there all the way to boston where senator kennedy will lie in repose. trace: it is called the path to remembrances. a motorcade will head for boston. it will stop at stocks that were significant to his life. it will first pass by st. stephen's church. his mother was baptized there. when she died in 1995, her funeral mass was celebrated there. next, he will pass by faneuil hall. then it will pass the state house headed for the jfk federal house where the senator's office stood for decades. finally, his motorcade will travel to the jfk presidential library where is casting it will be joined by a military honor guard. he will lie in repose until the funeral. thousands are expected to view the closed casket to pay their

respects. martha: the library was truly a labor of love for kennedy. he spent decades building that library in creating what he felt was the perfect tribute to his beloved brother. david lee miller is in boston. the anticipation in that spot must be building at this point. >> it is. officials here -- they do say that he is going to be in the thousands in terms of turnout. the mourners will be allowed for the closed casket viewing at 6:00 local time. they say it will stop at 11:00. that is a flexible figure. they say there are enough people, the time will be extended. the viewing hours possibly could be extended, anticipating a

significant turn out of mourners. you also mentioned the john f. kennedy library here being a labor of love for ted kennedy. the creation of this building was extremely difficult. john f. kennedy himself in 1963 s shortly before his assassination came to boston to look at a site in cambridge for his library. that ultimately would not be the site that would be selected. the building behind me would not be finished until 1979. inside at this hour, there are already mourners who are signing a condolence book. a few moments ago, a large group of a few dozen young people just arrived here. they said they were part of an organization that ted kennedy helped to support. they came here today to pay their respects. martha: we will be watching you very closely. there is a live shot once again.

hyannis port, massachusetts. the kennedy family is getting ready to leave hyannis port. i'm reminded of a year ago may when the diagnosis came in and he came back from the hospital to the spot. that was in a kind of triumphant return to hyannis port. he decided that he was going to live there for the rest of his life. trace: you talk to family members and they talked about how he was out sailing in front of his home. he was out there two weeks ago. clearly, he was not doing all that well. chris dodd said that he spoke to him two weeks before and he was in great spirits and making jokes about the fact that they both shared cancer. martha: this is joseph kennedy the seconii.

the list is pretty long. there are a number of names we will discuss. this is a fairly unique look at a position you do not get dc to often. i have flown over the spotted you get pretty close to it in the car -- you remember all of the beautiful pictures of jack kennedy and his family and all of the thanksgiving football games of those most famous brothers. trace: is a series of homes. it has been in the family for decades. you saw that the flag is flying at half staff. they are celebrating a mass for senator kennedy. then with -- then they will begin the 70 mile trip to family and friends gathering on the porch. molly, do we know if the mass has concluded and when the motorcade will begin? >> since family members are

starting to come out, you would think that the masses try to a close or has already drawn to a close. the kennedy family has for so many years gathered in good times and bad on that porch and shared so many memories. just down the street from me right now, i can see the barnstable police department. they have not yet gotten onto their motorcycles. they're expected to be a part of this motorcade. they're expected to lead the motorcade to the highway. they will stop at some historic sites before reaching the jfk presidential library. they have not gotten on to their vehicles, so i would say that things are still a few moments away. there is a lot of people who are standing along the side of the road -- neighbors and people in

the community who have grown up. seem the cash -- seen the kennedy family in person. those are the types of memories that these community members have. one of them told me today -- martha: this is patrick kennedy and you can see behind these women here. he is the youngest of ted kennedy's children. there is so much history between them. he was so proud to see his son takeover as a representative. there is a lot to be said between the relationship between patrick and ted. trace: they're expecting off and on along this 70-mile route, there will be people on the side of the road paying their respects. are they planning police patrols along that motorcade route? how many people are they expecting? have you heard any estimates at

all? >> this route is so long. we know that there will be people there once they reach boston. they have made plans to have people lined up along the boston common and along the rose fitzgerald kennedy. here in the city of hyannis port -- this is a very tiny community. it is not surprising to see the neighbor's come out. we have seen people holding american flags out here today. senator kennedy was a part of this community. some of the people say that this family put hyannis port on the map and made this community part of what it was today. they wonder if the passing of senator ted kennedy -- the community will not lose some part of that mystique that so invigorated this country. trace: you know this area so

well. she makes a great point. in hyannis port, the kennedys -- they certainly have their mystique, but they are just people around town. pretty much everywhere you go out for ice cream or for a burger, there are letters of support on the wall from the kennedy family. they were very much a part of the community. people have mixed feelings about the kennedy family. it is almost like a familial sense of pride. they do consider themselves part of this big story clan of the kennedys. his youngest son is standing there now. i believe major garrett is with us from martha's vineyard as president obama gets ready to give an extremely important eulogy. he will be the first non kennedy brother to give a eulogy for one of the kennedy brothers. he is preparing for that as we

speak. >> i just want to offer one comment on the pictures we're seeing right now. ted kennedy is the brother who lived. he was the brother who lived to write old age and had a long goodbye to his country and family. his brother did not prevent his brother was killed in action in world war ii. joynt all three of them frozen in time as young, vigorous kennedys. their family was shrouded in grief, as was the country. it is a sense of celebration of a lifelong lived. in the kennedy experience, that has become tragically rare. it strikes me looking at those pictures that they do not see them shrouded in the kind of guilt that we are so familiar with. that is something that is

striking the right now. the president is enjoying his vacation as best he can. he's here -- he has begun drafting the eulogy that he will deliver on saturday it is something that the kennedy family has conferred upon him. the president has begun that task. he will fly with the first lady accompanied by senior advisers. the girls will stay back here in martha's vineyard. the president will not accompany down him for the burial. after the funeral mass, he will spend sunday year before returning at the culmination of his somewhat upset or very vacation plans on martha's vineyard. martha: those are great point.

