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[singing "ava maria]"

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[singing "ava maria"]

>> my name is ted kennedy jr., a name i share with my son, a name i shared with my father. although it hasn't been easy at times to live with this name, i've never been more proud of it than i am today. your eminence, thank you for being here. you grace us with your presence. to all the musicians who have come here, my father loved the arts and he would be so pleased for your performances today. my heart is filled. and i first want to say thank

you. my heart is filled with appreciation and gratitude to the people of massachusetts, my father's loyal staff who in many ways, my dad's loss is just as great for them as it is for those of us in our family. and to all of my father's family and friends who have come to pay their respects, listening to people speak about how my father impacted their lives and the deep personal connection that people felt with my dad has been an overwhelming emotional experience. my dad had the greatest friends in the world. all of you here are also my friends, and his greatest gift to me. i love you just as much as he did. sarah brown, president obama, president clinton, secretary clinton, president bush, president carter, you honor my

family by your presence here today. i remember how my dad would tell audiences years ago, "i don't mind not being president. i just mind that someone else is." [laughter] there is much to say and much will be said about ted kennedy the statesman, the master of the legislative process and bipartisan compromise, workhorse of the senate, beacon of social justice and protector of the people. there's also much to be said and much will be said about my father the man, the storyteller, the lover of costume parties, the practical joker, the accomplished painter. he was a lover of everything french: cheese, wine, and women. he was a mountain climber, navigator, skipper, tactician, airplane pilot, rodeo rider, ski jumper, dog lover, and all-around adventurer.

our family vacations left us all injured and exhausted. [laughter] he was a dinner table debater and devil's advocate. he was an irishman and a proud member of the democratic party. here's one you may not know. out of harvard, he was a green bay packers recruit but decided to go to law school instead. he was a devout catholic whose faith helped him survive unbearable losses and whose teachings taught him that he had a moral obligation to help others in need. he was not perfect. far from it. but my father believed in redemption, and he never surrendered, never stopped trying to right wrongs, be they the results of his own failings or of ours. but today i'm simply compelled to remember ted kennedy as my

father and my best friend. when i was 12 years old, i was diagnosed with bone cancer, and a few months after i lost my leg, there was a heavy snowfall over my childhood home outside of washington, d.c., and my father went to the garage to get the old flexible flyer and asked me if i wanted to go sledding down the steep driveway. and i was trying to get used to my new artificial leg, and the hill was covered with ice and snow, and it wasn't easy for me to walk. and the hill was -- was very slick, and as i struggled to walk, i -- i slipped and i fell on the ice, and i -- i started to cry. and i said, i can't do this. i -- i said, i'll never be able to climb up that hill. and he lifted me up in his strong, gentle arms and said something i will never forget. he said, i know you can do it. there is nothing that you can't do. we're going to climb that hill

together, even if it takes us all day. sure enough, he held me around my waist and we slowly made it to the top. and, you know, at age 12, losing your leg pretty much seems like the end of the world. but as i climbed on to his back and we flew down the hill that day, i knew he was right. i knew i was going to be okay. you see, my father taught me that even our most profound losses are survivable, and that is -- it is what we do with that loss, our ability to transform it into a positive event that is one of my father's greatest lessons. he taught me that nothing is impossible. during the summer months when i was growing up, my father would arrive late in the afternoon from washington on fridays, and as soon as he got to cape cod, he would want to go straight out and practice sailing maneuvers

on the vic it at thea in -- victora in anticipation of that weekend's races. and we would be out late and the sun would be setting and family dinner would be getting cold, and we'd still be out there practicing our jibes and our spinnaker sets long after everyone else went ashore. well, one night, not another boat in sight on the summer sea, i asked him, why are we always the last ones on the water? teddy, he said, you see, most of the other sailors that we race against are smarter and more talented than we are, but the reason -- [laughter] -- but the reason why we're going to win is that we will work harder than them and we will be better prepared. and he just wasn't talking about boating. my father admired perseverance. my father believed that to do a job effectively required u a tremendous amount of time and effort. dad instilled in me also the importance of history and

biography. he loved boston and the amazing writers and philosophers and politicians from massachusetts. he took me and my cousins to the old north church and to walden pond and to the homes of her minimum melvillof hermanmelvill. he thought that massachusetts was the greatest place on earth. and he had letters from many of its former senators, like daniel webster and john quincy adams, hanging on his walls, inspired by things heroic. he was a civil war buff. when we were growing up, he would pack us all into his car or rented camper and we would travel around to all the great battle fields. i remember he would frequently meet with his friend, shelby foote, at a particular site on the anniversary of a historic battle just so he could appreciate better what the soldiers must have experienced on that day. he believed that in order to know what to do in the future, you had to understand the past.

my father loved other old things. he loved his classic wooden schooner, the mia. he loved lighthouses and his 1973 pontiac convertible. my father taught me to treat everyone i meet, no matter what station in life, with the same dignity and respect. he could be discussing arms control with the president at 3:00 p.m. and meeting with a union carpenter on fair wage legislation or a new bedford fisherman on fisheries policy at 4:30. i once told him that he had accidentally left some money -- i remember this when i was a little kid -- on the sink in our hotel room. and he replied, teddy, let me tell you something. making all -- making beds all day is backbreaking work. the woman who has to clean up after us today has a family to feed. and just that -- that's just the kind of guy he was. he answered, uncle joe's call to

patriotism, uncle jk's call to o public service, and bobby's determination to seek a better world. unlike them, he lived to be a grandfather, and knowing what my cousins have been through, i feel grateful that i have had my father as long as i did. he even taught me some of life's harder lessons, such as how to like republicans. [laughter] he once told me, he said, teddy, republicans love this country just as much as i do. i think that he felt like he had something in common with his republican counterparts. the vagaries of public opinion, the constant scrutiny of the press, the endless campaigning for the next election. but most of all, the incredible shared sacrifice that being in

public life demands. he understood that the hardship that politics has on a family and the hard work and commitment that it requires. he often brought his republican colleagues home for dinner, and he believed in developing personal relationships and honoring differences. and one of those wonderful experiences that i will remember today is how many of his republican colleagues are sitting here right before him. that's a true testament to the man. and he always told me that -- always be ready to compromise but never compromise on your principles. he was an idealist and a pragmatist. he was restless but patient. when he learned that a survey of republican senators named him the democratic legislator that they most wanted to work with and that john mccain called him the singlemost effective

member of the u.s. senate, he was so proud because he considered the combination of accolades from your supporters and respect from your sometime political adversaries as one of the ultimate goals of a successful political life. at the end of his life, my dad returned home. he died at the place he loved more than any other, cape cod. the last months of my dd's lifee were not sad or terrifying but fulfilled with propound experiences, a series of moments more precious than i could have imagined. he taught me more about humili humility, vulnerability, and courage than he had taught me in my whole life. although he lived a full and complete life by any measure, the fact is, he wasn't done. he still had work to do. he was so proud of where we had

recently come as a nation, and although i do grieve for what might have been, for what he might have helped us accomplish, i pray today that we can set aside this sadness and instead celebrate all that he was and did and stood for. i will try to live up to the high standards that my father set for all of us when he said, "the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." i love you, dad. i always will. and i miss you already. [applause]

>> president and mrs. obama, distinguished guests, friends of my father all of you, while a nation has lost a great senator, my brothers and sisters and i have lost a loving father. when i was a kid, i couldn't breathe. growing up, i suffered from chronic and crippling asthma attacks. and the medications i had to give to me were very difficult and gave me a throbbing headache every night that i had to use my

bronchosol nebulizer. now, obviously, i wish that i did not have to suffer those attacks and endure those headaches, nor do i like having to grow up having a special nonallergenic nonsmoking room reserved for me whenever we went on family vacations. but as i now realize years later, while asthma may have posed a challenge to my physical health, it propped up my emotional and mental health because it kept my father by my bedside. my dad was always sure to be within reach of me, and the side effects of the medication meant that he was always holding a cold, wet towel on my forehead until i fell asleep again from my headache. as far as the special effort that was made to ensure that i had a proper room to sleep in while we were on vacations as a family, this usually meant that i got the nicest room and it also ensured that dad was my roommate.

