a you would also wince when you would hear that debate in which young ted kennedy is just broad-sided by eddie mccormack who stepped out of character and just lambasted him. neil swidey that is the famous line. that is the famous line that haunted ted for a long time and that line was-- >> if you were it that were-- it would be a joke. >> adi mccormack was right. >> that is the interesting thing. when you look at-- sorry. do i need to turn this on? >> we will recite the line again. deliver the line again neil swidey. >> if your name, is it was or were? [laughter] remember rose. >> if your name were edward kennedy, edward moore, this, your candidacy would be a joke. >> and, he was right. >> i think what is interesting, bella mentioned when he was 36, he was the patriarch of the family. the area i covered was the 1960's and 1962, he was considered a joke. he was unqualified for the race. it was interesting edward maccormack was talking about trading on your family name and eckford mccormack was trading on his family name. >> on the other hand-- >> brand against the republican, the sign

and on the day ted kennedy endorsed obama, i think president obama summed up what the kennedy legacy in one sentence that day. he said the kennedy family more than any other has always stood for what's best about the democratic party and about america. that each of us can make a difference and all of us ought to try. so that's all i wanted to say and i'd love to take some questions if we have time. [applause] >> we do. >> and thanks for coming out in the rain. i really appreciate it. yes, sir. >> i'd like to know your impressions -- in view of his physical health at the present time, do you think it might be byproduct in the success of passing national health legislation because there will be some sympathy that will arise in congress to give further support to the proposal? >> oh, i think there's no question, and i think there's a lot of people at work on that right now to do something while he's still alive. and i also think he's such a canny, savvy politician that he himself is not above sort of using that sympathy and emotional, you know, connection to try to win, you know, what h

lelet's keke look at ted kennedy gigivi what i believe was the e most eloloquenpupuic eulogy ever gigive it was his eulogy y ofisis brototr,r, rert kennedy. my brother need not b b idealizezeoror earged in death beyond what hehe w i in fe. to be remembmber s simy as a good andnd denent n who saw wrong g and ieieto right it, saw suffering and d ieied heal it, saw war and d ieied stop it. >> not easy to watch.. n n it's incredibly emotition montnts,nd really we tried very hard in this fifilm, 's's entirelylyrcrchil interviews and otote. wewe ted to let the footage speaeak r r itlf. you can see ththe ototioand you can see teddy just by y wahihing him and lettttinitit py. >> monday night t at 90 0 hbo. thank you, caroline wawarlrlow >>> upnext,ee jojohtoton. thee fatherof bririst papann's ba s ss he knows why s sahah palin quit ass governor. we'll get t lelevi take next in "the politics fix.x." two meum cappuccinos, you're ready for the mid-morning rush thankss a good breakfast. one cffee wh room, one l largeha latte. mediumacchiato, light hot chocolate hod the whip, and two espressos. make

the other issue is ted kennedy. best legislator by the accounts of many over the last general r ration. what does that mean? >> you know him probably better than almost any other senator here. are we going to see him back here? how is he? >> i hope so. 6:30 yesterday morning, we were going to vote the final passage, 10:00. my phone rings, 6:00. the voice on the other end, so excited about the bill passing. last week, i lost a sibling of mine. first call i get of course is from teddy. a great conversation. so some days are better than others, so i never talked about the medical stuff. that relationship isn't that. i don't worry about what pills he's taken and what he's not taking, but he's struggling. i think if we need him down here, he can be here. if we need him, i guarantee if he had to crawl over broken glass, he'll be here. >> how does it feel for you, his friend to be carrying this forfor him? >> it's a great honor. sat next to him on the committee for 24 years and of course, we've been great friends over this

incidentally, we miss ted kennedy terribly. whether you agree with him or not, he's a great leader, he's a great person, he's a great legislator. he really knows the moment when he should compromise to get something big done. senator chris dodd, my colleague from connecticut, is sitting in for him. he's doing a great job, he's very much like ted kennedy. but as he says himself, there's nobody that would like ted kennedy to be back here more than chris dodd. >> what kind of a grade or report card would you give to the obama white house on let's say, first, domestic policy, and then foreign policy at the six-month mark today, senator? >> i -- this is the six-month mark of the obama presidency. i would say the president who came to office at a most difficult time for america, both here at home and around the world, is off to a good start. the next six months will tell a lot about how our country is doing here at home and abroad, but we adopted the stimulus. it was the right thing to do. it's not poured out money as quickly as a lo