i am also struck by the fact that when you look at some of the younger generation, john kennedy jr. would certainly have been a lot of the most prominent young people of his generation. if you look out at the water and remember one of the deepest felt tragedies in the recent history of the kennedy family, the loss of jfk jr.. that was such a huge blow to the family. trace: his plane was flying towards martha's vineyard. i just wanted to ask you -- you mentioned that the president will go back to martha's vineyard and then he will go back to washington on sunday. the mets all of this, there is a very fevered health care debate going on. the president has to decide beginning next week how much he invokes senator kennedy's name

in these health care debate moving forward. >> the white house has not done so at all, but others allied with the white house have. time kaine says that millions of americans are fighting for health care that senator kennedy was fighting for in his career. he fought for it for so long, but it is also important in the sense that the nfl and has not happened in 40 years. there's probably a pretty good reason behind it. although ted kennedy has involved himself in health care, he has done so incrementally and with bipartisan majorities. that will be the most important decision that as the health-care debate is joined more what is

proposed, but receives and better pipehorses -- a better bipartisan majority? trace: you may be able to see this. we're through -- we are showing three different scenes and the times. there is a picture of the kennedy compound. there you can see the crowd lining the streets. we're being told that some of the motorcade officers are beginning to get on. they're beginning to get on their motorcycles. clearly, it does not look like this is imminently going to begin. the trip is 70 miles. it would be maybe an hour-and-a- half drive. they say that this could take two and a half hours because it is a path to remember is, if you will, stopping by significant places in his life. you can see that maybe they are

preparing to get under way. martha: the family is getting ready to depart. it is a beautiful day there with this beautiful blue sky over the intelsat compound -- over the hyannis compound. >> yesterday when we hearing this news of his death, we were talking about the subject of his successor. we wondered whether it would be too soon to do a story about this today, meeting thursday. we went back and forth. with today's compressed news cycle, the front page of the end -- of "the new york times" had a story about his successor.

there is a lot of interest. this is a seat that has been locked up for almost half a century. it is the first time there has been a senate vacancy, if you think about john kerry haven't been in his senate seat for a couple of decades. there is a very large group of people who have been waiting in the wings quietly amassing war chests, some of the multimillion-dollar war chests were going to go about the task once the funeral is over and a decent interval passes of throwing their hats into the ring and trying to take this seat. trace: we talk about the successor to senator kennedy. the governor of massachusetts has said that he is in favor of the state legislature giving him the power to appoint senator kennedy's successor as he wanted in a letter written two weeks ago. there is a battle going on here

because back in 2004, mitt romney wanted the same power. the legislature would not give him that power. now, there is strong sentiment that he may in fact get this power to replace senator kennedy. >> republicans are saying that democrats want a governor to name a replacement as long as the governor is a democrat. if the governor happens to be a republican, we want a special election. that is clearly what has happened here. your right, the governor has said, get me a bill to my desk and i will sign it. he is saying that to the state legislature. it is unclear whether the state legislature will go that far. we have to remember that this is one of the bluest states in the union. the charges of hypocrisy might not dissuade the legislature for

making this rule change. the republican party chairman in the state of massachusetts just this afternoon told us that this is a power play and that this is disgusting and she is considering legal action to challenge any change in the rules that has been contemplated by the democrats in massachusetts. this thing is not over yet. it is just heating up. we could see a real legal battle because she is claiming that it would be unconstitutional to retroactively changed the bill to fit the current political needs of the democrats. martha: you can bet that some of the members of the kennedy family will be engaged in that battle. we have had some nice shots of the wider area of the compound. there are three houses that belong to the kennedy family. two of them were owned by

senator kennedy. another home that is right nearby is owned by maria kennedy shriver. her name has also been mentioned quite a bit in terms of the potential for her political future. let's go back to moly with standing outside right now. >> we are waiting right now for this motorcade to begin and keeping an eye on the situation outside where people are still lining up. it looks like the crowd is growing every moment you see kids in bathing suits with towel slung over their shoulder in a sense, this community has retained its beach like field. and we have seen people walking their dogs and kids riding bikes all through the streets. even past the media and cables

and all the trucks that are part here to cover the progress. life has gone on here. it is heartening to see how the community has come out on both sides of the street all the way down as far as we can see. some of those people telling me that they felt like this was the end of an era, the last brother is gone. this is the final chapter, and a chapter that was closing here in hyannis port. they said that this was a chance for them to say goodbye. they say that he fought for the middle class and that is why they want to stand up here and let the family know that they are thinking of them. trace: molly, we will get back to you as the cortege begins to leave. i think it is important, bill, to point out how incredibly important this is.

this 60 a seat is pivotal for the democrats, which is why it has become such a battle. >> absolutely. the passing of senator kennedy means that the filibuster proof majority that the democrats had enjoyed is now 59. that instantly changes the equation on hot but -- on hot- button issues like health care and cap-and-trade. without a rule change by the massachusetts legislature, the current rules state that you really cannot fill that seat for about five months. that would presumably encompass the time in which president obama would like to get his health care option pass. if that holds true, it means that it increases the chances that it will have to go with a democrat-only strategy, also called the nuclear option and

shut republicans out. the seat is incredibly important, not just in massachusetts, but it has national implications. not just filling of the seat, but when the seat is filled. martha: that is precisely why teddy kennedy in what may have been a his last official letters wrote a letter to the governor of massachusetts saying that at this time, it is important over the next five months and given what you were talking about that massachusetts have two representatives in the senate. >> there is a lot of chatter today about whether this outpouring of sentiment for ted kennedy's memory will actually provide a political boost to the passage of health-care bill. there is talk about win one for teddy and there is this -- and

one of the headlines was, passing health care from the grave kind of thing. there is real talk about whether this will give a boost to the plan because it had been suffering. there had been public support declining in the polls. we will have to wait and see what the first poll showed. it has emboldened democrats. the only word of caution i would add is that the talk about naming the bill for him. on the other hand, it is a double-edged sword. i think senators view senator kennedy has sort of that poster boy for liberalism and associating the bill too much with ted kennedy could hurt on the right side of the ledger as much as it helps on the left side.

