when president kennedy and ladybird kennedy, and it was passed on to senator kennedy.re was this feelinghate men t thing. that they would be our champions, that they would look out for the cause of civil rights and social justice. in congress, the first major speech that senator kennedy made was on the 1964 civil rights act. he did not just state and boston or washington. he traveled to mississippi, atlanta, georgia. he visited not just the african- american community but he went to the southwest and visited with migrant workers. tavis: what you make of the fact there was the special bond between ted kennedy and his brothers and african-americans? knowing your history, here you are a poor country boy from alabama, and there are a lot of other country black folk back in the day or be funded by these rich white guys from massachusetts. -- who were defrauded by these rich white guys from massachusetts. how was that? -- to work befriended by these rich white guys from massachusetts. how was that? >> it may have appeared be strange, they could travel to the delta mississipp

robert kennedy, jr.aid that he was struck by how many people shared with him those kinds of stories i mentioned, someone who had help with a son who was in the military or help with benefi benefits. the very practical things that people go to their members of congress for every day. well, if your member of congress was ted kennedy, many people here felt she was we-- they wer well-served by him. >> a conversation i had with senator kennedy several years ago, he was so excited about the next generation of kennedys that were coming up. he said we've got 50-some kids coming up, and they're all going to be in public service, and it's going to be the next generation of kennedys and he was very excited about that. he was a very futuristic guy and a very giving man. he just couldn't do enough for this country. kelly, what about tonight? i would imagine tonight is going to be a very emotional time for john kerry and chris dodd, his best friends in the senate. what are we going to see tonight? >> well, as you ment

john kennedy jr. seemed like a natural to follow in his father's footsteps. >> over a quarter century ago, my father stood before you... >> repter: that hope was extinguished by his death in 1999. >> i hope i have something to offer. >> reporter: last year, caroline set off a media frenzy when she flirted with hillary clinton's vacated senate seat, but after a poorly received political tour, she withdrew her name. two of robert kennedy's 11 kids for a time did follow their father's path. kathleen was lieutenant governor of maryland but left politics after losing a bid for governor in 2002. >> joseph ii is a former congressman whose political career stalled after a messy scandal in 1998 following the end of his first marriage. >> our responsibility in this house... >> reporter: ted kennedy's youngest child, patrick, entered politics at 21 and currently serves as congressman from rhode island. but with three seminal figures in american politics now all gone and only one kennedy remaining in public offic

senator ted kennedy was the last of the kennedy men and the only one of the four kennedy brothers to die of natural causes. he died here late last night of incurable brain cancer. he was 77 years old. ted kennedy was a legend in american politics and for that matter in this part of the country. he was a lot of things -- a liberal who often reached out to the right, a man of great flaws who became a family leader. he was a towering legislator and president obama today said he was not only one of the greatest senators of our time but one of the all-time great americans. >> few words this morning -- >> his ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives. in seniors who know new dignity, in families that know new opportunity, in children who know education's promise, and in all who can pursue their dream in an america that is more equal and more just. including myself. >> reaction to the late night news from here spilled out from east to west across this country. it was visible today on flagpoles, lowered to half staff, the condolence book at the nearby

kennedy can be our next president. >> kennedy trailed humphrey by 20%. so his campaign turned up the heat, buying tv time to address head-on when his pollsters showed growing concerns about kennedy's catholic religions. >> i don't happen to be one of those serious issues is where i go to church on sundays. >> the strategy worked. senator kennedy crushed humphrey with 60% of the vote. more went into this victory than an appeal to patriotism and fair play. it was common knowledge in west virginia, county politicians could be swayed by cash. kennedy had it, lots of it, and used it. >> i offer my congratulations to my friend and senate colleague jack kennedy. >> humphrey dropped out. the newest victim of the kennedy juggernaut. at the democratic convention in july, jack kennedy, a few votes shy of the nomination, fought off a growing challenge from lyndon johnson. johnson's people revealed that kennedy suffered from addison's disease, which if the kennedy people had not succeeded in denying it would have killed jack's chances. bobby kennedy couldn't contain

