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casket to say good-bye. family members and friends are standing vigil around the clock. today, senator kennedy's wife, vicki, greeted the public and massachusetts congressional delegation inside the library. more than 25,000 people lined up until 2:00 this morning and thousands more today to pay a final farewell to the beloved senator. 6,000 others are following the events on a twitter page set up by the kennedy family. members of the kennedy family, including his niece, caroline, took the time to thank the public last night for their sympathy. >> for my generation, he was a surrogate father for 29 grandchildren, and i don't know, probably 60 or 80 great grandchildren. so that was a great thick fng f all of us. >> this evening, a private memorial service will be held for senator kennedy at the jfk

library. among the speakers, deval patrick, senator john mccain, vice president joe biden, one of his close friends in the senate. tomorrow, a funeral mass will be held at boston's our laid of perpetual health basilica, a church where the senator prayed daily during his daughter's battle with lung cancer in 2002. during the funeral, he will be buried near his brothers at arlington national cemetery. first, they'll go past the capitol build, the east step of the capitol, where an honor of hundreds of kennedy's former staff members will be standing and waiting. joining us now for the hour, bob shrum, a kennedy family friend, a speechwreter for senator kennedy. the senator's staff, known widely on the hill, as the best and the brightest, partly because he was so deeply involved in the details. what would he think about the extraordinary outpouring of affection here in massachusetts

for him? >> well, a lot of people go to washington and get elected and they want to stay there. he was a master of washington. probably the greatest one we've seen in 50, 60, maybe 100 years, but he always wanted to come home to massachusetts. and the folks here know it. you know, there was a -- he went to the funeral, did this often, with no press, the funeral of a marine who, i think he was a marine, who had been killed in iraq, and he talked with the family at arlington after the funeral, and they said, you know, our son was terribly worried because his humvee wasn't armored. and he grilled a pentagon brass, went to the senate floor, got $231 million to armor those vehicl vehicles. but what is most amazing, he then took the role call of the vote and signed it and sent it to that family, saying you made the difference. they sat as part of an honor guard around the casket last night. >> bob, i know we'll be talking

to you more about this, but in seeing this incredible line of people, the thousands, i was here late last night, it reminded you of one of your earlier connections to the kennedys. >> well, i was just a kid. i was in college when president kennedy was killed and i was at georgetown and we -- three of us said, we had to go. so we went and got in line to go through the capitol, which was where his body was lying, and it was a sunny day when we started out. and when we got near the capitol, we had to go back about 20 blocks and only one of us had an overcoat and it was freezing cold and we stood in line, got in about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and was just there for a few seconds, it was a few seconds i have never forgotten. it was the only thing i could do, and i think a lot of people feel that way today. >> we've been listening to their stories and talking to them and we'll be sharing some of that with you as we continue this hour. joining me now is former vice president dan quayle. some might say, why a republican

to talk about ted kennedy, but that's one of the great stories of ted kennedy's life in the senate. mr. vice president, thank you for joining us. back in 1988, you, of course, ran for vice president yourself. you know what the national campaigns are like, the stress of that. but you had in 1982 cosponsored legislation with ted kennedy for a job training program. it was something that the reagan white house didn't even want and you got together with ted kennedy, because he reached out to you as a young senator, of the opposite party, and that's the way he worked. >> that is the way he worked. and your memory is quite good. look, when ted kennedy reached across the divide in the senate and joined in a bipartisan way, it usually worked. at that particular time, i was chairman of the employment subcommittee and had an outline of a bill, took it to him, he made some amendments. and andrea, once he gave me his

word, you could put it in the bank. this was the way he was. he was a person that would work hard, a passion for life, a passion for people. and the senate and the country is going to really miss him, even though we, obviously, you know, had huge differences of opinion on many issues. and i'm going to be getting on a plane in a few minutes and joining you out there. so i'll see you tonight or tomorrow. >> mr. vice president, obviously, there were moments, good moments and bad moments. one of your toughest moments was during the debate with lloyd benson, when you compared yourself to john f. kennedy in terms of the amount of experience you had had in the senate and lloyd benson memorably said, i knew john kennedy, i served with john kennedy and you are no john kennedy. what happened after that? i know it was a big hiccup in the road for you, you ended up being elected in any case, but how did ted kennedy reach out to