trusttrace: there are legal pros when you talk about the successor. in this letter that senator kennedy wrote, there was kind of a proviso. they say that is not legal. you can't just have somebody appoint somebody. once a special election takes place, you are out. there are legal problems with this as well. >> i think it was a proposal that senator kennedy and his family believed that this moment was coming. to how the massachusetts state legislature deals with it is another question. they're kind of in a pickle.

after they changed the law back in 2004 because they did not want the chance that gov. mitt romney would appoint somebody to fill possibly senator john kerry's seat if he won the presidency, to flip back the other way is going to cause a lot of turmoil back on beacon hill. after all of this and the dying wish and senator kennedy's letter, it will eventually change. it may cause some turmoil. trace: we're continuing coverage here. martha: you see the cars and the military corteges to carry senator kennedy's body. >> he was a great friend. i will always be grateful that i had the privilege of serving with him in the united states

senate. >> two weeks ago, he came out of surgery. welcome to the club with cancer. >> the liberal lion's mighty roar, i will always remember. >> i never thought i would have a heart attack, but i did. you need to talk to your doctor about aspirin. you need to do --

martha: some of the family spots they will be stopping at. the kennedy family had such a

national identity. they hail from boston. this is the roots of the family that joseph kennedy and rose fitzgerald kennedy began with their nine children. today, they lost the last four son in the family. one of them remain. she is the last remaining of those original kennedy siblings. molly is watching all of this right from the kennedy compound. she rejoins us now. >> it is hard not to mention what a beautiful day is out here today. this is the day that the kennedy family would have been in joining when ted kennedy and his brothers would play football here out on the lawn or be sailing. this is a place full of mary's for the kennedy family. -- full of memories for the kennedy family. that is where they are here today. to them, he is on call teddy --

uncle teddy. we have a bus backing up at the end of the street. it is a 70-mile journey that the motorcade will be making as it leaves the kennedy compound here in hyannis port and travels up through route 6 before it finally reaches boston. right now, the barnstable police are waiting to get on their motorcycles. they are among those who will be part of this motorcade and ensure that is a safe journey up to boston. we're waiting for them to hop on their vehicles. back to you. martha: it is worth mentioning that in this house -- this is where the final decision was made for jack kennedy to run for president.

some of the biggest decisions in the political lives of this family, two runs at the presidency for teddy kennedy and his brothers. the biggest moment for those decisions happened right here. you see the pictures of the football fans back when president kennedy on the lawn in front of the compound. you're watching history -- whatever side of the aisle you stand on, you were clearly watching history unfold here. just to give our viewers an idea of where this will go next -- you can see the limousine. that will lead the cortege. 70 miles is the trip. along the way, they will stop at st. stephen's church. that is where teddy kennedy's mother was baptized.

they will pass a historic f aneuil hall. it will also pass a park that ted can be helped to create. they will go by the jfk federal building. finally on to the jfk library there where he will lie in repose until the funeral on saturday morning. the guest list is growing. we know that president obama will offer the eulogy. we know that president bush, father and son will be there, as well as for president carter and clinton. this will be a dignitary- studded event. martha: this area is not far from plymouth. certainly, the kennedy family is

so emblematic of an american story and a success story. in this case, these irish catholic american immigrants. that is such a huge part. their faith is such a huge part of what has kept this family going through the trials and tribulations that they have experienced. they are going to go through st. stephen's church and the other important catholic landmarks. trace: brett, we talked about this health care debate that is taking a breather for the past 48 hours. this thing is going to kick back into full gear on monday when we do not have to talk about this guy. when you look at senator kennedy's legacy and how it pertains to the health-care debate -- will it help the

democrats in this health care debate or will it hurt them? helping in the fact that it might give them the fortitude to push it through and heard them that it might leave them a vote short when it comes down to a final passage in the senate? >> technically, that is a very good point. the vote counting is a very important factor in all of this. they had 60 votes on the senate, for which would have been filibuster-proof. now with senator kennedy passing, they are at 59. it does not look like right now that the massachusetts legislature will move quickly enough to deal with health care debate. that could develop in coming days if they make an appointment to that seat. on the other side about health care reform and whether senator kennedy's passing will be used by democrats to try to tap into the emotion of his number one cause, what he wanted, whether

they name whatever bill comes out of compromise the senator kennedy bill, i do not think changes the negativity that the public option -- a government- run option has received by even blue dog democrats. that is really where the problem has been. there has been a lot of talk about republicans here. it has been a split in the democratic party that has cost the most heartburn for the white house trying to move forward with health care reform. senator kennedy paused bill that came out of the committee that he chaired that was chaired by senator chris dodd in his absence did have a public option. that is still seem to be a tough pill to swallow for a lot of conservative democrats up on the hill.

trace: that is where the deputy white house secretary will offer the daily briefing there. we will take you to parts of that. we will at least listen in on that. if news is made out of that, we will bring it to you live. it we're looking at two different angles of the kennedy compound in hyannis port. we're waiting for the motorcade to leave from hyannis port to make its way to boston. there is a turnaround, a 180 degree view of what they will say. the streets are packed on both sides of the street leading out. we do not know how far the line extends, if it extends all away miles down the road or whether there will be sporadic gatherings of people. >> let's bring bill salmon back

in. -- bill sammon back in. ted kennedy was very instrumental in passing cobra. we also know that he was in favor of a single payer option. he was quite outspoken of that. up until what point the president might have had substantive conversations about where the areas of negotiations should be with senator kennedy. >> it is often said that senator kennedy was the kind of guy who was a shrewd enough politician to take half a loaf instead of not getting any of it. once you have the basis of what you want past in terms of your legislation, you could always at on things incrementally. we saw a little bit of that in the wake of the failed hillarycare experience some

years ago. i remember back during the reagan administration when ted kennedy was closely associated with nationalized health care. that was still considered kind of a fringe idea. conservatives would snicker about it. it has become a much more acceptable, at least debatable idea in the decades since then where we have pretty evenly divided country talking about this right now. he has hung in there all these years and stayed with this issue. it may not pass still, but it certainly is not considered a fringe idea that it was for a pie in the sky idea back during the reagan years. trace: when they actually bring the casket out to load into the hearse, we're going to lose transmission.