[laughter] i couldn't have seen it at the time, but having asthma was like hitting the jackpot for a child who craved his father's love and attention. when his light shined on me alone, there was no better feeling in all of the world. when dad was away, i often didn't know when he would return and as a young boy, i didn't know why he wasn't around at christmastime, when santa came to the house. and i really wondered why santa had the same two moles on his face that my dad had. [laughter] and in that same place as my dad. even after i figured out that that was my dad and the costume finally came off, he still remained to me a magical figure. as a little kid, i didn't look

like much of a sailor but my dad thought otherwise. you see, in sailing, there are rules as well, much like government. tireless, mundane rules that will surely make you seasick. the rule was, four people on a boat to race. just four. but my dad, of course, dug around until he found a rule around the rule. sound familiar to you who serving with him in the senate? kids under 12, he found out, especially scrawny little redheads like me, could tag along. my dad found that rule that meshed with his mission. he refused to leave me behind. he did that for all of those around the world who needed a special voice as well. when we raced in fowl weather, there was lots of salt weather

and lots of salty language. those experiences not only broadened my vocabulary, sure, but they also built my self-confidence. i saw a lot of his political philosophy in those sailboat races. one thing i noticed was that on the boat, as in this country, there was a role for everybody, a place for everybody to contract. second, in the race, as in life, it didn't matter how strong the forces against you were, so long as you kept driving forward. third, maybe you'd even come out a winner. my dad was never bowed. he never gave up, and there was no quit in dad. and looking out in this audience and looking out at this tremendous number of people who aligned themselves along the roadway, coming up from the cape, throughout boston when we went around, who waited in line

for hours to see his casket as they came through the j.f.k. library, there's no doubt in my mind that my dad came out a winner. i want to thank all of you for the amazing tribute that you've given my father in the last several days. and i want to say, just as proud as i was to be a crew on his sailboat, i am forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with him in the united states congress as his colleague. i admit, i used to hang on to his t-shirt and his coat sleeve on the capitol when i was just a little boy. so when i got a chance to serve with him on capitol hill, all i needed to do was set my compass to the principles of his life. my father and i were the primary sponsors of the mental health parity and addiction equity act, which was signed into law last year. this bill represented not only a legal victory for 54 million

americans with mental illness who are being denied equal health insurance, but as one of those 54 million americans, i felt he was also fighting for me, to help ease the burden of stigma and shame that accompanies treatment. i will really miss working with dad. i will miss my dad's wonderful sense of self-deprecating humor. when the far right made dad their poster child for their attack ads, he used to say, "we kennedys sure bring out the best in people." [laughter] and when he first got elected and my cousin joe was a member of congress and i came to congress, dad finally celebrated, saying, "finally, after all these years, when someone says 'who does that damn kennedy think he is' there's only a one in three chance they're talking about me." [laughter] most americans will remember dad as the good and decent and

hard-charging senator. but to teddy, currin, caroline, cara and i, we will always remember him as a loving and devoted father. and in the 1980 campaign, my dad often quoted robert frost at the conclusion of every stump speech to indicate that he had to go on to another political event. he would paraphrase the line from "the road less traveled," "the woods are lovely, dark and deep, and i have promises to keep and miles to go before i sleep and miles to go before i sleep." well, dad, you've kept that promise both literally and figuratively to be your brother's keeper. now it's time for you to rest in peace. may your spirit live forever in our hearts, and as you challenged us so many times before, may your dream for a better, more just america never die.

i love you, dad. and you will always live in my heart forever. [applause] [applause] >> your eminence, vicki, cara, edward, patrick, currin,

caroline, members of the kennedy family, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens,. todacitizens, today we say goodbye to the youngest child of rose and joseph kenne kennedy. the world will long remember their son edward as the heir to a weighty legacy. a champion for those who had none. the soul of the democratic party and the lion of the united states senate. a man who graces nearly 1,000 laws, who's penned more than 300 laws himself. but those of us who loved him and ache with his passing know ted kennedy by the other titles he held: father, brother,

husband, grandfather, uncle teddy, or, as he was often known to his younger nieces and nephews, the grand fromage, or the big cheese. [laughter] i, like so many others in the city where he worked for nearly half a century, knew him as a colleague, a mentor, and, above all, as a friend. ted kennedy was the baby of the family who became its patriarch, the restless dreamer who became its rock. he was a funny, joyful child who bore the brunt of its brothers' teasing but learned quickly how to brush it off. when they tossed him off a boat because he didn't know what a jib was, six-year-old teddy got back in and learned to sail.

when a photographer asked a newly elected bobby to step back at a press conference because he was casting a shadow on his younger brother, teddy quipped, "it will be the same in washington." that spirit of resilience and good humor would see teddy through more pain and tragedy than most of us will ever know. he lost two siblings by the age of 16. he saw two more taken violently from a country that loved them. he said goodbye to his beloved sister, eunice, in the final days of his life. he narrowly survived a plane crash, watched two children struggle with cancer, buried three nephews, and experienced personal failings and setbacks in the most public way possible. but the string of events that would have broken a lesser man.

it would have been easy for ted to let himself become bitter and hardened, to surrender to self-pity and regret, to retreat from public life and live out his years in peaceful quiet. no one would have blamed him for that. but that was not ted kennedy. as he told us, individual faults and frailties are no excuse to give in and no exemption from the common obligation to give of ourselves. indeed, ted was the happy warrior that the poet wordsworth spoke of when he wrote, "attempted more were able to endure, as more exposed to suffering and distress, hence also more lives to tenderness." through his own suffering, ted kennedy became more alive to the plight and the suffering of

others. a sick child who could not see a doctor, the young soldier denied a right because of what she looks like or who she loves or where she comes from. landmark laws that he championed: the civil rights act, the americans with disabilities act, immigration reform, children's health insurance, the family and medical leave act all have a running thread. that the kennedys lifework was not to champion the causes of those with wealth and power or special connections. it was to give a voice to those who were not heard, to add a rung to the ladder of opportunity, to make real the dream of our founders. he was given the gift of time that his brothers were not and he used that gift to touch as many lives and right as many

wrongs as the years would allow. we can still hear his voice bellowing through the senate chamber, face red inned, fist pounding the -- reddened, fists pounding the podium, a venerable force of nature for civil rights. and yet, as has been noted, while his causes became deeply personal, his disagreements never did. while he was seen by his fiercest critics as a partisan lightning rod, that's not the prism through which ted kennedy saw the world nor was it the prism through which his colleagues saw ted kennedy. he was a product of an age when the joy and noability of politics presented the differences the party and platform and philosophy from becoming bears t barriers to con and mutual respect.

at a time when adversaries still saw each other as patriots. and that's how ted kennedy became the greatest legislator of our time. he did it by hueing the principle but also, yes, by seek compromise and common cause. not through dealmaking and horse trading alone, but through friendship and kindness and humor. there was a time he courted orrin hatch for his support of the children's health insurance program by having his chief of staff serenade the senator with a song orrin had written himself. the time he delivered shamrock cookies on a china plate to sweeten up a crusty republican colleague. the famous story of how he won the support of a texas committee chairman on an immigration bill, teddy walked into a meeting with a plain manila envelope and showed the chairman that it was filled with the texans' favorite

cigars. when the negotiations were going well, he would inch the envelope closer to the chairman. [laughter] when they weren't, he'd pull it back. [laughter] before long, the deal was done. it was only a few years ago on st. patrick's day when teddy buttonholed me on the floor of the senate for my support of a certain piece of legislation that was coming up for a vote. i gave him my pledge but i expressed skepticism that it would pass. when the rollcall was over, the bill garnered the votes that it needed and then s some. i looked at teddy with astonishment and asked how had he done it. he just patted me on the back and said, "luck of the irish." [laughter] of course, luck had little to do with ted kennedy's legislative success. he knew that. a few years ago, his father-in-law told him that he and daniel webster just might be the two greatest senators of all time.