and then bobby kennedy is gunned down and ted kennedy in many ways, it was really continuing robert kennedy'sy. and he did it in an awkward way. he didn't have some of the grit, at first, that bobby kennedy had had. willing this to be mean-spirited. bobby kennedy would go after the bad guys. ted kennedy was about redemption, reconciliation, and reaching across the aisle. but over a period of time, kennedy's, just, tenacity, and his ability to survive the political cycles was remarkable. and i think once he lost in 1980 and realized that his presidential aspirations were over and found a new role for himself, the one guy that was willing to say, i'm a liberal. bill clinton was saying i'm a new democrat and others were kind of abandoning the new deal and the great society and the new frontier, but not ted kennedy. and at that point, he became a folk hero on the left and he widened what was the robert kennedy coalition of '68, and to the point today, he is literally beloved by the disenfranchised of america. >> john king, it can't be understated, or overstated, i should say, the effect that his

but family tradition the kennedy compound used to be open to the public every year on rose kennedy's birthday. >> i was very surprised it was not like a glitzy, it was not like walking into a rich person's house. the rugs were worn, the furniture was worn, the e cushis were lumpy. then they took us into another ro where rose was siing and flanked rather poignnantly by eunice and ted. on the wall, lots of photographs of herer sons and none of her daughters. >> the compmpound includ several adjacent houses owned byther members of the kennedy clan. >> this is my brother'shouse. >> in 2004, senator kennedy gave george stephanopoulos a tour. >> it's in that house where he heard that he was elected president. caroline woke him up and said, you're p president of e united states. >> this where the family gathered in the months of triumphs. this is ere they have come togeer during generations for tragic times too. the compound has seen more than its share of that. beginning with that terrible day in dallas. president kennedy's kid brother was still a freshman in the senate when he had to brea

kennedy fast 15,235 votes. many of those were bills he authored, aimed at improving health care for all americans. here's abc's jonathan karl. >> reporter: he was there to vote for the creation of medicare in 1965. and would make health care his signature issue. >> this is the cause of my life. >> reporter: in 1971, kennedy worked to defeat a nixon health care bill because he thought it was too watered down. >> it's really a partnership between the administration and the insurance companies. >> reporter: he would come to regret that. in the years to come, kennedy, the liberal lion, would get things done by working with republicans and compromising when he needed to. he worked with arch conservative orrin hatch, to expand health coverage for poor children. >> we've been adversaries for 32 years. we've also been partners. >> reporter: he worked with the first president bush on the americans with disabilities act, opening access for the disabled in public places everywhere. >> presint of the united states, george

teddy, kennedy, john kennedy and robert ken by .and joseph kennedy jr., all four brothers and their amazingsaga. here's a look now at kennedy's speech at the national democratic convention in new york. >> at the convention, ted gave more of an acceptance speech than what it was supposed to be, an endorsement of carter. >> for me a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. for all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die. >> they got to see the ted kennedy they should have gotten to see earlier in that campaign. >> by convention's end with the balloons falling and the democrats vetting president carter, kennedy speechwriter bob schrempf quietly counseled ted to be a good soldier and a team player. >> i said are you going to raise his hand aren't you? and he said yes. and i went out into the audience and it never happened. >> some people in the crowd still shouting we want ted, we want ted. this is slightly awkward. >> and finally i guess at the very end, there was some sort of you know, brief hand touch bu

>>> edward moore kennedy. massachusetts senator, new england son, and last surviving brother of a legendary family. he bore the unspeakable grief and overwhelming hopes of a nation. >> pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will someday come to pass for all the world. >>> ted kennedy endured doubts including his own, and scandal to eventually triumph as the lion of the senate. >> we are excluded from having an opportunity to debate this because of the power of the insurance industry. >> over five decades, ted kennedy carried the torch passed on by his brothers for civil rights for the poor and for the sick. >> the hope rises again, and the dream lives on. >> today, we remember. captioning funded by cbs ♪♪ >>> in case you are just waking up this morning, the news overnight that senator ted kennedy has passed away. the inevitable but sad news this morning, as we welcome you to a special edition of the "early show." good morning i'm harry smith in new york. maggie rodriguez is in hyannisport, m