let'take a look at ted kennedy fg what i believe was t most puic equent eulogy ever given. ogy ofis brother, robert kennedy. >> my brother ed not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life. to be membereed simpl as a good and decentan whoaw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to healit, sawar and tried t stop it. >> not easy to watch. >> no, it increbly emotional moment, and really we triery hard in this film,t's entirely archal interews and footage. we tried to let the footage speak for tself. you case the emotion and you can see teddy just by wahing him and letng it play. >>onday night at 9:00 on hbo. >> thank y caroline waterlow. >>> up net. levi joson, the ther of bris tol palin'baby says knows whspooil quit asgovernor. ( clunks ) cocoinsplashing ) why toss out your money? switch to sprint. save $475 a yearitith the simply eryrythinplan anand t the blackberry cucurv8383 smartphone r r ju $49.99. afaf, rd of hearing and pele with speech disabilitieies access www.sprinintrayay.c. >>> coming up, senator roland rris who replaced barack obam

prepared >> senator ted kennedy has been -- ion congress. >> senator ted kennedy has been unable to be with us. >> many democratic senators are fond of him and would like to deliver this for him in his lifetime, knowing that live time is short. >> it will influence congress. >> i do not know about passing it just for ted kennedy. they should pass iwhen it is right. >> kennedy calls a because of his life, the same phrase he used in -- calls it because of his life, the same phrase he used in a speech. >> we can meet these challenges with barack obama. yes, we can, and yes, we will. >> friends say the fight honors the valves -- davao's his younger brother made. >> -- honor as thevows is younger brother made. >> what he with four others will someday come to pass for all the world. >> health care was part of the rousing promise in 1980. >> two hours ago, this campaign came to an end. for all those whose careers have been our concern, the work -- whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on and the dream shall never die. >> senator kennedy's office told us the senator remains activ

. >>> senator ted kennedy's health is affecting the fight.new york times" is with us and i'm joined again by angela bert-maury. good to see you, mark. >> hi, carlos. >> you write that ted kennedy, no one has worked harder on health care the last 40 years. he got close in the early '70s to a transformative health care bill with the nixon administration but there are differing opinions but, fundamentally, the deal didn't happen. you are saying if he wasn't as sick as he was we might be closer to a bill or might be done some what are you saying? >> well, i think a lot of people on capitol hill have said that. i mean, ted kennedy has become certainly an inspirational figure through his absence to a lot of the democrats. i mean, his name is invoked left and right as let's do it for teddy. you know, on the flip side, a lot of republicans are sort of using him as almost -- using his absence as almost a weapon against the democrats saying if teddy kennedy were here this would be a much less party bill than it is. we have reached middle ground in the

right now, that bill is stalled. >>> behind the scenes, senator ted kennedy, a man who has called this his life's work, is playing a surprisingly large role, despite his brain tumor. here's john hendren. >> reporter: senator edward kennedy is the missing man in the battle for health care reform. on capitol hill, nearly everyone agrees things would be different if the liberal lion were here. >> he's the only person i know that can corral them and get them to do what's right. he's willing to come to the center. he's willing to make it a true bipartisan bill. >> reporter: as he stays home in massachusetts for treatment of a brain tumor, and an occasional sa, colleagues say kennedy is closely monitoring the health care debate on c-span and e-mail. but his influence is said to be limited by his increasing difficulty communicating. today, the health care reform he calls "the cause of my life," is stalled. and with some democrats wavering in their support, the senate is nearly certain to miss president obama's deadline of passing it by august. >> look, there are not the votes for democrats to

how much would you pay to read senator ted kennedy's memoir? i think it's worth about $1,000. yeah, that's what his publisher wants to charge for one leather-bound limited edition of ted kennedy's book. yeah. wow. i wish i had my wallet or my checkbook on me now, and that's your hot list. on a totally separate note, there is my new book, "common sense, the case of an out-of-control government." you can pick it up in paperback for about $6. come to think of it, i think you can get 150 of my books for one of ted kennedy's, oh, choices, choices. common sense in bookstores now. number one on "the new york times" best seller's list for the last three or four weeks and number one on u.s.a. today's list. pick one up today and please after you finish reading it, pass it on to a friend. all right. obama's car czar leaving washington under the cloud of scandal. the real story behind steve rattner, and who is filling those big shoes. ben stein is coming up next. get to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing... gecko vo: ...but i do wor

say not another book on the kennedys, but a year ago he founded that if there were no books about ted kennedy written in the last 10 years, and then put kennedy in the center of the remarkable family story where he deserves to be. as a turn as the boston globe journalist recently published a book about senator kennedy's career in the senate, the last line. vincent bzdek book is a wonderful companion book to that assessment because it focuses on senator kennedy is development as an individual and a family later. once a lifetime ago ted kennedy was just a youngster with a famous name into charismatic brothers and now he is one of the great centers of all times, beloved by his fellow senators on both sides of the aisle. and he is mentor his family, his children, his nieces and nephews and many generations of young men and women who have worked in his office. want this family has dominated the lifetime of many of us here tonight. body and teddy particularly have stood for a vision of liberal alignment in america. i guarantee that you cannot read this book without crying. [applause] >> thank you,