you? >> it's very interesting. after that, he wrote me a very special note, handwritten. and it had something like this, dear dan, i wish you all the very best if the campaign. however, without my vote. h he sa he said, i will speak kindly or unkindly about you, whatever you think will help you the most. best wishes, ted. i still have that note. and it was a very special time. but ted kennedy knew me. and when he spoke about me, he said, look, i disagree with him, but he knows what he's doing. he's up to the job. and people that knew me would say that. people that didn't would sort of parrot what those of you in the media said at the time. >> i know, we've all become caricatured and certainly politicians more than anyone else, and i know you went through all of that. but there is the personal side and the way the senate used to operate, not so much now, frankly. but ted kennedy knew your kids, families knew each other. share a little bit about that. >> well, when i first went to

the senate, he took me aside, he says, look, you've got three very young children. take care of them. they're the most important thing to you. this job is important, but take care of those kids. and throughout my senate career, he'd always ask about the kids, i'd ask about his kids. and andrea, he knew the names of my kids. now, how many other senators would know the names of their children? not many. maybe three or four. but, look, he loved family, he loved life, he had a passion for everything. and when ted kennedy would get involved in something, it was 110%. he didn't have a 50% or 90%, he was there all the way, full frontal. >> your former chief of staff, bill kristol, shared something about a trip to latin america with you, 1990, air force 2, you're the vice president, he is a veteran senator. how did he handle the bipartisan nation of that foreign policy trip?

>> senator kennedy, he called me at that time, and as you recall, because you've covered this, you remember the bombing of ronny moffett and la tellier, being from chile. senator kennedy was very interested in having a full investigation of who did that. his suspicions were the government. well, in this particular case, i was flying down to see the government transfer power to president-elect linday. ted kennedy called me up and said, i want to go. i said, you can go, but you have to promise me one thing. he said, what's that. i said, you cannot criticize our administration when you're in chile. i will set up the meetings for you, you can have your own meetings, but you can't criticize us down there. and he told me, and it's very important and very telling about the kennedy family and ted kennedy in particular, he said this -- my brother always said that you should not criticize

your country on foreign soil and i won't do it. he went down there, had his meetings, we came back, we talked a lot about it. he did not criticize us down there. now, when he got back, he pushed his agenda. that's the way he was. he kept his word. >> dan quayle, so good to see you, mr. vice president. thanks for sharing your recollections. you really put a lot of facts and detail into the broad picture of ted kennedy as someone who worked in a bipartisan way whenever he could, whenever he thought it was appropriate. thank you, sir. >> we need more of that today. thank you. >> amen to that. thank you. and with me now, civil rights icon and democratic congressman from georgia, representative john lewis. congressman, thanks for being with us. i know this is a very difficult time for you. you've just come from sitting and standing vigil with vicki kennedy and gene smith, the

kennedy's surviving sister. a very emotional time, because of what ted kennedy meant to you and the civil rights movement. >> it is -- i must tell you, it is hard, it's difficult. senator kennedy was such a friend. she was a champion. he was our shepherd, he was our leader. he inspired us all to continue to fight. he spoke up when it was not popular to speak up. and he never gave up. he never gave in. he kept the faith. you know, one of the first speeches he made on the senate floor was in support of the civil rights act, in 1964, and he used everything that he had to fight for civil rights, to fight for voting rights. but to fight for all of those who have been left out and left behind. he was my friend. >> what did it mean to you as a young civil rights leader? you had gone through -- you were

going through all of the turmoil of the civil rights movement. and there you've got ted kennedy speaking out for civil rights, as lyndon johnson was trying to get the bill passed. >> it meant a great deal to have senator kennedy speaking out. you know, the brother of the late president, because when he spoke, people listened, people believed in it. he did it with passion. he didn't have to do it, but he did it. he was more than a sympathetic referee in the struggle for civil rights. we saw him as one of us, as a member of our family. >> and on a personal level, how did ted kennedy change your life? >> well, teddy kennedy, by meeting him, getting to know him, helped make me a much better person. he was so sharing, so giving and

i feel very grateful, i feel very blessed that i got to know him. i remember on one occasion, he came to my house in atlanta and visited with my wife and my young son and he spent a lot of time -- my son was not even a year old, talking to him, making him laugh. he was just an unbelievable friend. and you know, he had something that was so different than most people, that's, he had a big heart, a warm heart. i will miss him. >> i know you will. and i know this is a tough day for him and for all members of the family and you're part of the family. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thanks for sharing, congressman lewis. and right now the line, as we understand, has been closed because of the private ceremony, the private service that is

