and then i asked bob byrd, asked bob byrd, give us a little history, not too long about our constitutional responsibility and he did a marvelous job. and then we opened up a discussion and people started talking back and forth. finally kennedy made some comments, take cad in the and then phil gramm made comments. now they're they're the polls of the two parties. conservative of the conservatives in a very liberal line. it sounded like they're saying the same thing. i looked down at connie mack my buddy and he nodded and he said that's it, we had the kennedy graham solution, and so everybody was so excited, we broke up the session, we had an agreement on how to proceed and thomps let's tell the press, and i don't know which set it but what do we exactly agree to. and i i said i don't really know either time. so why don't we get key players and put them in a room and get them to write up what we agree to. but we got the agreement and we proceeded. we did our constitutional responsibility. we did it in a way we felt was fair to all and we came out the other side with the ability to go back an

then i asked bob byrd, give us a little history -- a little history, not too long -- about our constitutional responsibility, and he did a marvelous job. and then we opened it up to discussion. people started talking back and forth. and finally, kennedy made some comments -- ted kennedy -- and then phil graham made some comments, from texas. now, they're the poles of the two parties, conservative republican, very liberal line of the democrats. and what it sounded like was they were saying the same thing. and i looked down at connie mack, my buddy, and he nodded. senator from florida. i said, that's it, we have the kennedy-graham solution. and so everybody was so excited, and we broke up the session, we had an agreement how to proceed. and tom said, i think we ought to go to tell the press we've reached this agreement. we were going down the hall, and i don't know which one that said it, the other one said exactly what did we agree to? and i think i probably said, i don't think i really know either, tom. [laughter] so why don't we get some key players and put them in a room and get them to wri

then i asked bob byrd, give us a little history -- a little history, not too long -- about our constitutional responsibility, and he did a marvelous job. and then we opened it up to discussion. people started talking back and forth. and finally, kennedy made some comments -- ted kennedy -- and then phil graham made some comments, from texas. now, they're the poles of the two parties, conservative republican, very liberal line of the democrats. and what it sounded like was they were saying the same thing. and i looked down at connie mack, my buddy, and he nodded. senator from florida. i said, that's it, we have the kennedy-graham solution. and so everybody was so excited, and we broke up the session, we had an agreement how to proceed. d

when senator byrd set a senate record by casting his 17,000th vote in 2004, ted kennedy said this -- "every time bobasts a vote, he sets a new record. it's not fair, though, that he counts the votes he cast in the roman senate too. but we love him anyway and we never stop learning from him." ted kennedy forgave robert byrd for snatching the majority whip's job from him. he forgave robert byrd for trying to stop his brother jack's road to the white house. he forgave robert byrd's vote against thurgood marshall. he forgave byrd's opposition to the civil rights act of 1964. and yes, he forgave senator byrd's membership in the ku klux klan. robert byrd's chapter of the klan was not known to be involved in any violence. senator byrd said they never conducted any parades or marches or public demonstrations of any kind. robert byrd came to be ashamed of his membership in the klan. he said, "it has emerged throughout my life to haunt and embarrass me." in 2005 he told eric pianin of the "washington post," "i know now i was wrong. intolerance had no place in america. i apologized a thousand times, and i don'