they will take the cameras down or turn the cameras away so you will not be able to see that. once the casket is loaded and they leave, they start making their way -- bill burton is speaking now. once they make their way toward boston, we will get transmission back. this is the deputy white house press secretary. [inaudible] >> i do not have an update on any calls that the president will make as it relates to senator kennedy. our country lost a beloved leader. the politics and implications of that are the last thing on the president's mind right now. >> a congressman made some comments. any white house reaction to

that? >> i saw that report. i saw that her spokesperson backpedaled and said that it was a poor choice of words. we give for the benefit of the doubt. >> wasn't the president's supposed to be on vacation this week? maybe it was a little bit of wishful thinking that there would be no news. the president knew that there would be no days where he was completely down. he has responded accordingly. i think he has had a chance to spend some time with his family. >> i have two questions. senator kennedy's death has left senator dodd juggling the health and banking committees.

how much concern do you have that he will not be able to push through financial regulatory reform? israel says that is reaching a compromise with the united states. is the president prepared to compromise on this issue? >> for starters, senator dodd is obviously one of the most -- trace: that is bill burton holding the press conference. one was the last time you saw a brief thing happen in a schoolhouse? he says that the politics and implications of senator kennedy's death are not even being considered at this time. they are being considered greatly by a large percentage of this country. there are some extraordinarily important subjects when you talk about health care and the successor to senator kennedy's

seat. >> to talk about the political implications of that vacancy, that is fraught with peril. you risk being accused of being insensitive. it is one of those things that the press can talk about and that politicians can whisper about behind-the-scenes, but i saw one of the talked-about candidates that might succeed senator kennedy, the attorney general of massachusetts. she was asked today about it and she said, i am not going there. it is smart to do that. it is funny just to throw another name into the mix just for fun, we talk about the possibility of the rules being changed and gov. patrick being able to appoint someone who would not seek re-election once an election was held in january. one of the names being thrown out his ex gov. michael dukakis.

he is one of those senior statesman who could be counted on to keep the seat warm until the party could get its act together and have a proper election in january. there are a lot of names out there even if you look on the republican side. massachusetts is not a very republican state. there is talk about mitt romney. he once came closer than most to defeating senator kennedy in a senate race and that state. who knows? there is a lot of political intrigue, but you are not allowed to talk about it if you are one of the people who wants the secret trace: i think i heard about a former white house's chief of staff. on the other side, you talk about barney frank's name being talked around. he said, i do not want it. he took his name out of consideration. even though the white house says that president obama -- he might

not be thinking about this at all, but other certainly are. there is jockeying going on about the laws and what the next move is with health care. do we start putting the legal wheels and action to get this thing done? there are a lot of things right now as we watch the cortege prepared to move on its way to boston. martha: it is interesting to note some of the family members coming out now. you saw the youngest of ted kennedy's sons. he was joking around. i believe that was ted kennedy iii. when you look back, teddy kennedy jr. has had bouts with

cancer. two of his three children suffer from cancer he was one of the core people behind the national cancer institute back in the 1960's. it has affected his family in such a deep way. a lot has been said about the fact that he is the first of the kennedy brothers to see old age. he is the only one of the four to have that experience. trace: you mentioned his daughter having cancer. you talk about the funeral being held in a church tomorrow which is also known as the mission church. she went there every day while she was battling this cancer. it kind of ties all in together. she successfully battled that cancer.

he has become a very important part of this church community. tomorrow is where the funeral will be held. martha: you just can't help but watch this scene and think about all of the years of watching the family here. there is a feeling that is the end of the line to a certain point. yet, there are younger kennedy members who are interested in office and some of home or in office and have held office. >> the kennedy name will continue. if you think back and all the pictures and video that you saw of the kennedy family gathering there back in the early days -- you talked about some of the i important events for the kennedys and what happened inside that house. another one that we did not mention was back in 1969 after he drove off of that bridge.

senator kennedy at that point talk -- thought about giving up politics. he thought about retiring and resigning from his seat. he was convinced by a longtime aide not to do that, but continue on. that incident and the death of his passenger definitely, according to everyone who looks at historic prevented him from moving onto the nation's highest office of the presidency. it was always a black mark on his life. he talked about it frequently. it happened inside that house. you look at the image and it is truly a historic place. there is word from "the boston globe" in other reporting that the family is considering making part of this compound a museum of sorts and opening it to the public.

we will see if that happens. if you think about all the things that happened and president kennedy before he won the presidency watching the election returns from robert kennedy's house next door, it is pretty amazing. >> it is truly remarkable. think about all the different times you have seen the news, the family walking back and forth in good times and bad, the huge political moments and decisions that were made in this house. you can see the flag-covered coffin of teddy kennedy. let's watch this for a moment. let's watch this for a moment.

[captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- martha: he was the baby of the family in the kennedy family purity grew up to be a man that held up the legacy during his brother joe was lost in roll toward two -- his brother joe was lost in world war ii. he became amateur senatoa matur. truly the patriarch of the family.

the patriarch is gone for all of these people. the leader of the kennedy clan for the last many years is now gone. trace: bid is amazing to watch the casket been brought out. those who do not know, the flag is a military honor to the stars are placed over the left shoulder of the deceased. the flag is the final embrace for those who serve the flag. they lowered him into the hearse. he will begin the 70-mile journey from hyannis port to the jfk library in boston. as we watch the cortege. a man who lives his life to the fullest. one of the things that many

republicans did over the years was a plate on the fact that ted kennedy was not perfect. >> sure. he was a republican punching bag. he was an ideologue on the left. you hear people talk about ted kennedy today and they talk about his senate career. you are struck by how many republicans speak up about his friendships behind closed doors, and his ability to make the deal, and his ability to negotiate. i am struck by watching this image and listening to it as to how many times this family has had to go through these funerals, and how many times this family has gathered in cape

cod to do the same thing. i am also struck by vicki kennedy. friends say ted kennedy finally found the love and joy he was searching for through his life when he married her in 1992. she was divorced and she came with two children, who resent his stepchildren. he became a father again to fairly young boys. -- she came with two children, who then became his stepchildren. the family gathered to pay respect to this patriarch. of course, the name will continue. the last son of joe and rose kennedy has now passed. martha: caroline kennedy,

maria shriver, and this whole generation of kennedys. here you have the barnstable county police that will lead the hearse out of hyannis port. the streets are lined with bicycles and kids. some of those kids are too little to know what they're about to see. this is a huge moment in history for the town and for a family that has meant a great deal to this community in hyannis port. hearse leaving the compound for the final time. really the place that ted kennedy and his family has loved so deeply. trace: the cortege could take two hours to drive to boston. you go back to the power of the

kennedys, and back to 1968 when robert kennedy was shot in los angeles, and in 1969, ted kennedy was getting his political legs. if you take out what happened at chappaquiddick, does this scenario change? does edward kennedy go on to battle richard nixon in 1972? that is a real historic possibility if you look back on the political times. >> definitely the incident at chappaquiddick and the death of mary jo kopechne and the impact it had on his life changed the art he had to go for the presidency. in 1979, he decided to do just that. it was interesting going back over those interviews.

he could not really articulate why he wanted to be president. that was a problem in 1980. despite attend primary victories in 1980, he could not overcome then-president jimmy carter for the nomination. that ended his presidential aspirations. you are right. minus what happened at chappaquiddick, it could have been a very depressed dory according to pretty much every historian you talk to -- it could have been a very different story. martha: it is a very large family. they are in all these cars are lining the streets of hyannis port. there was some speculation in 1984 -- he talks about an important meeting at the compound in 1984 when he considered making a run at the

presidency again treated the economy was not in great shape. there was some optimism within the family and the advisers that he could make a go at it against ronald reagan, and he decided not to. the sense is when ted kennedy finally let go of the possibility of being president, that is when he began to blossom and come into his own as a senator. >> that is true, if you talk to the people on capitol hill. he embraced the legislative process and his place in it. he was so far left that he could move to the center and still have the support of the unions and the left groups and the liberals. he made those deals behind closed doors in the senate hallways. a kind of old-style politics that many people fear has gone away from capitol hill. the ability to cordially makes

the deal, to compromise. senator talks about that -- senator mccain talk about that. we will see if anybody takes that mantle of the in the lion, the legislative lion to be able to get bills passed. trace: senator kennedy voted on more than shifting thousand pieces of legislation -- voted on more than 15,000 pieces of legislation. people do not understand the impact he had on everybody's everyday life. look at tie lintitle 9. there are pieces of legislation, whatever side use it on, your life is different because of the life that ted kennedy lived. >> the author or co-author of

more than 2500 bills. you talked about title 9, civil rights legislation, family medical leave act, cobra. he touches a lot of pieces of legislation that affect almost every american's life. a gorgeous shot off the coast of the family home. martha: it is a beautiful home. no doubt there's a lot of emotion today in hyannis port. it is a special place. i'm glad everybody can get a look of martha's vineyard. you can see all the fishing vessels. he was an avid sailor, even

after his diagnosis. he was part of a team that did a memorial day race every year. he really wanted to get back on the water. adam climber, it is good to have you with us today. i have been reading through some of your book to refresh my memory about some of these stories. you talked about so many wonderful moments. one of them is that pivotal 1984 decision -- when he really decided to let go of presidential aspirations -- talk about that. >> leading up to the decision, they have planned out how campaign would go much more seriously than in 1983 they had seen the mistakes. -- much more seriously than in 1980. they had seen the mistakes.

the day after thanksgiving, they had a big media in that house. in some ways, it was comparable to the meeting when jack decided to run in 1959. this one was different because the emphasis was on the younger generation. the nieces and nephews and his own children took up a dominant role in the discussion. they did not want him to run again. they thought he would make a good president, but the country had turned on him once, and it was very unpleasant for them. martha: you mentioned his son patrick. one aspect of this is the fear that something might happen to their father. they had lost jack and bobby. the fear was at least one piece

of the equation for their children. >> yes, it was for the children. i do not think it was for ted. he was more fatalistic. he had run two years and nobody had shot at him. there was a sense that he could fulfill a satisfying career. he could do the things that he thought the country needed to do if he stayed in the senate. after that decision, he really threw himself into the senate even more intensely. he got a third committee position on armed services, along with the judiciary, education, and the labor. most of his accomplishments really date from after the presidential run of 1980. trace: thank you for joining us. to compose your book, you interviewed senator kennedy 24

times. you have followed him since he played football at harvard. he was a pretty good football player. he even got some interest from the green bay packers. you had followed him for years and years. we talk about how he is such a champion for liberal causes, and yet they kennedys had terrific friends on both sides of the ideal. >> indeed. his father contributed money to richard nixon before the presidential campaign against jack. the senate was a very different place when he got here in 1963. the staffs were much smaller. there was no c-span. if he wanted to know what was going on, you have to spend time on the senate floor. you've got to know each other better than senators do these days.