expected here later this afternoon. so you're looking at a live picture. that is the end of the line. we'll get some updated numbers shortly on the twitter -- by twitter from the family, but what we're hearing is that many more thousands have been added and we will be talking about just extraordinary expression of affection, support, love and respect for senator ted kennedy. coming up, presidential historian michael beschloss, "usa today" washington bureau chief, susan page, bob shrum. and a reminder, msnbc will be bringing you live coverage tonight of the memorial service to senator ted kennedy starting tonight at 6:00 eastern. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports," live from boston, only on msnbc. what's in it for me? i'm not looking for a bailout, just a good paying job. that's why i like this clean energy idea. now that works for our whole family. for the ki, a better environment. for my wife,

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this is "andrea mitchell reports." you're looking at live pictures right now as the lines continue to wind. this is the end of the line. they have closed the line. there will be no more access to the line for people who want to come and walk past the casket here at the john f. kennedy memorial library. but thousands have taken the opportunity. they've been here all night, they've been here all morning. it has been an amazing sight to see and experience. with me now, michael beschloss, nbc news, presidential historian. the weather has turned a bit chilly and windy and we can feel i guess the storm, danny, whatever it is, off the coast coming in. nothing seems to deter people from wanting to pass through these lines. and as they pass through, the family greeting them. this is really a sign of the

mutual respect and the affection between ted kennedy, the kennedy family, and the people of massachusetts. >> yeah. you know, and it's so much in kennedy's spirit. one thing that was so characteristic about him, we talked about this yesterday, you know you did something for him that was tidy, he send you a thank you note, knew the names of your children, made an effort to be not only someone that you dealt, but also a friend. and a lot of people in massachusetts felt the same way. there are so many senators that go up to national stature, international fame, and they sort of forget about their state, and sometimes get defeated. kennedy became a world figure, but at the same time, he made sure that he connected very closely with people here in massachusetts and we're seeing that. >> in fact, i think it's very deliberate that most of the mourning period for senator kennedy, his funeral, the wake, the memorial service is here in massachusetts. there will be moments in washington, just before the burial, when he arrives and is

taken past the capitol and his former staff, the alumni will be assembled on the east steps of the capitol. but it really is a massachusetts moment for this man who loved being, you know, a street corner politician in the best sense of the world. >> he really returned to his forefathers. he was more like john f. fitzgerald than the mayor of boston, his grandfather in a street manner than he was like john kennedy, who did what he had to, but always shrank from a rope line, was a little bit formal. >> it's also interesting to see the next generation of kennedys. because as you watched the kennedy and shriver and smith offspring here greeting people and their children as well, it's really in the genes. >> it's in the genes. and the other thing that's remarkable is we all know political families of numerous generations and other families in america. this is tightly knit, down to

the fourth generation. you don't hear about cleavages among parts of the family that you almost inevitably do with others. and you know, that was very much what joe kennedy wanted. he always said, you know, i don't care what happens between my kids and my family and the world, but they'd better stick together. >> they have stuck together. and it's really remarkable, also. i saw tim shriver this morning, and when you realize that they buried eunice shriver two weeks ago -- >> the timing is not great. >> it's such a burden for, especially for jean smith, to have lost two siblings in two weeks. >> indeed. >> and even though ted kennedy's loss was anticipated, in talking to the family members last night, it's become so clear that we see it as -- we see ted kennedy, even though us that knew him somewhat see him as a public person, they've lost an uncle, a surrogate brother, and most importantly, a spouse.

>> and in keeping this family stuck together. imagine if they had not had the influence over the last 14 years since robert kennedy passed. >> michael beschloss, we'll be talking to you more today and tomorrow as we go through this period of mourning for ted kennedy. thank you so much. >> thanks, andrea. coming up, washington bureau chief susan page and editor at large for "time" magazine. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" live from boston, where people continue to line up to pay their final respects to senator ted kennedy. bl >> and some day, long after this convention, long after the signs come down and the crowds stop cheering and the bands stop playing, may it be said of our campaign that we kept the faith. may it be said of our party in 1980 that we found our faith again. back pain in the morning,