without missing a beat, teddy replied, "what did webster do?" [laughter] teddy's historic body of achievements that we will remember, it is his giving heart that we will miss. he was a friend and a colleague who was always the first to pick up the phone and say, "i'm sorry for your loss," or "i hope you feel better," or "what can die to help?" it was a boss so adored by his staff that over 500 spanning five decades showed up for his 75th birthday party. it was a man who sent birthday wishes and thank you notes and even his own paintings to so many who never imagined that a u.s. senator of such stature would take the time to think about somebody like them. i have one of those paintings in my private study off the oval

office, a cape cod seascape that was a gift to a freshman legislator who had just arrived in washington and happened to admire it when ted kennedy welcomed him into his office. that, by the way, is my second gift from teddy and vicki after our dog bo. and it seems like everyone has one of those stories, the ones that often start with "you wouldn't believe who called me today." ted kennedy was the father who looked not only after his own three children but john's and bobby's as well. he took them camping and taught them to sail. he laughed and danced with them at birthdays and weddings, cried and mourned with them through hardship and tragedy. and passed on that same sense of service and selflessness that his parents had instilled in him. shortly after ted walked caroline down the aisle and gave

her away at the altar, he received a note from jackie that red, "on you the carefree youngest brother, fell a burden a hero would have begged to have been spared. we're all going to make it because urals ther you are alwae with your love." not only did the kennedy family make it because of ted's love, he made it because of theirs, especially because of the love and the life he found in vicki. after so many los much loss, soh sorrow, it could not have been easy for ted to risk his heart again. and that he did is a testament to how deeply he loved this remarkable woman from louisiana. and she didn't just walk him back, as ted would often acknowledge, vicki saved him. she gave him strength and purpose, joy and friendship, and stood by him always, especially in those last, hardest days.

we cannot know for certain how long we have here. we cannot foresee the trials or misfortunes that will test us along the way. we cannot know what god's plan is for us. what we can do is to live out our lives as best we can with purpose, and with love, and with joy. we can use each day to show those who are closest to us how much we care about them and treat others with kindness and respect that we wish for ourselves. we can learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures. and we can strive at all costs to make a better world. for someday, we are blessed with a chance to look back on our time here, we know that we spent it well, that we made a difference, that our fleeting presence had a lasting impact on the lives of others.

this is how ted kennedy lived. this is his legacy. he once said, as has already been mentioned by his brother bobby, that he need not be idealized or enlarged in death, because what he was in life -- and i imagine he would sam say e same about himself. the greatest expectations were placed on ted kennedy's shoulders because of who he was, but he surpassed them all because of who he became. we do not weep for him today because of the parenthesis is attached to his name or his office. we weep because of this kind and tender hero who persevered through pain and tragedy not for the sake of ambition or vanity, not for wealth nor power, but only for the people and the country that he loved.

in the days after september 11, teddy made it a point to personally call each one of the 177 families of this state who lost a loved one in the attack. but he didn't stop there. he kept calling and checking up on them. he fought through red tape to get them assistance from grief counseling. he invited them sailing, played with their children and would write each family a letter whenever the anniversary of that terrible day came along. to one widow, he wrote the following: "as you know so well, the passage of time never really heals the tragic memory of such a great loss, but we carry on because we have to, because our loved ones would want us to and because there is still light to guide us in the world from the

love they gave us." we carry on. ted kennedy has gone home now, guided by his faith and by the light of those that he has loved and lost. at last he is with them once more, leaving those of us who grove his passing with the memories he gave us. the good that he did, the dream he kept alive, and the single enduring image, the image of a man on a boat, white mane tussled, smiling broadly as he sails into the wind ready for whatever storms may come, carrying on toward some new and wondrous place just beyond the horizon. may god bless ted kennedy and may he rest in eternal peace. [applause]

>> let us pray. lord god, your son, jesus christ, gave us the sacrament of his body and blood to guide us on our pilgrimage way to your kingdom. may our dear friend ted who shared in the eucharist come to thew&;!6mélío+6-k%i7dfv9ijbqmñçt prepared for us. we ask this through christ our lord. amen. and his eminence, cardinal shawn

o'malley, will conduct the final commendation. >> mr. president, we thank you for your presence and for your words of appreciation for the life and work of senator kennedy. we've gathered here today to pray for a man who has been such an important part of our history and our country. we are here because ted kennedy shared our belief in prayer and in eternal life. vicki, you and the family surrounded ted with love at the

he happened of his lifend of hil an example of love and compassion in the face of suffering and death. we die with dignity when we are surrounded by love and such care. and now let us commend ted's soul to god's loving mercy. >> before we go our separate ways, let us take leave of our brother. may all our farewell express our affection for him. may it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope. one day we shall joyfully greet him again when the love of christ, which conquers all things, destroys even death itself.

>> into your hands, father of mercies, we commend our brother edward in the sure and certain hope that together with all who have died in christ, we shall rise with him on the last day. we give you thanks for the blessings which you bestowed upon edward in this life. they are signs to us of your goodness and of our fellowship with the saints in christ. merciful lord, turn toward us and listen to our prayers. open the gates of paradise to your servants and help us who remain to comfort one another with assurances of faith until we all meet in christ and are with you and with our brother forever. we ask this through christ, our lord. amen. >> in peace, let us take our brother to his place of rest.

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♪ >> and crown thy good brotherhood from sea to shining sea. ♪ o beautiful --

♪ america, america ♪ pine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears

america! america! god shed his grace on the and crown my good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea! [indistinct chatter] ♪

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♪ how lovely is thy dwelling place, o lord of hosts, to me. the tabernacles of by grace how pleasant, lord, they be! ♪

[indistinct chatte}] [indistinct chatter]

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after the funeral mass in boston, senator's body was sent to washington. congressional colleagues and staffers were there to pay respects. here is a look at that right now. [applause]

[applause] [applause] [cheers and applause]

[laughter] [applause] [applause] [laughter]

[applause] lex thank you. -- >> @ thank you.

-- >> thank you. mrs. kennedy, we gather with you to express our solidarity with you at this time. some members of both chambers of congress, officers, co-workers, collaborators and especially former and present staff of the center are gathered here on the steps here regard to briefly pray with you, offer our sympathy and to thank you. thank you for sharing the senator and so much of his life with us.

thank you also for your love of your care throughout the years, especially through the time of illness and these last moments. be assured that our prayers and anything that we can do for you as you move on. let us pray. in the sight of people, your servant suffered greatly and took on enormous tasks. you knew his hopes were unquenchable, full of the mortality -- of immortality. you knew his strength and the tensions -- limitations. he knew that you could use

anyone and anything to accomplish your purpose and draw people closer to one another and to his divine presence. grounded in fayed, fashioned by family values, and once expanded -- to new depths of human understanding, in brisk with compassion, such revision would inspire people around the world to believe with all their hearts that peace and justice will conquer violence and division and competition can be converted to collaboration. although burdened by the weight of his passing, lord, help his

co-workers and collaborators raise the torch of his convictions and commitments for a new generation, one yet even to be born, and to all, in all those parts of this nation in the world who are still on touched by the social responsibility inherent in every aspect of human freedom faithful servant of the people go now, to your place of rest and to meet the lord your god. we thank you, lord, for the short time you have given us to work together and to be together, now and forever.

amen. i would like to introduce samuel bonds, choral director at duke ellington school of music. samaha bonds, choral director of d. duke ellington school of music to will lead almost in singing america the beautiful. >> o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,

for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! american! america! god shed his grace on thee and crowned by good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea! [applause]

>> thank you very much for attending. eternal rest granted to him all board and a perpetual light shine upon him. may he rest in peace. may his soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace. amen.