since you had a small staff, you could not be the expert on everything kennedy relied on people who you respected for their judgment on their areas of expertise. kennedy used to ask george mcgovern about agriculture related things. senator kennedy -- there has never been anybody better than kennedy of finding common ground, finding the one issue out of 100 on which they agreed, but they could get something done. he has nurtured that talent ever since. trace: you have been very clear in your beliefs that using she is one of the greatest lawmakers in history. -- you say that he is one of the greatest lawmakers in history. and he did this in spite of his family history. >> i would not quite put it that way. he spent a lifetime in the senate. his brothers were senators

briefly. neither of them took the joy that he did. i would rank him second to henry clay. a previous guest was talking about hundreds of millions of americans are affected by pieces of legislation that he sponsored. if you're a child getting children's health care or a grandmother getting cheaper prescription drugs, you have ted kennedy to thank. clay saved the union with the compromise of 1850 and the missouri compromise of 1820. that is pretty good company. martha: you recount a great story that i would love for you to share about the bobby kennedy when he became a senator. ted kennedy was their firsre fi.

>> they were sitting in a long, boring hearing. robert passed a note like a bored kid in school. is this how i get to be a good senator? and he said that the note and said yes, robby. a little while longer, he said how long do i have to sit here to be a good senator? and he wrote back, as long as it takes. that could be his motto. martha: we are just watching the video from moments ago when his body was brought out of hyannis port. as long as it takes is kind of the way that he lived his life. no matter what happened in his life, he got back in and kept fighting. >> absolutely.

but he was not fighting for the perfect ideal. if you could not get a whole loaf, it would take a half, and then try to get another slice or two next year. trace: this is video that was taken moments ago. they loaded the flag draped casket into the hearse. they are leaving cape cod and making their way to boston. it is a 70 mile trip. martha: we are looking at this picture of the family. i said before that they have lost the patriarch. jean kennedy smith, the last remaining sibling. talk to me about the impact that vicki kennedy had on him and

legislation. >> ted's personal life was rather a mess in the 1980's. he was still a supremely effective lawmaker. in 1991, it was the palm beach incident where he led off with a son and his nephew to drink and his nephew was accused of rape. people joke on the talk shows about it. he was still pushing legislation. and then along came the clarence thomas hearings. there was a sexual harassment charge against justice thomas. because of the palm beach

affair, he could not be seriously involved in it. the other thing that happened in the course of the year was that he met vicki, who was recently divorced and had two small children. she was a daughter of an old family friend of the kennedys. he went to a dinner that she ran. she thought he would bring a date. he did not. basically, they fell in love rather quickly. ted would go trick or treating with her kids. they fell in love. he had been lonely and unhappy. he loved children. she brought eight stability into his life -- she brought

stability into his life. he cut back surgery on his drinking. he stopped chasing women. -- he cut back seriously on his drinking. he stopped chasing women. louisiana politics in which she grew up is comparable to boston. you need sharp elbows to progress. her family certainly have them. she made a dramatic impact when he ran against romney in 1994. she was a financial lawyer in washington. she said, this romney guy is a venture capitalist. look into what he has done today made a very effective campaign ad when interviewing people in indiana who had been laid off by a factory that romney's company

had bought. she is quite interested in political issues. she talks to him. i do not know if she is as involved publicly as in that story. she had made them happy and she looked after him. martha: on the left side of the screen, we are playing this video from a moment ago. we saw william kennedy smith. you were just recounting the story, which is probably not one of the favorite chapters in the kennedy family. that was william kennedy smith to put his hand on the back of the hearse. thank you very much for joining us. thank you. trace: as we watch that sweeping shot of the house that was joe and rose kennedy's house.

so much history in that house. they had nine children. they had dozens of grandchildren. now the procession is under way from hyannis port to boston. the remains of senator kennedy traveling in a motorcade to the jfk presidential library. it is headed for boston. it will stop at significance sites along the way. once they arrive in the city, the cortege will pass by st. stephen church. next, his casket will pass faneuil hall, where the mayor will ring the bell 47 times in honor of every year he had in the senate. finally, his motorcade will travel to the jfk library where his casket will be joined by a

military honor guard. he will lie in repose at the library until his funeral on saturday. thousands are expected to view the closed casket to pay their respects. david lee miller is live from the jfk library. what is the mood there like? >> there's a great deal of sorrow and to some extent, anticipation. this motorcade is making the 70 mile trip. the the id really covers 77 years of history. -- it really covers 77 years of history. it will also passed by the former home of the fed congressman of the time, work john f. kennedy lived when he served in the u.s. senate. it will all right here at the jfk library. when it does, images will be

beamed around world. you can see some of these kathleen that has been set up. you can see some of the journalists. -- you can see some of the scaffolding that has been set up. viewing hours are between 6:00 and 11:00. we are already told that the robbers may need to be extended because they believe so many people will want to come here to pay their respects -- we're already told that the hours may be extended to the funeral mass on saturday will be by invitation only. the people who are coming here to the jfk library are ordinary folks. his constituents and people who cared and loved ted kennedy. they're coming here today to show just how much ted kennedy

meant to their lives. there are already a significant number of mourners who have entered the building behind me to sign a condolence book. there's a great deal of sadness. there's also a great sense of celebration that this is a man that accomplished so much in his life. trace: david lee miller outside the jfk library in south boston. thank you very much. i remember covering the funerals of former president reagan and former president ford. people will wait. the line you will see tonight will be extraordinarily long. people will wait. in the case of former president reagan, they waited for hours. in some cases, they waited 12 hours in line.