ted kennedy is there to help push this through. >> well, i do wish ted kennedy were healthy enough totructive legislator. he's one of the best senators this country has ever had in terms of the process getting done. i disagree with his philosophy frequently but he is a darned good legislator and we miss him on capitol hill. but having said that, there's nothing about august 1st or getting it done before the august recess. let's do it smart. we have time to do it right. congress will rise to the occasion if you give them the leadership to make it happen. the president has to give them the leadership. you can't just say do it and i'll fix it later on. it won't happen. >> there are some reasons to do it now that have everything to do with politics and will and the first year of a president's term being sometimes the only time that he can really get something done. let me read one more piece from ted kennedy's "newsweek" piece he wrote. the cause of my life is the title. if we don't reform the system, if we leave things as they are health care inflation will cost far more over the next de

i think what we are seeing right now is the empty place left by ted kennedy. he was going to forge these compromises and work consensus. he knows the subject better than anybody, and he is missed. deference to everyone else involved. but the president understands that his administration will rise and fall on the passage of a serious reform of national health care. if they don't know what, democrats in 2010, for get it, they will be associated and identified with a failed administration. >> colby? >> i don't see it quite that way. you see the first of the committee that authorizes this kind of thing. traditionally the committee -- the kennedy committee, now chaired by chris dodd, of the ones that pull out the benefits. the toughest job is going to come from the finance committee where they are going to have to figure out how to pay from it. that is whether robert will really hit the road. everybody knows it is going to happen. it will happen in the senate, and house ways and means committee. and a president really comes in when the bills passed both bodies and

i think what we're seeing right now is the emplace against the sky -- left by ted kennedy's absence. he was going to be the one to forge a consensus and he knows the subject better than anybody and he is a mist. the president understands that his administration will rise or fall on the passage of a serious reform of national health care. and if they don't do it, democrats in 2010, forbade it. they will be associated and identified with a failed administration. >> colby? >> i don't see it quite that way. but these are seeing is the first that taken by a committee that authorizes this sort of thing. traditionally the committee in -- but tansy -- mackenzie committee, now shared by chris dodd, the ones that put out the benefits. the tough withdraw will come from the finance committee where they have to figure route how to pay for this thing. that is whether robert will really hit the road. everybody knows it will happen -- it will happen in the senate and house ways and means committee. and the president really comes in when the bill passes both bodies and has to be worked out in confere

ted kennedy and his ilk are pushing the idea of forced mandatory service. they are inventivizing working for the government with promising now to pay off college loans. of course the catch is you have to federalize your loan before they will pay t he wants you to work as a bureaucratic slave to government. you work for them for ten years, and you don't have to worry about any debt for education. maybe i'm crazy for going down this road, but from what we already know about washington, the truth is always stranger than fiction, and the sooner we realize that, the faster we're going to be able to stop and go down the road paved with a couple of bricks of common sense. david newmark is here, professor of economics at u.c. irvine and co-author of "minimum wages." first let's go through the minimum wage. this is really another hit on small business, is it not? >> well, i think minimum wage also clearly had more impact at the low end of the wage distribution. it tends to be smaller businesses. glenn: if i'm a small business and you keepx raising minimum wage, the

leave it to ted kennedy to tap our health care expectations down. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- neil:, everybody. for get the president. it is what his key ally on health care is saying about the plan. ted kennedy coming as close as anybody has to talking about rationing health care. so, should you be worried? lynn gilbert says you should. she spent three years waiting for a diagnosis in canada for chronic back pain and another nine months waiting for surgery. she hopes to prevent a similar situation for her son who might have the exact same conditions. the canadian system just kept you waiting. what happened? >> after getting diagnosed with the condition i have requiring back surgery, it took me three years to get surgery. neil: why did it take so long? >> to get an initial appointment with the first surgeon to talk about the potential surgery -- that took nine months. neil: you said you had bad back pain. what did they tell you? >> they said i had a vertebrate that

he's been carrying the standard for ted kennedy. i talked to him a couple of weeks ago. here's what he had to say. >> how does it feel to you, his friend, to be carrying this ball for him? >> i tell him, i get more done than he ever could. he loves that line, by the way. it's a great honor. i've sat next to him at committee for 24 years. we've been great friends over this time, but believe me, i'd give anything in the world to have him there. >> so david, do you think given you early this was detected, that it will have any affect whatsoever on the health debate? >> you know, senator dodd's bill is already through. he was not in the situation that the finance committee and max baucus were in where they were still drafting legislation. he had just met yesterday with members of the health committee and they reaffirmed their commitment which is left leaning. but they've got a bill done, so there's a lot less for them to do on that front than the finance committee. senate leadership will try to merge those two bills, but certainly, senator dodd will look to his friend for st