[applause]

>> i just want to say on behalf of my brother and sister how proud i am. he could not have done this without all the people that he worked with. he knew that he was only grade because he had great people supporting him and he knew the value of good staff and that is why he was so successful. i know that all of you, having watched what happened in the past three days, have to feel good that you were part of his life because this country has outpour its soul and heart this past few days to say what a difference he has made in the life of this country and i think that you will should be feeling that you were part of that, too because of all that you have done. i hope that you feel some consolation that the many hard

hours gives you sense of satisfaction of having done a really important job for this country because that is the legacy that he would want you to feel good about. he would be very proud to see you out here today paying a final tribute to to his memory. i think you on behalf of my family for being here. [applause]

[applause]

[applause] >> stand beside her and guide her -- a line from the mountains

to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam god bless america my home sweet home god bless america my home sweet home. ♪

america, america god shed his grace on the and crowned by a good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea! ♪ o beautiful for pilgrim feet astern and impassions dress a thoroughfare of freedom bead across the wilderness american! america! and crowned

by good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. [applause] [applause]

[applause]

>> a motorcade carrying the casket of senator kennedy made its way to the arlington national cemetery from the capitol building. he was laid to rest next to his brothers john and robert. this ceremony is half an hour. [investing chattdistinct chatte]

>> hut. halt.

to my left, march.

>> there is a fitting the moment to have a burial at the end of the day because we know that the sun will come back tomorrow. as we think of teddy, we know that his new life begins and as we look at this great family, we're sure that the life is already beginning and that good

things will happen. mr. vice president, vicki, members of the family, it is for all of us a very special time in the life of our country. we begin in the name of the father and of the sun and of the holy spirit. >> dear friends in christ, in the name of jesus and his church, we gathered together. may god bring into everlasting peace and rest. we share the pain and loss, and therefore we comfort one another with these words. . cara? >> >> a legal -- a reading from

a letter. we will change our live body to conform with the body by the power that enables them false hope. [unintelligible] >> thanks be to god. may have for just a moment raise the voice of so many around the world to pay a final tribute to senator ted kennedy and to offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife vicki, his sister jean who was -- his children and grandchildren and all of the family and to that extended family that was probably include

most of america. -- most probably would include most of america. the funeral mass attendees had to be touched by the part in that you to play by the young regeneration of kennedy's. warm and very personal tribute of teddy's sons and even that of the president of united states whose warmth and friendship is obviously so powerful. that, together with the splendid harmony of the father, made our farewell to senator kennedy unforgettable. on learning of his death, may i

offer that again. they called him the line of the senate. that is indeed what he was. his zeal made a difference in our lives. we've had were his friends would get mad at him when he would be on what we thought was the wrong side of the issue. we were always touched by his fight for the underdog. his legacy will surely place him among the dozen or so grace. shortly before he died, senator kennedy wrote a very moving letter to the holy father and took the advantage of the historic visit to the vatican to

ask the president if he would deliver it personally. a couple of weeks later, the pope replied with a fatherly message of concern for the senators illness and a prayer for his progress. when vicki and i began to talk about the organization -- i want to quote from that letter. it begins --

"most holy father, i asked hand this letter to you. as a man of deep faith himself, he understands how important my roman catholic faith is to me and i am so deeply grateful to him. i hope this letter finds you in good health. i pray that you have all of god's blessings as you lead our church and inspire our world during these challenging times. i am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines. i was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago. although i continue treatment, the disease is taking its toll on me. i am 77 years old and preparing for the next passage of life. i have been blessed to be a part of a wonderful family. my parents kept their catholic faith in the center of our lives. it has sustained and nurtured and provided solace to me in my darkest hours. i know that i have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith, i have tried to right my path.

i want you to know that in my years of elected office, i have done my best to champion the rights of the poor and open doors of economic opportunity. i worked to welcome the immigrants, to fight discrimination, and expand access to health care and education. i have opposed the death penalty and worked to end war. i also want you to know that, even though i am ill, i am committed to do everything i can to achieve access to health care for everyone in my country. this has been the political cause of my life. i believe in [unintelligible] and i will continue to advocate for it as my colleagues in the senate and i work for an overall health policy.

i have always tried to be a faithful catholic, your holiness. i have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings of my faith. i continue to pray for god's blessings on you and on our church and would be most thankful for your prayer for me." two weeks later, a reply came back from the vatican. in part, it read as follows. "the holy father has read the letter that you have entrusted to president obama. he was saddened to hear of your illness and best to assure you of his concern. he is particularly grateful [unintelligible] his holiness prays that, in the

days ahead, you may be sustained in faith and hope and granted to the precious grace of joyful surrender to the world of god, our merciful father. he invokes upon you the consolation and deep promise by the risen savior to all who shared in the suffering and trust in his promise of eternal life. commending you and the members of your family to the lovely intervention of the virgin mary, the holy father offers a solemn blessing as a pledge of wisdom, comfort, and strength in the lord." that is the end of the quotation. with the praise of our holy father added to our own prayers, we entrust the body of edward moore kennedy, senator ted, to his resting place until the lord calls us forth to the end of time, amen.

now let us pray. our merciful lord, by your own three days in the tomb, you so made the grave the sign of hope of promise and direction. grant that are brother may sleep in peace until you awaken him, for you are the resurrection and the light. then he will see you face to face and, in your light, will see light and know the splendor of god, where you live and reign forever and ever. amen. i am going to ask gerry creedon to do the intersection for us. he will be saying some prayers. he will be adding "lord, in your mercy." our response is "lord, hear our prayer." >> gracious lord, forgive the

sins of those who died in christ. lord, in your mercy -- >> hear our prayer. >> welcome them into eternal life. lord, in your mercy -- >> hear our prayer. >> let us pray for those who mourn. comfort them in their grief. lord, in your mercy -- >> hear our prayer. >> light their hearts with your presence. increase their faith, strengthen their hope. lord, in your mercy -- >> hear our prayer. >> lead us in our own pilgrimage to life. keep us faithful. lord, in your mercy -- >> hear our prayer. >> in the sure and certain health of the resurrection to

return alive, to our lord jesus christ, we commend to almighty god our brother ted. we commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. may the lord bless him and keep him. may the lord keep him safe to shine upon him and be gracious to him. may the lord give up his countenance to him and give him peace. let us join now in praising prayer. our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead

us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. now, i will say again the prayers from the act of commendation for they are fitting at this moment as well. before we go our separate ways, let us take leave of our brother ted. let us express our affection for him. one day, we shall joyfully greet him again. into your hands, father of mercy, we commend our brother ted in the sure and certain hope that, together with all who have died in christ, he will rise with him on the last day. we give you thanks for the blessings which you placed upon him in this life. they are signs to us of your goodness and their fellowship with our thanks in christ.

merciful lord, turn to us and listen to our prayers. open the gates of heaven to your servant, and help us who remain to comfort one another with assurances of faith until we meet in christ and are with you and with our brother teddy forever. we ask this through christ our lord. >> amen. >> let us now raise our heads and pray for god's blessing. you are accepted to the presence of the humble. hear your people who cry out to you in their need and strengthen their hopes in your lasting goodness. we ask this through christ our

lord. >> amen. >> keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge of the love of god and his sons. may almighty god bless you, the father and the son and the holy spirit. >> amen. >> and now, i know that four of teddy's grandchildren are going to come and say something about their grandpa.