they had to keep it open 24 hours. people pay their respects and they are just that. they are respectful. they will wait. martha: there's a feeling sometimes that there's a great deal of apathy in this country about politics, and cynicism about political leaders. people are all over the map about this man and his family to. the commitment to public service is undeniable. that is what is turning these people out along the streets of hyannis port and into boston. it is a good day to stop and think about commitment, political life, and all of the things that this family has stood for. the white house team is reporting that president obama

is preparing his eulogy. the president and the first lady -- these are pictures of them at a recent ceremony at the white house with senator kennedy and president obama. the president and the first lady will attend the funeral mass on saturday morning. president obama will be giving that eulogy along with a host of dignitaries. major garrett is on martha's vineyard. what are we learning about the nature, the sentiment of this eulogy from the president? >> the deputy white house press secretary bill burton just finished a briefing. he said he did not want to go into too much detail. he said it will quite obviously be a very personal remembrances from the president obamof the ud

states about senator kennedy. he described the electrifying endorsement from senator kennedy in the 2008 primary as a cannon blast for the obama campaign. the first lady and the president will fly to boston on friday night. they're moving up the scheduled flight time because of the approaching tropical storm danny. it is some sort of unique atmospheric convergence that the storm is danny. danny boy was one of ted kennedy's favorite songs.

it is just sort of an odd coincidence. bill burton said the white house does not have any opinion on some of the liberal groups now trying to leverage, in the minds of some, the death of senator kennedy to push forward the health-care debate. he said the white house will not comment on that and that is not appropriate. and questions about how to replace senator kennedy, and whether or not to change the state law. he said the president would not put his thumb on that scale. as for the people of massachusetts to decide. the governor of massachusetts has indicated that he will sign it. it appears that momentum to replace senator kennedy will move forward, but bill burton said the white house will not involve itself in that debate. martha: major garrett, thank you

very much. we will be checking back in with you as we continue to go back and forth from martha's vineyard and hyannis port and the route to boston. his life was lived in the public eye. unimaginable highs and lows. if you made this up and brought it to a publisher, they would say this is unbelievable that all this could happen to 1% a there's a picture of him with his brothers. it was an extraordinary life. now, in a compilation book -- there he is with joan kennedy, the mother of his three children. joining us now is the editor of that book. talk to me a little bit about

putting this book together and the tremendous history and the amazing pictures in this collection. >> it is an ethicpic life, a shakespearean life. the family has been in the limelight for longer than most of us can even remember. martha: this is a picture of teddy kennedy in england when his father was made embassador by fdr. i believe that is at buckingham palace. >> yes. imagine you are born, your young boy, and to go with your father to london. what they want to do? you want to take in the sights. we have pictures of him in a boxing ring in palm beach and

through his childhood. those kind of pictures are pretty amazing because they evoke so many emotions. you just look at the family and you think that was before the tragedies. that was before everything started to happen. and a lot of those come from the kennedy library and have not been seen before. there are pictures in our archives -- we could not believe the scope. this life upper privilege -- this life of privilege and expectation. he was campaigning for his brother, john kennedy, and then he became a senator. and then the assassination of jfk, and bobby, and martin luther king. and everything else that happened in the 1960's. and chappaquiddick. ted was model handsome in the early days. he went through some

metamorphosis' himself. he had some very low periods. and then he emerges in later years as the lion and distinguished. and people start noticing the record he has amassed. when you look at the pictures of someone's life, someone so famous you thought you knew, it is amazing to see what the sum total is. trace: we are watching this video again. you're talking about the scope and the pictures. and then you see this picture, one of the final pictures of the casket taken from the main house and put into the hearse. as you look at the totality of the illustrations that you have seen, you must have thought when he watched his casket, out of the house, on the legacy that

the kennedy family left behind. >> i have lived in massachusetts my whole life. you look at these kind of images and they make you think of everything that came before. it is impossible to look at the casket -- it is impossible not to look at the casket of ted kennedy and not think of everything. think of jfk. think of it joe, sr. and his casket coming over the bridge. and you think of john, jr.. and you think of all of those things at every tragedy the family has been through. and you also think of the man ted became and how it seems appropriate now. it did not always seem that it would end this way, that he would be so distinguished, and

have so many people turn out for these events. there is a deep well in of the motion when you see those kind of images. every image you see of the kennedy family evokes something different and something powerful. martha: we were just watching when they put the casket into the hearse. it strikes me. you grow up having this one last kennedy in your life, and it really is the end of an era. now that teddy is gone, it is the end of much of that and what we all grew up with. >> as many times as it has been

said, i think a lot of people feel it is almost a sense of -- along with the loss and everything else, there is a disbelief. i have never had any other senator that i can remember. i have never lived in april world -- i have never lived in an world where the kennedy family was not front and center. he may be the last one to command that kind of attention. when you look at what they have left behind, all the pictures and all the memorabilia, you wonder what the next generation of kennedys will leave behind. will it be that kind of public existence? it does not seem like it. time will tell. maybe not the end of camelot, but certainly the end of an era. martha: thank you for sharing those pictures with us.

really unique photos. thank you very much. trace: cal thomas is one of those guys who credits senator kennedy -- look at that mustache. >> that was just going down to lindbergh parade tremendous speech that he made on tolerance and the constitution in the fall of 1983. ted got me started as a syndicated columnist. the second column i wrote was called "the man who came to dinner." he presented a book signed by his mother to jerry falwell and then he gave a speech with thousands of people. every network was there. every major political reporter was there. it was an incredible evening.

you can see a major portion of the speed on youtube. high-growth a column for "the washington post." the importance of that night was missed. we could talk a lot about kennedy's politics. as the man, we do not know each other across the labels that we put on each other, republican, democrat, left, right. we call people names. a lot of this is a result of fund raising and people who make money out of dividing us. kennedy was not like that in his personal relationships. he made a lot of bad policy decisions in my judgment. on a personal level, i do not know a liberal of the democratic party was better at schmoozing

people on the other side to get what he wanted. martha: major garrett is reporting now that the kennedy compound in hyannis port will be converted into an educational center and museum has attributive senator kennedy. it is not entirely clear if it will be the entire compound. this would really marked an end to this familial home that has been a central place for so much kennedy history over the years. what are your thoughts on that? >> i have then to the john kennedy library on a couple of occasions. it is a remarkable place. there are not too many senators who have this kind of monument to have the bush compound of

course. i cannot foresee that turned into a museum. george bush has his presidential library in texas. i think that is an interesting concept. calvin coolidge was the last modern president not to have a library of his own. it is being constructed in vermont. it will be interesting for the advancement of liberal policies in which ted kennedy believed. martha: cal thomas, thank you. let's switch gears for just a moment as we keep in mind that the motorcade is making its way to boston. we want to talk about another story in the news. that is questions over interrogations', allegations of lying to congress, all flying fast and furious. a huge controversy right now is bubbling around the cia. what impact will all this have on the agents who risk their