and the kennedy family. there is a group of people who have stood out here in the sun for the last 90 minutes. there is a line that stretches way past the point that i can see. there is another line here that is three people deep just lined up to try to catch a glimpse of the family and, of course, the coffin of senator kennedy. this is a show of gratitude. this is a show of appreciation. this is a way for the people of massachusetts to thank the man who has served them for some 47 years and who has been involved in their lives, whether they know him or not, they feel as if he has been involved in their lives. as i told you, i walked down the line, and i was just struck by the mix of people. there are men in very well tailored business suits and there are people in t-shirts and shorts, and it looked like they just have come off the beach. but they have all come with the same goal, and that is to say thank you to senator kennedy. >> anne, the details that we're getting about who is going to be there to greet

king was not alwaysappy with john kennedy or bobby kennedy.ard kennedy seemed to te a differenttact. what you make that? >> what do you makef that? >> we were not always hap with the president of -- e position of president kennedy or robert kennedut along came brother teddy knedy, who bitterly as setor thr everythi that he had, his soul, his heart,his gutsnto supporting rong supports legislation and to be a voice. i think he learned from his brothershat we could do better, and he wanted to eat -- one of the strongest piecef civil rights legislationnd the strgest possible flooding rights act in 1965. --the strongest possible voing rights act in 1965. tavis: do you thi he became strger on these issu becaus he knew the flings and shortcomings of h brothers? >> ihink he became stronger because he knew in h soul, in his heart that we can be stronger,e can be better. he used to use the term, the phrase, "is the right thg to , and we must do with." it was part of his fth, part of his upbringing to do e right thing, and care for the least among us. he

joseph kennedy sr. was our ambassador to great britain in the late 1930s but by 1940 his political career was over. he had nailed himself as a defeatist or worse when he predicted the war with nazi germany would end democracy in britain and possibly in the u.s. so his dreechams of the white he were now for his sons. >> once his own political future was undone he could pour all of his life energy into those boys. >> he wanted them to go places that he, himself, could not have gone. >> first up was the handsome, hard-charging oldest brother, joe jr. he took his first political steps in 1940 as a delegate to the democratic presidential convention. he was on his way, but then the war came. a war that claimed his life when his b-24 bomber exploded in mid air during a secret mission to bomb german missile sites. >> there's no question that joe jr. was meant to be the head of the family. had he lived, he was the one that joe sr. thought would have been the man to go into politics and carry that kennedy legacy

kennedy jr. ten years ago, ted kennedy among the kennedy men of his generation alone would live to comb gray hair and we as a nation are better for it. our fifth story, senator kennedy's passing made no easier even with the foreknowledge it would be coming nor the praise it inspired. the death of senator kennedy leaving a gaping hole in the political life of this country and an equally large void in a political dynasty. that family issued a statement reading in part, quote, we've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. he loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. he always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it's hard to imagine any of them without him. the ninth and final child of joseph and rose fitzgerald kennedy born on february 22nd, 1932 precisely on the 200th anniversary of the birth of george washington. his brother jack having writt

john junior kennedy died july 16, 1999. edward kennedy died today. the causes they supported always seemed to be on people less fortunate than themselves, for which i am grateful. i truly believe their politics and causes have shaped my own politics and life to a great extend. the reverends writes from italy to say it's sad to lose someone, and i feel for the kennedy family for their loss, but i can't help to think of poor mary and she was left to die under the cold water. to me, the kennedy's don't represent a so-called royal family of america. i feel for the family, but my heart still goes out to the young woman, mary jo, who was left to die. we have to bring you other headlines. this story. >>> police in california think this 17-year-old planned the monday attack for months. they think he was targeting faculty, who believed he had wronged them. a teacher described how he stopped the teen. >> he's running towards people instead of towards safety. that made me worried about what the kid was doing. i closed the distance and put him in a bear hug, and

kennedy. again, this is a very difficult day for mr. obama. but he said, you know, this was something that was expected, a day that was expected, but he definitely dreaded it, wolf. >> all right, dan. we'll get back to you. dan lothian on martha's vineyard. >>> another heartfelt tribute today to the ted kennedy from his longtime colleague and good friend in the senate the vice president, joe biden. >> done you find it remarkable that one of the most partisan, liberal men in the last century serving in the senate -- so many of his foes embrace him. because they know he made them bigger, he made them more graceful by the way in which he conducted himself. >> vice president biden closed by paraphrasing shakespeare saying of kennedy, "i don't think we shall ever see his like again." jack cafferty has "the cafferty file." >>> wolf, the death of ted kennedy mashing the end of an rather in this country. the senator from massachusetts, the last of the four kennedy brothers to die, all of them serving