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>> here is our schedule. next, weekly addresses from president obama and the wyoming senator. later, a look at the role of how but bridget a look at how the role of the first lady was established. after that, on america and the courts, oral arguments on changing how the veterans department deals with disability claims for posttraumatic stress disorder. >> sunday on "washington journal," the president of the canadian medical association. then the presidential vacations and retreats in a new book, "

escaping the gilded cage." later, "republican leader." that is live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> on august 20, the only man convicted of the 1988 bombing of pan am flight 103 was released by a scottish prison. watch the debate following the government's decision to release him to his home country of libya, sunday night on c-span. >> president obama used his weekly address to mark the fourth anniversary of hurricane katrina and discuss federal efforts to rebuild gulf coast communities. the also announced plans to visit new orleans later this year. he is followed by the senior republican on the health committee talks about his party's health-care proposals concerning small businesses and physician's medical liabilities. >> this week marks the fourth anniversary of hurricane katrina is devastation of the gulf coast. as we remember all that was lost, we must take stock of the

work being done on a recovery while preparing for future disasters. that is what i want to speak about today. none of us can forget how we felt when those winds battered the shore, the flood waters began to rise, and americans were stranded on rooftops and stadiums. over 1000 people would lose their lives. over 1 million people were displaced. whole neighborhoods of a great american city were left in ruins. communities across the gulf coast were forever changed. many americans questioned whether government could fulfil its responsibilities to respond in a crisis or contribute to a recovery that covered parts of four states. my administration has helped focus on rebuilding lives and keep these will taking steps to prevent similar catastrophes going forward. our approach is simple, government must keep its responsibility to the people so that americans have the opportunity and take responsibility for their own

future. that is the work we are doing. to date, 11 members of my cabinet have visited the gulf coast and i am looking forward to going to be orleans later this year. to complete the complex recovery that addresses nearly every sector of society, we have coordinated different federal agencies and with state and local governments. no more turf wars. all of us need to move forward together because there is much more work to be done. i've also made it clear that we will not tolerate the red tape that stands in the way of progress where the waste that can drive up the bill. government must be a partner, not opponent, getting things done. that is why we have put in place innovative review and dispute resolution programs to expedite recovery efforts and have free up hundreds of millions of dollars of federal assistance that had not been distributed. this is also allowing us to move forward with small projects across the gulf coast. building and improving schools, investing in public health and safety, and repairing broken

roads, bridges, and homes. this effort has been dramatically simplified by the recovery act, which is put thousands of gulf coast residents to work. as we complete this effort, we see countless stories of citizens holding up their end of the bargain. in new orleans, hundreds of kids just aren't the school year at langston hughes elementary, the first school built from scratch since katrina. the st. bernard project has drawn together by volunteers to rebuild hundreds of homes where people can live with dignity and security. to cite just one hopeful indicator, nor lanes is the fastest-growing city in america. -- new orleans is the fastest- growing city in america. we must also learn the lessons of katrina said the nation is more protected and resilience in the face of disaster. that means continuing to rebuild hundreds of miles of levees and flood walls around new orleans and working to strengthen the wetlands and barrier islands that are the gulf coast pause for find of defense. in washington, that needs a

focus on confidence and accountability, and i am proud that my fema administrator has 25 years of experience in disaster management in florida, which has done its share of hurricanes. across the country, that means improving coordination among different agencies, modernizing armored six medications, and helping families plan for a crisis. on this anniversary, we are focused on this, but we must also be prepared for dangers from wildfires to worth? to terrorist attacks and pandemic disease. in particular, we're working aggressively with state and local governments and with partners around the world to prepare for the risk posed by the h1n1 virus. to learn more about the simple steps that you can take to keep you and your family safe from all of these dangers, please visit www.ready.gov. on this day, we commemorate the tragedy that befell our people. we also remember that with every

tragedy comes the chance of renewal. it is a quintessentially american notion that adversity can give birth to hope. and that the lessons of the past hold the key to a better future. from the streets of new orleans to the mississippi coast, folks are beginning the next chapter in their american stories. together, we can ensure that the legacy of the terrible storm is a country that is safer and more prepared for the challenges that may come. thank you. >> hello, i'm from the state of wyoming, the ranking member of the senate health committee. before i begin remarks, i will cause loss of a great leader this week to is influenced policy for almost half a century. senator ted kennedy has been a tireless champion on a wide range of important issues, and his voice will be missed in the senate. our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time. i would now like to take a few minutes to speak with you about the current health care reform debate in america.

across the country, people are concerned about the reform bills democrats have proposed. i have heard a lot of frustration and anger as i've travelled across my own state the past weeks. i know that my colleagues in the senate have heard loud and clear the worry that so many americans have about the changes to their health care being considered. people in wyoming and across the country are anxious about what washington has in mind. this is big. this is personal. this is one of the most important abates of our lifetime. if congress and the administration mess this up, each and everyone of us will pay for the mistakes as will generations to come. we need health care reform, but more portly, we need to get it right. we need reforms that will actually lower health-care costs for working americans, and we need to make sure that would not increase the deficit and add to the record debt that we are already passing on to our children and grandchildren. the bills introduced by congressional democrats failed to meet the standards.

according to the nonpartisan and independent congressional budget office, the house and senate bills will drive up health-care costs. the congressional budget office also says the democrats' bill will significantly increase our nation's deficit. take a minute to think about that. the democrats are trying to rush the bill through the process that will actually make our nation's finances sicker without saving money. the american people are growing increasingly concerned about out-of-control spending in washington that is leaving us with trillions of dollars of debt. these bills also read medicare. this will result in cutting off of billions of dollars from the elderly to create new government programs. savings from medicare should only be used to strengthen medicare. the bills which let -- expand comparative effectiveness research, used to limit or deny care based on age or disability of patients. republican amendments and health committee would have protected americans by prohibiting the

rationing of their health care. the democrats showed their true intent by voting every amendment down and leaving these unacceptable provisions in the bill. this intrusion of the washington bureaucrat in the relationship between a doctor and patient is not the kind of reform that americans are seeking. people across america are telling congress that current health care bills are the wrong approach and that there should be a course correction on health care reform. they have said that we need to scrap these flawed bills and take the time to develop the resolutions that the american people want and need. we need to enact common-sense reform that will actually cut costs. more better choices and competing health plans should be available so you can find the plan that meets your needs at a price that afford. it is important that we help small businesses provide affordable coverage for workers. one way is to give small businesses the power to get together across the country and move their combined negotiating

power to find quality, affordable insurance plans. which also reform our current tax system, which drives up costs and make it difficult for individuals to purchase insurance on the run. everyone should get a health- care tax advantage or no one should. we need to reform our flawed medical liability system and eliminate junk lawsuits against doctors and hospitals. unnecessary lawsuits cause extra costs and drive up health-care costs. we need to incentivize healthy lifestyle and push for a greater awareness of the importance of prevention, rather than increasing sick care. we need to provide patients with more better information about the price and quality of their health care services so they could make the right choices for their families. america is a country of choices. we are a nation of people who want the blood to choose what will best fit our family's needs, and it should be that way with health care, too. these are the kind of health care reforms the american people