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you're looking at live pictures at the end of the line, matt and joe, the twin sons of joseph kennedy, joining the line and thanking people and taking pictures, you can see, with the last people to join the line because of the private funeral memorial service with the vice president, with john mccain and governor deval patrick later today. so those young men, those handsome young men, among the many offspring of the next generation, the youngest generation of kennedys here today. joining us now from washington, "usa today" washington bureau

chief, susan page, and with me, bob shrum. susan, you've covered the kennedys for years on the hill and we all knew this day was coming, but the emotion that is connected to it, the legacy of ted kennedy is nearly amazing. in politics, in every sense of the world, political campaigns, but also the legislative record that you've been covering. >> and you know a sense that this may be the end of an era, one of the things that we remember about senator kennedy here in washington is his ability to work across party lines, to strike a deal on big legislation when it came to education and other issues. and the ranks of senators able to do that, boy, it's really gotten to be small. we certainly see that now with the current health care debate. >> and bob shrum, you worked with senator kennedy for so many

years, tell me about the way he interacted with the staff, because that has become legend on the hill. >> well, he pushed people pretty hard, he expected the best of them, and he gave the best of himself. he was very generous in giving people credit. by the way, that was true not just of his staff, but of his colleagues. when senator dole, for example, wanted his name first on the bill that saved the voting rights act, he said, fine, what i care about is the results. the other part of it was that there was such a genuine affection for people. he never thought that friendship wore a party label or that politics was personal. a year ago, when the conservative columnist bob novak, who happened to be a friend of mine, inexplicably to some people, but he was a very good friend, got to same disease that teddy had, he called me and he said, do you think teddy and vicki would talk to me, and i said, of course, and i gave him the phone number. and they helped him in terms of finding his doctors, taking him through his medical care --

>> in fact, he had the same surgery -- >> had the same surgery at duke and he wrote a very moving column about it and about how it was a reminder that there are values that actually transcend -- personal values that actually transcend passing political differences. >> susan, do you have a sense as to why life in washington doesn't seem to have those personal connections as much as it used to and how that affects legislation and debate on the hill? >> certainly become a more partisan place. you know, part of that is that we have fewer moderates in the middle with whom you could make a deal. the house has become quite sharply polarized between liberal democrats and conservative republicans and to some degree, that's a fact in the senate too. there's one other thing about senator kennedy. my first presidential election i covered was in 1980 and i have to say, the best political speech i ever heard was the speech he gave at the 1980 democratic congress convention.

i think that bob shrum played a part nah that speech as well. but one of his abilities was the ability to give a thundering speech or a beautiful eulogy in a way that would just make the hall as quiet as it could be and then erupt in applause. and that was part of his political strength as well. >> bob, i have to ask you about that speech, that moment, because it could not have been more difficult, the profound sense of losing the opportunity to win the nomination to jimmy carter, and he goes to madison square garden and gives one of the greatest speeches of his life. you work odded on that with me. >> yeah, it was one of the great privileges in my life to work on him with that for 30 years. he gave me some credit and his longtime legislative assistant some credit. but with him, there were always moments of great fun too. he was absolutely convince d th

teleprompter was going to break because it had broken when orville freeman was nominating his brother in 1960. so i had to sit on the step and i had a copy of the speech and i had written on the back 17 if so i was reading along, so if it broke, he would turn around, look at the page number, and i would simultaneously say, 17 middle. of course, the teleprompter didn't break, but it did three months later when we were campaigning for warren magnus. we had about 10,000 people in the room and i'm standing on the side of the stage, and every time applaud, teddy goes to me like this, behind his back, so people can't see him. he's telling me -- i figure out he's telling me to move so i can look at the prompter, and there i watch the two pieces of paper separate and burn. he was so happy he'd finally been right about that. >> of course, in those days, it wasn't digital, it was paper

that was chased together and it burned up. >> bob shrum, thank you so much, susan page. still to come, "time" magazine's editor at large, plus neil swidey, who talks about the role that ted kennedy has played in chasing the legacies of his brothers, jack and bobby. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" levee from boston. (announcer) fore they give you the lowest price,

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by the wife of ted kennedy. you can only imagine the emotion that this family is going through, but they have, each day, every day, come outside, thanked people. she told us last night that it just meant more to her than anything in the world that so many people had come out, that they were expressing their love for her late husband and it has helped her get through this period. she was very strong. she has been through 15 months of an extraordinary experience of taking him through this process of the surgery that he went through, the chemotherapy, all of the treatments, then finally, the decision to come home to hyannis port and go through the final stages of this dreadful disease. joining me now from kansas city, david von brailly, editor at large for "time" magazine. david, you've written so

movingly about what ted kennedy represented in terms of the myth and the reality. and forgive us here, because we not only have the wind and the sun and everything else, we've got the flights to logan airport. i hope you can hear us well enough. >> i hear you loud and clear, andrea. >> very struck by what you wrote yesterday about the brothers. because you wrote that the kennedy family saga is an epic tal of true legends and legendary truths. the father with his bottomless checkbook and flair for pr cast his clan, but in the long run, less compelling to the youngest fell the difficult job of creating a statue of icons to the live welcome the vital and the real. it was ted kennedy, really, who tried to create life and carry on life and legacy and the real work of politics that his brothers tragically could not. >> that's right.