robert kennedy.is brothers died, something died in all of us, and today something is dying in all of us because of the death of senator kennedy. it is so strange to me that one year after he delivered the speech in denver at a convention, we witness his passing. the last time i saw his brother, john f. kennedy, was on august 28th, 1963, the day of the march on washington. and these three brothers -- these three men helped to change all of us and change america forever. we will never ever be the same and i say we are better people and a better nation because of president kennedy, robert kennedy, and senator ted kennedy. >> i remember speaking to you in denver on the floor of the convention as you were there to witness history with the nomination then of then senator obama and here it was for senator kennedy as well who made a decision about endorsing obama based in part of the tone of his campaign when he saw race was being used against obama, to see all of his concern, all of his passion about civil

ild nldw e w kennedy. we histo r ng the senator is being r aem tunhr today areroundd ahehe world coming up on "news4 at 4:00." >> obviously senator kennedy and i didn't vote alike but he was a person that you could reach across the aisle when you did agree on something like cancer survival and really make headway and we were in the process of d >>> another nice summer day. another soggy weekend? veronica johnson has our fast forecast from storm center 4. >> there's that possibility as we deal with one weather front that will be hanging around for a while what's now tropical storm danny that developed early part of today. leesburg, virginia, up to 90 degrees, your temperature. there is your dew point temperature, too, at 69 degrees. it is awfully sticky outside. let's take a look at another neighborhood. mclean, virginia, 91, the temperature after a high of 92. dew point temperature there, 68 degrees. so it is not just humid. it is very humid outside. 92 with moderate air quality across the area. today our

she shouted out, ted kennedy, ted kennedy.was in a motor scooter with his wife, vicki, who's a louisiananative. she said thank you for standing up for us in louisiana. he gave her a hug. i'm sure she'll want that picture. and he went on to talk about the enormous day we were about to take in to witness the inauguration of the first black president. and he reminded me that bobby kennedy, his brother, had once foretold the story that america would indeed elect a first black president. so i will remember ted kennedy for his tenacity, his strength, and as someone who just fought for poor people, the right to organize, disabled, for gays and lesbians. he was an american hero. >> thanks for being with us early. early for you in seattle -- either that or late. one or the other. it's interesting when the picture is painted of those who knew him. the unapologetic embrace of liberalism that made him a big political target. also they say even though he held those beliefs and made no attempt to hide them in any ways, he found ways to coll

kennedy and sen. robert kennedy.current law kennedy's senate seat will remain vacant until there is a special election. before he died, kennedy asked the state legislature to pass a bill that would allow the appointment of a temporary replacement for him, governor e deval patrick said he will sign that law if it is passed. sir, have you been drinking tonight? if you ride drunk, you will get caught... and you will get arrested. ...or if you're already sick... ...or if you lose your job. your health insurance shouldn't either. so let's fix health care. if everyone's covered, we can make health care as affordable as possible. and the words "pre-existing condition" become a thing of the past... we're america's health insurance companies. supporting bipartisan reform that congress can build on. >>> there is something going on we want to share with you. governor mark sanford of south carolina, his lieutenant governor came out earlier today and said that -- in so many wore, he seemed to be recommending that the governor res

that is when ed kennedy was elected to finish the rest of his term of john f. kennedy. we won the term in 1964. ted kennedy died last night at the age of 77. fellow massachusetts senator john kerry says kennedy was a larger-than-life presence who was simply the best. >>> a teen accused of bringing pipe bombs, a chainsaw and a sword to his old high school is expected to be charged today. police in california believe that the 17-year-old planned monday's attack for months. they think he was targeting faculty who he believed wronged him. two bombs went off. there was no serious damage or injuries. a teacher describes how he stopped the teen. >> he's running towards people instead of towards safety. so that kind of made me a little bit, kind of worried about what this kid was doing. i just decided to -- i closed the distance and put him in a bear hug. then i decided to kind of flip him and put him on the ground, and that's when the thinking came in. i just thought to myself, if i'm wrong, i'll apologize to his parents later. and if i'm right, then i'll hold this kid down. >