want to see. that is the kind of change that people want as i travel across wyoming. a government monopoly just does not serve as best. i hope that the president and the democratic controlled congress will reject the go it alone. they are currently on. if they do, we will have a chance to truly work on a real bill that will address this critical issues. then we can bring about the reforms necessary to decrease health care costs and increase access to affordable, quality health care for all americans. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> coming up, the role of the first lady and how responsible lives have changed over time. then, oral argument in a case that asks the veterans affairs department to change how it deals with disability claims for posttraumatic stress disorder. later, the funeral mass and burial ceremony for senator ted kennedy.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> mount vernon estate and gardens partnered with the white house historical association for a program on how the role of the first lady was first established. the historians discussed how the first lady's responsibilities changed as the nation itself changed. this program runs about two hours. [applause] >> hi, everyone. it is so good to be back at mount vernon. i have fond memories of being here, and learning here. it is great to see all the teachers. i cannot imagine coming from the position i had of being mrs. bush's press secretary cannot stand up here and say thank you. thank you for all that you do,

from someone who went all across this country visiting all sorts of schools and all kinds of conditions. we really appreciate all that you do for children. when i was preparing for today's lecture, i thought of a lot of different stories i could tell. then i got so wrapped up in the research. i got a little bit obsessed to be honest. i have a 5-year-old, so staying up late, trying to figure this out. as a previous press secretary, i probably should not have been surprised, but i was, at how many times that i read a stereotypical presentation of a first lady. even if it was martha washington all the way up to mrs. obama and the work that she is doing now. it seemed that if he had hopes of being a first lady or if you worry first lady, you had to fit neatly into buckets.

some of those will not surprise you. you had to be traditional or moderate. you were lucky or aggressive. -- you were low-key or aggressive. your like eleanor roosevelt or like beth truman. i was also struck by the that the tape of news reports, no offense, -- i was also surprised by not leave -- naivette. i would have to guess that none of them were married who wrote that. in other cases, they were actually average when the first lady might engage in politics. i think that you will hear from the very first martha washington when you hear more counts of that. every single one of them were engaged in politics.

it is a surprise to me even though i witnessed it firsthand that the public might be surprised when first lady takes on a public policy issue or champions because or maybe goes to the podium and speaks her opinion about something that is happening in current affairs. i think you'll hear a different perspective from the ladies that we have here today. this afternoon session, a woman's touch, the role of first lady, we're joined by a distinguished panel of historians. i did not call them first lady historians because if you google them, they do not,. they do, in their own right, to learn more, there are historians about their husbands as well because they have to go through a lot of the documentation to actually find the facts about the first ladies. as mentioned, we will hear more about abigail adams, dolley madison, mary todd lincoln, and martha washington.

i will introduce our panelists by name and then tell you a little bit about them. i will try not to repeat the biographies you have your hand. i will use my great researching style that these historians will get very upset about. we have pat britney, cokie roberts, catherine allgor and kathryn putin. my first and favorite search and return of ms. brady was an article that came out for years after her book. it is probably a long lines of something that was happening here at mount vernon, the to her 50th anniversary of george and martha washington -- the 250th anniversary of george and martha washington. this article was titled, "fresh look at martha washington, more foxy lady." i thought, ok, this is

interesting. dr. britney is frequently quoted using fax, from martha washington's records to dispel an image of this to dispel this as mousey, fat, rich, with no that-in washington married only for her money. i also read a lot of wonderful reviews about the book, martha washington american life and i'm embarrassed to admit i did not have it. i read it, and i agree with this " probably the most. -- i agree with this quote probably the most. i choose to read patricia brady is biography of martha washington because she was something i knew of very little, over a attitude -- overshadowed by the magnitude of the images, it seemed her life had faded into obscurity.

i discovered an amazing, determined, a vital woman who lived her life to the fullest and contributed immensely to the formation of the united states. that would be the frumpy, mousy, fat first lady. pat, we look forward to hearing more about your version of that determined, a vital first lady, martha washington. cokie roberts. if you are like me, it is such a breath of fresh air on that ridiculous to me. i go from mount vernon to bethesda. when cokie is on npr, a feel like i get that straight forward, old-fashioned style of reporting. she is a commentator, and whether she is reporting for abc or npr, whether she is talking about white house, congress, nominations, and fights about all of them, you can count on ms. roberts to give you truly both sides of that argument with the board stated facts.

as a competent -- with authoritative backs. she's extremely respected and her efforts to tell the history of politics. in her book recently revised, in its 10th anniversary, "we are mothers daughters," you'll find wonderful chapters about all sorts of women. cokie, i personally enjoyed your addition of chapter 2, which was mrs. bush. she also is author of these of liberty and founding mothers, both of which are here. many of them are going to it -- they are all going to sign their books. they are wonderful books if you have not had a chance to pick them up. last year had the opportunity spend time with accokeek on another panel in an event hosted by mrs. bush. prior to their visit, i was researching back on information on kathrin. every time you have a guest, you have to put together a briefing paper, what did she do, what she said, etc.

i found this one quote that made me laugh out loud. for those who might be, have strong affinities for thomas jefferson, i pulled this out. as a former mount vernon person, we had a healthy competition with monticello. when i read that someone said that thomas jefferson was a bastard -- [laughter] you did. the internet said that he said that. [laughter] i could soar sit beyond that. and john quincy adams would have been a dream date. then she said she liked complicated man. i knew that i would like her. in her book, "a perfect union," she reveals a dolley madison loved by contemporaries, demonstrating the power of partnership, and articulating what i did not find anywhere else, how the political which

will also import helping their husbands to achieve their goals. it is often much more than what they wear. having read her work but never having the pleasure of seeing her present, i am personally looking forward to it. professor quintin, your portrayal and your writing of mrs. clinton are revealing and your biography such a treaty. we all know the history of president lincoln. when you reflect on his wife and all of the tragedy that she went through, losing her husband, and her son dying at the white house, you just think of everything that she went through when she was first lady. when she was reported as a crazy, depressed first lady and that is all that you hear and see, well, i would be, too. it is very and lightning -- it is very enlightening when

somebody looks into a deeper. there was a biography nobody has tried to match, and that was a challenge. she took it all on. talking about stereotypical issues, i found a news article describing mrs. lincoln, titled, "hellcat or helpmate." because she could only be one or the other. terry and lightning. your reported as saying the reason why you tackle this was because mary lincoln, mary todd lincoln was being lost in the shuffle of the new lincoln literature. i think sadly that is probably true. that happens to a lot of first ladies. we thank you for giving us more insight into the tragic and unconventional life of mrs. lincoln. as mentioned, each panelist will spend about 15 minutes telling you about their research and their books and how they got

their, and then they will come up one at a time. at the end, we will take a little bit of a break to get situated. everyone will come up and then we will have questions and answers. we ask as each panelist presents that you hold your question, write it down, and then we will moderate that and get as many as we can. thank you. with that, i introduce our first panelist, and that is dr. brady. [applause] >> thank you, sally. that was one of the most fun introductions i have heard in a long time. i have to say that i agree with the quote about thomas jefferson. [laughter] this is not the way i meant to begin, but i feel i should just throw it in. the idea that if one writes

about women, first ladies or whomever, that that somehow is second-class history, that it has to have a modifier in front of it about women's historian as opposed to just and historian. when you write about women, you write about life. this is the same as if you write about men. neither should be favored over the other. also, i think firefighter years will go by with peace and harmony and a lap -- wonderful life. many historians say there was peace. then there will be five minutes of war and there will be three chapters. we write about daily life. in many ways, i think that is real life is what we read about. what better place to talk about martha washington then here at mark vernon. she was the first -- mount vernon. she was the first of the first ladies. the title had not been invented.