andrea, if you think about the role that he stepped into in the summer of 1968 after robert was assassinated, the mythology that had come to wrap his family was so oppressive, so enormously overpowering and here he was, this young man who was not a myth, who was not an icon, who was a real human being with his strengths, but also his very apparent weaknesses, and he had to go on and somehow you know go through a real, full life span with all the triumphs, obviously, but also the tragedies. just a year after his brother's assassination at chappaquiddick, the low moment of his life, and certainly his public career, where he failed, appallingly. at that moment, we figured out

that ted kennedy was not a prince, he was not going to bring us back to some fabled camelot, some fairy tale, he was a real man and we and he had to make our peace with that little by little, but i think, ultimately, there was something noble about the way he persevered. and lived a fully human life. it wasn't the marble statue or the timeless photographs that we know of his older brothers, but it was a very consequential life with a lot of worthwhile achievement in it. >> david, joining us now is neil swidey, an nbc news contributor, "boston globe," and co-author of "the last lion: the fall and rise of ted kennedy."

neil, elaborate on that spot, the notion that he took the myth and made it real. >> it's very true, andrea. we're standing in front of this monument to his brothers, really, and for ted kennedy, he could never really live up to these perfect statues that he had created for his brothers. but the interesting thing is that he shaped them in his image. so in his eyes, jack kennedy was much more liberal than he really was and bobby was purer than he really was, but ted kennedy used these idealized versions of his brother to advance his own view as to where america should go. and i was struck yesterday by robert kennedy jr.'s comments, when he said, people talk a lot about my dad and my uncle jack, but my uncle teddy really had a bigger impact long-term on this country than either my dad or my uncle. >> and david, in this newest generation, we've talked a lot about the legacy and how there isn't nearly a natural leader that we can see in elected

office and who is going to succeed, but when i was watching the children coming out yesterday and very dutifully going down the line and shaking hands, down to the littlest of them. and then, later, we seem in this public way, later in talking to one of the nephews, one of teddy's nephews who said, you know, i sent my kids out and they joined the line and they came back crying because they were going through an exercise, but they had suddenly realized what teddy meant to all of these people. and it hadn't occurred to him, to the kids, that he was any other than uncle teddy who organized the easter egg rolls at hickory hill and the christmas carolling, and i've attended many of these events, he really did take over, david, as the surrogate father to all of these nephews and nieces and walking caroline down the aisle and then the next generation. he was the patriarch. >> he was the patriarch, in a

family that hadn't had one, really, after the stroke that incapacitated his father, joseph kennedy, who sort of created the whole thing. and that role also was a difficult one, if you look back at the '70s and '80s, there were some very hard times for that generation of kennedys. but they, too, have come through it. some of them didn't make it, but most of them did. and they have found their way to be, you know, really productive and important contributors in their communities and their societies. you know, and are building these real legacies, which are not, you know, we talk about what president kennedy was, what bob kennedy was, but, in fact, the mythology about them is not exactly right. you know, the supposedly vigorous, young president that

john kerry was. he, in fact, was a man who was in extreme physical pain, could hardly walk and may have been dying from addison's disease before our eyes. so what has struck me, having grown up in the full sunlight of the kennedy camelot legend was that they had -- that whole story had drifted so far from reality. and i think it must have been very difficult to live that way. ted's life, the senator's life, has, i think, shown all of them a way to live as ordinary human beings again. >> thank you so much, david, thank you neil swidey, co-author of "last lion: the fall and rise of ted kennedy." we finally got the name of the

book right. thank you both so very much. coming up, historians robert delack and my colleague peter alexander's been out talking with the people. the amazing stories of people who feel a close detection connection to this senator, the last of the kennedys. also, by the way, join us tonight for live coverage of tonight's memorial service for senator ted kennedy, starting at 6:00 eastern right here on msnbc. i was in the grocery store when i had a heart attack. my daughter was with me. i took a bayer aspirin out of my purse and chewed it. my doctor said the bayer aspirin saved my life. please talk to your doctor about aspirin and your heart. i'm going to be grandma for a long time. when we're in a sandwich you'll know it we are our own mixed up blend of one of a kind spices we are miracle whip