kennedy. the last brother. we are at the top of the hour. it is 9:00 a.m. on the east coast. in 90 minutes, senator ted kennedy's funeral will begin. let's go to the church where that service will be conducted and speak with two of his friends, mike barnicle, congressman bill delahunt. let me start with you, mike. and then i will ask the same question of bill. even though you guys have known that this day was coming for your friend for quite some time, it has to be a terribly difficult day for you. i wonder what your thoughts will be inside the church. >> well, joe, i think it was a particularly difficult moment when the funeral verse -- carrying senator kennedy's casket left hyannis port and the cape and for those of us who have known him, for those of us that lived in the neighborhood of hyannis port, those people in massachusetts who just know what that home and that locale meant to him, it was awfully hard to get a grasp on fact he was leaving it for the last time. but to jon meacham's poi

he married into the kennedy family. old joe kennedy never liked him.n't like him because he was english, he didn't like him because he was in the movies, he thought his daughter pat had married beneath her. i personally witnessed old joe kennedy humiliate peter on several occasions and i think that, you know, they were happy to start with but after the presidency they were ashamed of peter and he went downhill. >> there was a falling out you had with sinatra that you write about. >> for some reason frank sinatra took a terrible dislike it my wife and me. and on two occasions he publicly humiliated and embarrassed us. and he was in a position then that we just took it. and at one time he attacked my wife and in a situation that has been written up in several books and on another occasion at a night club called the days daisy, he paid a waiter, a captain to hit me. >> a mean man? just a mean man? >> well, he was a great singer who had a thug side to him. and i never saw the wonderful side to him. i only saw the thug side to him. >> fascinating stories. e

kennedy and the former attorney general, bobby kennedy.t's where senator kennedy will be buried. our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, has been getting details of the burial at arlington national cemetery here in washington, d.c. only appropriate that senator kennedy should be buried alongside his two brothers at arlington national cemetery, across the potomac river from washington, d.c. barbara is joining us now live. barbara, tell us exactly what you're learning. >> well, wolf, we have just confirmed with the senator u.s. military official that, yes, senator kennedy will be buried at arlington national cemetery, his final resting place will be very close to that of his brothers, robert kennedy and the late senator john kennedy. arlington officials have received this final word from the kennedy family, and the arrangements are being made. what we are told is no date and time has yet been finalized, but there now is the arrangement that senator kennedy will be buried at arlington. we know some more details. very sensitive to discuss a

will remember john kennedy and robert kennedy as the promise and ted kennedy was the fulfillment ofe gaddy promise. >> people would say -- of the kennedy promised. >> people would say that health care is his signature issue, but i would say it is civil rights because from the earliest days in the senate, that was his issue, all the way through the americans with disabilities act. >> i think that is absolutely right. people forget one of his first legislative achievements in 1965 was as chairman of fiduciary subcommittee regret the integration lotaws which at the time allowed europeans and asians and africans to emigrate at the same level. >> a child of privilege, the son of one of the bulk of his men in america the time. where did his concern for others -- one of the wealthiest man in america at the time. 9 for others come from? >> he joined the senate and his brother had just promised a civil rights bill. he did not see it through. ted kennedy came along at the time when the civil rights movement was at its height. he was there to see it moved through to become a lot. it was a fig

kennedy jr.ied, jackie was dead, jack was dead, ted i did had to become the member of the family who represented the family and had to carry the burden of the funeral. >> kennedy's resilience helped him not only personally but politically as well. he is at home in the senate, the consumate legislator, the liberal lion. >> this has been the go-to guy for countless organizations dealing particularly with american who's don't have much of a voice. >> it's hundreds of thousands, tens of thousands, millions of people whose lives are -- >> he believes the government exists for ordinary people, not for the powerful. the powerful don't need government in the same way that ordinary people do. >> it is a mark of ted's greatness that he does not care who gets the credit as long as the job gets done. >> do you love america? >> yes! >> he's fought for the poor. he's fought for the disenfranchised and children and the elderly. he fights for people who don't have big lobbying budgets and big k street representa

