktail in the evening and work out differences. try to find, is there 80% we can agree on and set aside 20% we can agree on that? that era is missing in washington now. ted kennedy and ronald reagan in public agreed on very little but were two men who respected each other. ted kennedy very much respected the sway, the connection that ronald reagan had with the american people. they were able to set aside their ideological differences and work on things when they thought it was in the common good of the american people. >> john, hold that thought there for ha moment. i'm going to come back to you in a moment. i want to get your thoughts an where the health care reform debate is going to go from this point with without one of barack obama's closest alis. i'll come back to you for your thoughts on that in a moment. we received a statement from the senate