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you're hearing a lot of personal stories? >> this is as much about teddy kennedy as it is about these people that waited in line. they estimate that about 20,000 people will come to pay their respects. the line is roughly over two hours long. they'll have to shut it down close to 3:00. but these are people from all different backgrounds. we've met those who are unable to speak for themselves, we met dory loudoun, you're here from marble head. >> just north of the city. >> just to get a sense from you, this is personal. why be here? >> yes, started 50 years ago when i was in college here in boston. and he came, he, meaning jfk, and of course charmed all the girls and many of us ended up cheering for him, going to those teas that they had and continued to follow the family. >> what did ted mean to you? >> i think the integrity that he

had brought in the serving of the underserved means a lot. his stance on abortion rights, gays, immigration mean a lot to me. and i look up to him as a leader. thank you. >> i appreciate your time. >> so many people here are just grateful to be able to share their stories. andrea, i think what's telling, many of these people say they've never met the late senator, but they certainly feel like they have a personal relationship with him. finally, one family, serbian immigrants, got in the line earlier and the person at the front of the line told them it could be two hours. the woman, 65 years old by the name of olga said, that's all right, with her arthritic legs, she acknowledged, we'll wait. >> peter, it's just remarkable, the emotional connection that people feel with ted kennedy. thank you so much. up next, we'll be talking to author and historian robert dalick and bob shrum. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports," live from boston, only

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we're live at the john f. kennedy library where ted kennedy is lying in repose and this sunday on "meet the press" a look at the kennedy and beyond with senator john kerry, kathleen kennedy townsend, doris goodwin and bob shrum here with us today with a special look at your 45 years of appearances on "meet the press" so join david gregory on sunday. bob, you, of course, are going to be on that program with doris kearns goodwin and john kerry and kathleen kennedy townsend. as a historian, the importance

of ted kennedy, is it too early to assess his role in the senate and how you compare that with what his brothers achieved in their short lives? >> well, of course, there will be a deeper and stronger impression as years go by and historians have access to the records but right now i think there would be a consensus among historians already that ted kennedy was one of the most important senators in the country's history and, of course, as a member of the kennedy family, the storied kennedy family, he was the leading figure in that clan so to speak for years and years and his record in the senate was so impress i impressive. people look back on the republican party and the 20th century and which senator would they single out? probably robert taft, called mr. republican and when they look back on the 20th century and i think say what democratic

senator would you single out i don't think it would be lyndon johnson because he later became president, though johnson would be important, but i think it would be ted kennedy as someone who served, third longest serving senator in american history and a lion of the senate as he was described. >> bob shrum, i know the senator said that perhaps his most important vote was the vote against the war in iraq but if you look at domestic policy what stands out for you? what was the big achievement? >> saving the voting rights act. people forget when he was very young in 1965 he passed a wholesale reform of immigration law in this country which up until then diskrim tornado nated against people from southern europe, from greece, and italy, and basically denied immigration status at all to people from asia. it was one of the first battles he waged. the americans with disabilities act, the minimum wage, children's health care. you can name this list and it could go on and on. if any other senator had one or two of them i think robert would

say he would be significant in the history of the senate. ted kennedy had so many of them that he's a giant and i think his stature will only grow with time. someone said today there are other great baseball players there but there's no other ted williams and i think that's true. >> robert, what do you think was the unfinished business? is health care the obvious example? >> i think health care certainly is the obvious example, something that was so close to his heart and ban focus of his years and now i wouldn't be surprised if the obama administration would say there should be health care legislation named after ted kennedy. and of course something bold in the way of reform and would reach out to the millions of americans who are without health insurance.

>> robert, bob -- bob, we'll watch you on "meet the press" tomorrow and i know you're going to be with the family tomorrow and that does it for thus hour. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. join us back here tomorrow for special coverage of the funeral mass of senator ted kennedy and join me for coverage, also, of the burial at arlington cemetery in washington. john harwood picks up our coverage next with a special "new york times" edition. you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. (announcer) before they give you the lowest price, some pharmacies make you work for it with memberships and fees. but not walmart. they have hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $4 for up to a 30-day supply and no gimmicks. save money. live better. walmart.

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