kennedy jr. -- when john kennedy jr.he plane crash, and there were so many tears, and if that goes away, things will be quite different for all of us. whether you love them or hate them or are in different, they are all part of us, and they have been woven through the fabric of us in this nation. >> yes, jusu0look at the coverage this is getting. people are pulled over onç the highway, and there is some question about him being laid to rest at the capitol, and now he is being laid to rest with his brothers. he even people who hate the kennedys are riveted by them. when all grew up with them, and so, i think it is a loss for the nation. -- we all grew up with them. shepard: thank you. lois' article is at the website right now. >> thank you. shepard: ed klein, i was looking at the ratings. we tv people to a lot of that. there was the one that cbs did that was quite good. nobody watched it. it did 0.9 in the only ratings that matter, and that is the demographic, and i wonder if because we are in the northeast and so close

it's distinct from the way robert kennedy and john kennedy were honored.advisers said do it the same way that jack and bobby did. they declared their candidacies from the caucus room of the u.s. senate. they began their speeches with the same line. ted kennedy wanted to make the point, a, that he was a different person, and, b, that he was really oriented more toward boston, massachusetts, so he declared his candidacy instead up in boston. it's one of the landmark that is cortege will pass by very soon. >> michael, david is with us as well getting in on this sper tech ti perspective. we were talking earlier about some of the final moments or final days of senator kennedy's life and your familiarity with the family. what does that tell you that he's having singalongs up until his final breath on tuesday. he got up and greeted life i guess as he lived. >> that was the way he dealt with things. i mean, this is not a perfect linear life in which he had every day perfectly dealt with over the course of his 77 years. he was the first to say that especially after

robert kennedy, on the hillside, on the same hillside where both robert kennedy and president kennedy are buried. perhaps the most famous hillside in washington. this is a place where, as you can see, the eternal flame at president kennedy's grave site that attracts thousands of visitors every year. people from all over the worldcom here. on saturday, this funeral, of course, will be under very secure circumstances. it is interesting that they picked a saturday. arlington right now sadly is a very busy place. they hold about 30 funerals a day, not just for those fallen in iraq and afghanistan but many of the world war ii and korean generation are dying off. they don't really want to. they had already planned to commit to all the funerals, no matter what day senator kennedy's funeral was. by making it on a weekend, it does make it a bit easier. this will be a congressional funeral, military hon horsors rendered at the grave site. there may be military pallbearers, a gun salute and a boogler. senator kennedy was in the army from 1951 to 1953. he served overseas in europe. he is a vetera

when we say kennedy democrats, people mean ted kennedy democrats. bobby brought african-americans and hispanics into a constituency not just for the democrats but as kennedy democrats. >> thank you for calling in. let's set the scene now in hyannis port. we have nbc's anne thompson. what can you it tell us? >> reporter: joe, as dawn breaks over hyannis port, this village of 130 homes has seen many of its streets blocked off. the police have set up barricades to keep not only the media but also the curious at bay. as the family mourns inside the compound, this is where senator kennedy died late last night. the family in a statement said we have lost the irreplaceable center of our family, and i think that is also true for this village. he was very much a part of the life of this village. you would see him driving around in his convertible. you'd see him with sonny and slash, his two portuguese water dogs. you'd see him going down to the pier to his maya, something he enjoyed immensely, something that gave him great pleasure and solace throughout the

senator edward kennedy and mrs. kennedy stayed with mrs. kennedy in the delivery and recover rooms. >> i want to say how happy we are today. i told ethyl i think joan and i are going to take this baby home. we think ethyl has enough of them. ♪ >> keep it moving! >> i say to you, we will restore the strength of america. sock it to 'em! sock it to 'em! >> richard milhous nixon will be the next president of the united states. >> we have a new president. he has shown that he's an extremely hard and industrious worker. this morning he indicated that he wasn't going to use the oval room. my mother read that in the paper and she called me up and said teddy, i see where the president isn't going to use the oval room. she said, i think someone ought to use it. we're looking into that. >> in 1969, we had a republican president. and it seemed important that we begin to have a loyal opposition. and to the extent that i could be a part of the leadership in the senate, it seemed to be both an important opportunity as well as responsibility. and one that