she set the pace. she has been largely forgotten until now. all anybody knew about her basically was the gilbert stuart portrait that she was an oddly lady who happen to be married to george washington, probably born 70 years old as far as anybody could tell. [laughter] that is why i went back, to find out who was the real martha washington. that is why the cover of the book, we went back and did age regression to find out just how beautiful she was pregnant again, nothing would have mattered if she was plain, but it was fun to find out that she was quite an historical hottie. [laughter] so that is my martha washington. skipping over many years of their lives, we get to the time when george washington inevitably became our first president. like many of her successors, martha washington was a very

reluctant president's wife. she felt they had given up eight years of their life with the american revolution. why on earth should they spend more time on politics when they could be here at mount vernon, at the perfect place, and inch away another 50 years of rest, relaxation, hard work, and, in general, daily life? washington, however, was talked into it. and she wrote to enough about her famous husband, "i thought it was much too late for him to go into public life again. he was too old. we had given up too much of our time. i had hoped to grow old in solitude and tranquillity together, but it was not to be." her family must be deranged and she started pecking up to go to the first capital, new york city. it to show you how different things were at that time, she

did not go to the inauguration. there was no sense that inauguration was especially exciting or there was hoopla, nor was there an inaugural ball. she did not come until more than a month later. the secretaries and aides were riding in sang, we miss you, the president misses you, please come. she did not bother to come -- she did not bother to write back as she was coming when she was coming. when she got there, she discovered the first presidency was, as washington sot, the brave new world. the constitution laid out the general duties, but there were details to be figured out, and life is made up of details. each choice set a precedent. if you do a, then there are certain circumstances. if you do b, it is something else altogether. washington wanted to be very

careful to put -- to set the correct president. he wanted his wife to do the same. what is the president's wife to do? it is not as though she is in the constitution. nobody says if you want to be president, get married very wisely 30 years before. you just discover that when you get there, what is expected. but she was the first one. what could it be? one thing she found out when she got there was that george washington, in his usual way, thoughtful, not hurrying into things, had consultant carefully -- had consulted carefully with madison, adams, and they had decided what the first lady could and could not do. she was furious. she said, "i think i am more like a state prisoner than anything else." she was not allowed to entertain friends or accept private invitations, and when she

arrived in new york on a wednesday, she was told that she would be the hostess of a large reception on friday. well, that was quite a surprise for her. she, of course, made the best of it. for the whole first year that they were and new york, no one could have guessed that she had been longing all her life to do this. she was gracious, charming, friendly. she humanized the great man. she made him much less of a marble figure of the statue and much more of the down-to-earth, flesh and blood hero. she loved him and admired him, and she showed a way for others to enter into that same kind of feeling. she discovered what a public figure that she was. on the way up, she and the children and a nephew in various other servants and assistance

and so forth came up. every little crossroads they passed, there were people standing there, weeping and shouting. and she called it the great parade. it was made for us all the way that we came. it was her first taste of what celebrity could be like. nowadays, women in politics understand that this will happen. but she had no idea. she thought being the president's lady would be like being the commanding generals lady. at that they would gather informally with friends and supporters and meet people and talk about things in an informal way. she was shocked to discover just how very formal things were. i think the idea at that dinner parties are one of the worst things, from my point of view, that could happen to a hostess. every thursday afternoon at 4:00, there was a presidential dinner party. washington carefully invited

people in a balanced way. half the people had this kind of point of view, half the other, partly northerner, partly southerner. most of these men did not even know each other. they did not have a lot in common. it was almost all men, because at this point, no one knew how long the government would last. no one knew how long it would be in new york. many men had left their wives back home. there would be a dinner party with george and martha and two aides and 14 men who did not know each other or talk to each other much. she was hard put to keep that dinner party going, but she did it, because that was part of the role of the president's lady. being not just the hostess to the actual people at the dinner table, but being hostess to the nation. that is what she started to see.

she was the first and only first lady who was not criticized by the press [laughter] talk about did not last long, did it? abigail adams immediately faced it. but although and a second term washington was severely hurt by the press and the sort of things they published, it actually at that point did not find it appropriate to attack the president's lady as a way to get at the president politically. which of course is what has happened, from abigail adams to michelle obama, with hardly a break in between. since there was no white house, when the washington's left the presidency and came back home to mount vernon, mount vernon was actually the symbol of the presidency. there was no white house -- they were building it, there was no white house that they lived in. it was quite a few years before

the white house took on that symbolic weight. for years afterward, there were still subregions of george washington's birth night. it to abigail adams. despair, i cannot believe they did not do john adams' birthnight. i hope i am not cutting you out here. there was still washington's birthday. people still flocked to mount vernon, as they still do, but the hundreds, first to see the great man himself. then, after his death, to see martha washington. because like many first ladies, martha washington in the popular mind represented her husband. even after his death, they still wanted to meet her, to talk to her, to touch her hand. it was a way to have a sort of daisy chain of touching the past and the great days of the nation. martha washington was terrific. she was friendly, generous, kind, charming.

she set precedents of dignity and devotion that are well followed. she was the worthy partner of the incomparable george washington, and she set the standards for others to follow as the first first lady. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. sally, you are right. that makes me crazy that people say to me all the time, is michelle obama going to be a traditional first lady? my basic answer is, yes, probably. a traditional first lady is very involved in politics and has a huge influence on her husband and is usually pretty controversial. yes, she will be a traditional first lady. [laughter] sally worked for laura bush. at that event we were at

together, mrs. bush said she had read the newspaper that morning that she was prim. she said, i don't know what that means. i think it means librarian. what is so interesting about it if she was the only first lady in history who went to the white house briefing room, grabbed the microphone herself, and used it to call for the overthrow of the burmese government. she was not exactly shy and retiring. but we develop these myths about first ladies that we really have about all of them, release starting, as pat said, with martha washington. i think it was the cap. that did hurt the service. i stayed perennial freest -- i state perennially furious with mount vernon of this, george washington's mount vernon. [applause] i mean, yeah, i bet he was

taking care of all the foodstuffs. [laughter] at any rate, she of course, is succeeded by the very feisty and somewhat problematic abigail adams. i must say, pat talked about writing about women, we're very lucky with abigail adams, like martha washington, because we have her letters, and we have thousands and thousands of them. the theory is that martha byrd her correspondence with george, for which we can be angry with her -- at martha destroyed her correspondence with george. that probably happened because we do not have it. we have pretty much every grocery list the founding fathers wrote. it is fairly likely that is the case. i must say, to continue on the theme, though, about women's history, it is not just that when you write about the women

that you have the other half of the human race, but it is also that you learn about the men in a completely different way. they become three-dimensional. these founding fathers are so self aware, and they knew what they were doing was extraordinary and they knew that if they succeeded that their communications with each other would be saved and published. so they had that in mind as they wrote. so they wrote with certain purpose and complexity. whereas their letters to the women are much freer and more open and filled with their loads and fears and predicaments and ambitions and humor. at one point, john quincy adams wrote, "if anybody except the smell, i will be embarrassed because it is just all gossip -- if anybody accept this mail."