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martha: in the top box, that is the jfk library in boston to theirs were the kennedy motorcade is happening. route 3 wanted to be created by president kennedy because it took too long to get from boston to hyannis port. they build the highway that now brings many people to cape cod from boston. in the middle box, nasa is targeting friday night. they're hoping they will launch the shuttle discovery. it will be the third liftoff attempt. in bottom box, south carolina gov. mark sanford said he is being unfairly singled out for an investigation looking into his travels.

whether he took first-class flights, and whether or not the state paid for it. a state senator says he broke the law when he took those expensive flights. trace: the government is moving ahead with plans to start h1n1 swine flu vaccinations. testing began weeks ago in atlanta. now children are getting the test shots. what will this study tell us? >> approximately 100 children are expected to be involved with this study at emory university. what did they are trying to determine is whether they can administer the h1n1 vaccine along with seasonal flu vaccine at the same time. as the study is going on, other research facilities around the country will be conducting similar studies on children to determine which dosage is most effective.

trace: i guess we have the same concerns. what do parents have a for incentive to put their kids up as volunteers? there has got to be a little bit of a safety concern. >> you would think so, but the parents participating in the study, at least the mother is that we spoke to, said that after she researched the issue, she realized that the companies that make this vaccine are the same companies that make seasonal flu vaccines, using the same process. the only thing different is the portion. as far as the incentive, most americans are not going to get their hands on this vaccine until mid october. those participating in the study can began two months earlier. trace: history shows us that these vaccines can be hit and miss. is there any indication how well they believe this year stag on'1

will be? >> they believe it will be a good flu vaccine. that is, anywhere from 70% to 80% effective. the virus that they used to design this vaccine is identical to the one that is currently in circulation. there has been no nutation. the experts are very optimistic that they have a highly effective vaccine on their hands right now. trace: thank you. for all your h1n1 news and to answer your questions, go to our web site, foxnews.com. the website has everything you ever wanted to know about ag1 ad h1n1.

martha: the cia's crucial task of protecting the united states from foreign based attack may be more difficult for them to carry out. the attorney general's investigation, and now house speaker nancy pelosi's charged that the cia lies to congress. catherine herridge, how is this affecting the morale and the job they have to do at the cia? >> i have spoken to a half-dozen people who are either in the intelligence community or worked at the cia. they all said it was the clandestine service of the cia. the service that is responsible for tracking terrorists and the big governments -- this is the most high risk portion of the

agency to. they say there is a real sense of dismay at the very least at the way this is played out. one former intelligence official put it this way. what you hear people describing is sort of a subtle change in the culture. martha: how concerned are they that this might hinder their ability to stop an attack in the future? >> i think the main thing that people said to us is they felt people would become more risk averse. when you are looking at an assignment that could be somewhat controversial, if you're looking at an assignment that has to have a lot of legal review, people will be more reluctant to go into those areas. one of the problems is when you

work at an organization like that, you have to be very mission focused. if you do not like your mission, you have to follow that mission, especially if you are given legal advice that it is within the bounds of the law. people argue year that cia officers were told it was within the bounds of the law, and then the rules change when a new administration came in. and a job that many of them did not want to do. martha: catherine herridge, thank you very much. develop the now at "live desk" -- a possible break in an 18- year-old cold case. police say they are 99 percent sure that a woman missing for nearly 18 years, that they have now found her. harris faulkner has the details right after this. .

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trace: this is just fine. that is the motorcade making its way to boston, the 70-mile trip. we had a live shot a few seconds ago -- this is live. i stand corrected. this is a live look at the motorcade making its way there. that is the bus carrying a large number of the kennedy family and friends up to the jfk library where senator kennedy's body will lie in reposed until the funeral, which is on saturday. we will bring you updates as the procession makes its way toward boston. martha: i think i hear bagpipes in the background. sounds like there is a bagpiper standing alongside of the highway. people turn enormous stress on a beautiful day. look at that crane with the

flag. whatever time they are passing it through has raised that. they will go by and number of very significant family places along the way to the jfk library. martha: all right, this is sagamore, massachusetts. we heard our guest before talking about the funeral, talking about the a trek that took it across the bridge, and that they have a photograph that shows that a car being only one crossing over the bridge at the time, and a similar moment just happened. trace: the viewing will begin

tonight and will go all day tomorrow, and the funeral is on saturday. you will be in boston. martha: we will have live coverage in boston, and we look forward to sharing that with you. trace: back in moments with more coverage. with ziploc? the average family wastes over $500 a year in food. don't throw away food, protect it in the freezer. ziploc freezer bags form a fresh shield, freezer burn stays out, freshness stays in.

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trace: update now on a bizarre story out of northern california. this girl was 11 years old when she was adopted in south lake tahoe. 18 years ago.

-- she was abducted in south lake tahoe 18 years ago. this woman has now wandered into a sheriff's station. they believe is the girl who was abducted. two people in custody after 18 years. this girl has walked in. much more development on the story. the story may be solved. much more on that coming up. martha: there is lots to come. thanks for being with us. trace: "studio b" starts right now. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- shepard: good afternoon from fox news in new york. this is "studio b" with continuing coverage of the death of a political icon. as you know, senator kennedy spent his days at the cape cod home he said he loved