ted kennedy accomplished four... more in his time in the senate than probably any of the presidents that i can recall, the ten presidents that he served with during that time. >> couric: bob schieffer, doug brinkley, that you can both so much for your invaluable insight. and coming up next here on the "cbs evening news," the village the kennedys have called home for decades, hyannisport, massachusetts. my grandkids are a great reason for me to keep my bones strong but even with calcium, vitamin d, and exercise, i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. studies show, after one year on boniva, nine out of ten women stopped and reversed their bone loss. i know i did. (announcer) don't take boniva if you have low blood calcium, severe kidney disease or can't sit or stand for at least one hour. follow dosing instructions carefully. stop taking boniva and tell you

but that was not ted kennedy. as he told us, individual faults and frailties are no excuse to give in and no exemption from the common obligation to give of ourselves. indeed, ted was the happy warrior that the poet wordsworth spoke of when he wrote, as tempted more or able to endure, as more exposed to suffering and distress, hence, also more alive to tenderness. through his own suffering, ted kennedy became more alive to the plight and the suffering of others. a sick child who could not see a doctor, the young soldier denied her rights because of what she looks like or who she loves or where she comes from. landmark law that he championed, the civil rights act, the americans with disabilities act, immigration reform, children's health insurance, the family and medical leave act, all have a running thread. ted kennedy's life work was not to champion the causes of those with wealth or power or special connections, it was to give a voice to those who were not heard. to add a rung to the ladder of opportunity. to ma

then there is kathleen kennedy townsend and patrick kennedy. finally, there is caroline kennedy. played a visible role in the obama campaign. >> senator edward kennedy! >> all up to carry the torch, but not able to fill the shoes of the senator from massachusetts. one thing we will be watching for is how his death affects the health care reform debate. courtney robinson, abc 7 news. >> thank you. >>> some democrats are hoping to rescue health care reform as part of kennedy's legacy. they said they would probably be closer to a health care deal if kennedy would have been on capitol hill. they'resking the bill be named after the senator. democrats now have one fewer vote. >>> kennedy's senate seat could be on filled for months. a successor to a fake and senate seat in massachusetts is chosen by special election. the governor said he would support changing the law to appoint a smssuc.ce or terim successor. meanwhile, mourners have been gathering in the reception area to his capitol hill office. the walls of the office are covered with photos showing his long career in public service

kennedy jr.'s plane crashed in the waters off martha's vineyard, when jackie kennedy onassis was put to rest, other family funerals and tests and trials. it was the gathering at hyannis port was organized by him. and now vicki kennedy in his place, with his direction, has organized a remarkable scene. we are seeing play out here at the john f. kennedy library here in boston. >> john, i don't know if we can hear much, but if we can hear some of the events going on right now as they get ready to retrieve the coffin from that hearse, let's just listen in briefly and see what we can hear. >> well, we clearly can't hear a whole lot. we can't see the family. they've gathered outside. they're beginning to get out of their respective vehicles and make their way as the honor guard gets ready to take that coffin and move it inside the john f. kennedy presidential library. and once that happens, i want our viewers to see it because it will be an emotional moment. earlier we saw that coffin being carried outs

kennedy.ay on behalf of my brother and sister how proud my dad was to serve here in the senate and most of all to know that he couldn't have done it without all the people he worked with. he knew that he was only great because he had great people supporting him. and he knew the value of good staff, and that's why he was so successful. and inow that all of you, having watch what happened the last three days have to feel good that you are part of his life, because this country has outpoured its soul and heart the last few days to say what a difference he has made in the life of this country, and i think that you all today should be feeling like you were part of that, too, because of all that you've done, to be part of the same legacy he wanted for this country. and i hope you feel some consolation that the many, many hard hours you put in to the nitty gritty of legislating and policy making gives you some sense of satisfaction at having done a really important job for this country, because that'