he was found in raleigh, north carolina, without his bridges. he said, "i immediately went out to get a pair made. i thought it would not last more than one day." but all the tellez were busy and he said i had the extreme modification to pass the whole term without that important article of dress. i have to tell you, i have never been able to look at them again. [laughter] i sort of avert my gaze, because i am worried about what he has on. with abigail, we are blessed. we have so much that she has written. but much that she has written is quite difficult from the perspective of politics. she was a wonderful adviser to john adams threw out his whole career, until she became first

lady. i do not think that is, by the way, necessarily all that unusual. it was particularly unusual in her case because of the situation that she was in. but throughout his time, first in philadelphia and then on all his diplomatic missions and then as vice president, he just depended on her mightily for political information, political advice. he had a real political tin ear. then when he became president, he was really desperate, just desperate for her to join him in philadelphia. because he just felt like he could not do it without her. he wrote hectoring letters, "i never want your advice and assistance more in my life. i must in treated, and as soon as you can. i pray you to come on. i will not live in a state of

separation. i must and will have. the times are critical and dangerous. i must have you here to assist me. i could do nothing without you. we must resign everything but our public duties." she was not about to resign the farm that she had kept in wonderful shape. she is the only one of the founders to die solvent. the virginians were in terrible shape, except choice because of martha's money. -- except for george because of martha's at a project -- martha's money. she had made investments and she was not about to abandon the farm credit is mother was dying, and she was taking care of his mother. he says, "it seems to me that the mother and daughter all to think a little of the president as well." [laughter] his cares, his anxieties, his

health. do not laugh. so then his mother died and abigail went along. she got to philadelphia. just as we just heard with martha washington, the minute that she got there, she was expected to start entertaining. "yesterday being monday, from 12 until half past two, received 35 ladies and there is many gentleman. i shall have the same ceremony to pastor today and the rest of the week. p.s. -- " she says is splendid misery, a theme, "the ladies and foreign ministers and the ministers with their own secretaries and ladies have visited today, and added them whole senate and house, senate -- strangers, etc., making near 100 asking permission to visit

me, so that from half past 12 until near 4:00 i was rising up and sitting down." it was a lot of work. and were expected to just keeping -- just keep doing it. she was at a tremendous disadvantage because she was not martha washington. in the same way that john adams was at a disadvantage because he was not george washington, not the father of the country, not the great hero of the war, and a little difficult man. she was at a similar disadvantaged, not being martha washington, not only because she was not the first and because she was not married to the father of the country, but because she was from new england. she was not a hospitable southerner. she was not somebody who easily had people in all the time. she did not grow up with any money. she was the child of a parson. you compare the houses, this

house and house before that whitehouse, where the washington's were, with a little salt box at the adams lived in in what was called braintree, and the notion that the lady was in that little cramped house, about the size of this room, was suddenly having 100 people to tea is a stretch, and she had to adjust. she had been an ambassador's wife. she had been in the court before, but she was not coming straight from braintree to washington to philadelphia, but still, she was not the gracious southern hostess who had grown up pro-life with people around -- her whole life with people around. she also did not have nearly costas. she was a great addition by the

time that washington left the presidency. i remain so admired of martha washington on so many fronts. this is one. she had little bitty children when she was first lady. george washington custas got lost. when i was reading that, my daughter-in-law was doing a quick reading, she got nervous. what happened to him? i said, i guess i better get him found. [laughter] and then nellie was a wild and crazy thing, according to martha, but one of the things she liked about new york, she got her in a very good school, isabella graham school, and she grew into this very gracious young lady and everybody in philadelphia loved her. and that was certainly not the case with abigail and her niece, the weasel smith, who came with

her -- louisa smith. she wrote, abigail had hawk's eyes and she set her up as the miss custas of the place but she would not match her because she was not young and was confounding ugly. so glitzy philadelphia was not having it with new england puritan adamses. george washington's birth might just sent abigail adams around again. she thought it was out bridges they were celebrating his birthday. virginia could do that. that would be ok, and her view. but philadelphia? these people who pretend to be so sophisticated? why are they doing it? aside from all of that, all of that that was going on, what was much more important terms of her

own interest was politics. and her meddling in it and in policy. what happened, and the reason i think she was not a good advisor as first lady, is that she developed something that i have seen pretty much every white house i have ever known. i'm sorry about this, sally, but it was true in europe as well, and it is happening quickly and this one, which is that people inside very quickly developed a bunker mentality. we are in here, doing the good, right, the true, the just. we are working long, long hours, eating terrible food, and you out there are taking shots at us. don't you understand that we're trying to do what is best for the country? why are you being so awful to us? and abigail quickly developed that mentality. she had caused.

the leader of the opposition was her own vice president, their own vice president, and the press was vicious. i mean vicious in ways that they basically just made it up. and they made up all kinds of surrealist things. kathrin will tell you some of the things they said about dolley madison. she became an absolutely ardent, passionate supporter of the ax. she wrote one of bursters, "i wish the laws of our country were competent to punish the author and printer of these." when the past them, as she was furious because she thought that the laws or shaved and pared almost nothing. that as weak as they are, they're better than nothing. well, of course, the alien and sedition acts were effect of the state. the fact she was so supportive of them and she had done such

good advising so long really colored adams' views. he was not happy with the press either, but her strong support really pushed him to a place that was not very useful for him. then the other place, of course, -- i am losing my place. she also was influential in another way. issues to her place in the marriage. -- it shows her place in the marriage. at about the same time that she is writing these feelings about the alien and sedition laws, she and john the back to what is now called quincy for recess, and when they get their john discovers that she had doubled the size of the house. she had not mentioned it to him. [laughter]

she actually was working with her cousin, what was his name? anyway, cotton, and she had him write letters to her about all of the bills and repairs and put them in side letters from her sister, because she had already told adams that he could not open any letters from her sisters. she had gotten furious with him one day when she caught him doing it. he was afraid to do that. it all of the home improvements were buried inside of those letters. somebody came through from massachusetts and let the cat of the back, saying, i saw the house, coming along nicely. adams was just amused. fortunately. so that was -- that give you some sense of for place and the marriage. he then goes back to

philadelphia. remember, he was only one term. she got quite sick and cannot go with him. what he was in philadelphia, she was dying to go to war with france, just pushing and pushing for it. while he was in philadelphia without her, he decides to try again for peace with france. he sends an envoy, without telling anybody. without consulting anybody in this party, without telling anybody in the cabinet. he writes to her and says, "oh, how they lament mrs. adams absence. if she would have been here, they would never have been named or this mission instituted. that ought to gratify your vanity enough to cure you." she said that she had heard the same thing in boston. "some of the feds who did not like me were taken by surprise and said they wished the old woman had been there.

they did not believe that it would have taken place. that was saucy. the old woman could tell them they were mistaken, for she considers it a master stroke of policy." she did not think it was going to work, and she kept pushing for war with france. one of his opponents called her president-ess not of the country but of a faction. of course, everybody was infections at this point. of course, inside the federalist party, the faction that was opposing adams was led by alexander hamilton. on the question of hamilton, abigail was spot on. she was on to him from dale -- from day one. she would call him caches or

caesar, which ever room and she was not mad at at the moment. but he then, of course, gave her good cause to be suspicious of him when he had to go public to admit he was having an extramarital affair because he was being blackmailed and it was alleged he was being blackmailed for trading illegally in government securities. so he had to go public and say, no, that was not the reason. he said he was having an affair with blackmailers life. he said, "as it is not without a blush," which as an aside, elisa hamilton served in the role of that long-suffering woman we have seen it way too many of in recent months, standing behind her husband as he admits to some horrible scandal. and saving his political career. abigail, when she learned this

about hamilton, said, "i have not any confidence in the honor, integrity, or patriotism of any man who does not believe that thou shalt not commit adultery is a positive prohibition of god. i will not upon any consideration to a public wrong or injury, but i can be guilty of breaking the most solemn private engagement? and that to one whom i am bound by affection, honor to protect, love, respect?" her basic view is, "give me a break." she was right, hamilton went on the attacked against adams, and that, combined with the alien and sedition act, really did him in. and they knew that they were very likely to lose the election. they still had to move to washington. washington is such a funny part

of the story. when i was writing this book, "ladies of the day," which goes from adams to adams, people arrived in washington and say, where are we, what is this place? it is awful. there is nothing here. it is tree stumps and mud, miserable. then it would get used to it and start writing letters saying, the circus comes to town -- [laughter] and there is a theater now. there is racing. they knew people would arrive and say, where are we, this is horrible. of course, she famously moved into the unfinished white house. it was cold. they cannot keep it. they cannot do anything really to make it habitable. and still, though, the minute they got there, the ladies of washington or "impatient for a drawing room,"