kennedy. >> senator kennedy will be buried near his brothers at arlington national ceremony -- cemetery. he will lie in repose at the presidential library in boston on thursday and friday and a mass will be held at our lady of perpetual help basilica in boston on saturday. senator kennedy is eligible to be buried at arlington national cemetery because of his time in congress and two years in the army. >>> before he died, the senator tried to make sure that massachusetts had two senators in place for the health care vote. today, the fall patrick said he supports the idea. kennedy sent a letter to state lawmakers asking that the law be changed so the governor can appoint someone to fill his seat until the next election. >>> among those eressing condolences for senator kennedy, former president jimmy carter, remembers his friend aa champion for the underdog. >> we have never seen anyone in the senate is more assiduously and constantly enthusiastically dedicated his life and tried to make sure tha

when john kennedy jr. died in a plane crash, it was ted kennedy who again spoke at another kennedy funeral. through it all, his love of politics sustained him. he was never happier, like he was this day campaigning for barack obama. >> our next president of the united states, barack obama. >> he braved sub freezing weather to see obama sworn in as the nation's 44th president, but he suffered a seizure at the capital lunch following the ceremony. [ singing happy birthday ] kennedy was feeling well enough to attend a star studded birthday celebration in washington and with his wife, vicki at his side, he beamed as president obama led the birthday song. ted kennedy never became president, but some say his legislative accomplishments leave a lasting mark on american life far eater than that of most o the office he never won. and we have found out about the arrangements for senator kennedy. he will lie at the jfk presidential library tomorrow and friday. kennedy's funeral will take place at a nearby church on s

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

joe kennedy had that power. he block blaked out mike ne v neville's campaign so only his son's campaign got coverage. >> thank you, chris. >>> the "hardball" documentary" the kennedy brothers" will appear tonight here on msnbc. coming up, more on the life of ted kennedy. he ran off with his secretary! she's 23 years old! - oh, come on. - enough! you get half and you get half. ( chirp ) team three, boathouse? ( chirp ) oh yeah-- his and hers. - ( crowd gasping ) - ( chirp ) van gogh? ( chirp ) even steven. - ( chirp ) mansion. - ( chirp ) good to go. ( grunts ) timber! ( chirp ) boss? what do we do with the shih-tzu? - ( crowd gasps ) - ( chirp ) joint custody. - phew! - announcer: get work done now. communicate in less than a second with nextel direct connect. only on the now network. deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com. (announcer) transform your water. women who drink crystal light drink 20% more water. crystal light. make a delicious change. he needed a compute

kennedy died at the kennedy compound in hyannisport, massachusetts. he was 77 years old. >> woodruff: we get some personal reflections now, from people who knew ted kennedy well. representative john lewis a democrat from georgia he joins us from atlanta. tom oliphant covered from the "boston globe" for four decades, and father gerry creedon, pastor of st. charles borromeo catholic church in arlington, virginia, a longtime family friends, father creedon will be one of the celebrants at the senator's funeral mass on saturday. father creedon, to you, first. what drove ted kennedy? >> well, i believe he had a passion for peace, for justice, and i think underneath, a deep conviction about values, about faith. and i think that in some ways is the whole history of ireland written into some of his history and his values, a search for freedom, a search for a better life. >> woodruff: what do you mean by that? >> well, i first met him going to church on sunday at st. luke's in mclean, and i would preach on topics like peace and justice-- particularly peace. whi

at the kennedy compound today, the next generation of kennedy's and their children splashed in the water. the grandchildren, a welcome distraction today, after a long good-bye. over the summer, the final glimpses of a senator in his valiant battle against a brain tumor. even on board in a wheelchair in the end, taking to his beloved ocean, the salt-soaked air he so loved. just weeks ago, his last photo after the death of his sister, eunice kennedy shriver. the family says the bad days had begun to outnumber the good. and yesterday, a rapid turn for the worse. his three children were by his side -- kara, teddy jr., and patrick. and the senator's wife, vicki. all saying their good-byes, though in the end, kennedy couldn't speak. also in the room, the priest administering last rites, who today described generations of kennedys praying and crying. and ted kennedy's own peace in the end. >> the truth is he had expressed to his family that he did want to go. he wanted to go to heaven. he did want to die and he did want to go. it was -- he was ready to go. >> reporter: and with the darkened sky