abc news correspondent jon karl has new details about ted kennedy's health and involvement. good morning, jon. >> reporter: good morning, robin. senator kennedy has spoken twice to the president in the last few weeks. as he battles brain cancer, he could make one, final, critical push for his life-long goal. these images from just the past two weeks, capture the senator's life, as he confronts his toughest challenge. at the kennedy compound at hyannisport, surrounded by family. sailing whenever he can. ted kennedy has often sought solace at sea. he's waited a lifetime for the political bottle in washington. for many years in the senate, he's been seen as mr. health care, as seen on the hbo documentary on his life. >> that democratic platform plan that provides decent quality of health care. north and south, east and west, for all americans, is a matter of right, and not a privilege. >> reporter: his absence from washington now, is painful for himself, his friends, and even some of his adversaries, who can't help but wonder how things would be different if ted kennedy were lea

now, steve, we all know that ted kennedy swings a big stick. his voice not being up there daily, how much does that handicap the reform effort? >> it makes a huge difference. ted kennedy is one of the most respected senators on both sides of the aisle. i'll tell you a great senator kennedy story. i used to work for him a long time ago. he has been passing health insurance his whole life n 1979, jimmy carter offered him a deal, catastrophic health insurance coverage for every american. he turned it down because it didn't go far enough. and he's regretted it since because there are a lot of people who would have benefited from taking that step and then trying to go further later. >> good to have you with us tonight. earlier to night on the show i asked what you you thought, did president obama convince you that he would get health care passed? 69% said yes. 31% of you said no. >>> that does it for our special postgame edition of "the ed show." i'm ed shultz. we'll see you back here tomorrow night 6:00 eastern time. we'll see you. >>> good evening

and ted kennedy brought to this debate, this negotiation something that's irreplacable. an infinite capacity for understanding all the nuance tt, knowing how tobut more build a coalition. knowing how to assemble people from the other side, where to give, what the history was, he is irreplacable. the only person who can play that role is the president of the united states. he has to insert himself full-time, big time right now. nobody knows right now what the nonnegotiable elements are in the congress. i mean what the white house insists has to be there and cannot be in it. so i just think it's time for him to go and to emphasize that if this goes down, democrats in 2010, there is no safety for them. there is no asylum that they voted against it. the fate, fortune and future rides on health care. >> wow, that is big stuff. do agree it is that important. >> i do. i completely agree. i don't know why he is not more active. >> lehrer: . >> yeah, you could talk to people on capitol hill about what are you doing and they will talk about removing this and removing that and the

does she have a messier personal life than ted kennedy? less common sense than al gore? no. but hers are on display. she screwed up in an interview with katie couric -- sean: so what? >> i disagree with the idea that this is necessarily a political move. why would you want to run for president? maybe she wants to go into the media. >> then she's just a quitter because the people of alaska voted her in and she selfishly quit her job without their permission. sean: is seeb -- sebelius a quitter? rahm emanuel? is barack obama a quitter? >> no. sean: why the double standard? >> i think that's very different. when we're talking about sarah palin, she's got 18 months leff. she quit. in a rambling, rambling statement. it was completely bizarre the >> thank you very much. i appreciate that. for tucker carlson to say did you head -- read her statement on friday? it was one of the more incoherent. made san forpped sound like shakespeare. these people who left their jobs to go to another job. if she's saying i'm leaving to run for president of president united states, fine, say it. don

ted kennedy remembers it. >> it was full court press by eddie mccormack. democratic opponent said his main qualification was his kennedy name. >> with your qualifications, ted, if it was edward moore, your candidacy would be a joke. but nobody's laughing. >> we should not have any talk about personalities or families. i feel that we should be talking about the people's destiny of massachusetts. >> reporter: a new hbo documentary tells the story of ted kennedy in his own words, based on his interviews and speeches, including his convention concession address ending his 1980 presidential race against jimmy carter. >> the cause endures. the hope still lives and the dream shall never die. >> reporter: it is a life of victories and defeats both political and personal, including the assassinations of his brothers, john and robert. >> i think about my brothers every day. >> reporter: also found in the archives, richard nixon heard here speaking with top white house aides about spying on kennedy. >> kennedy kind of embodied a lot of what nixon despised, the whole

behind the scenes senator ted kennedy is playing a large role despitec cancer. endren. >> reporter: senator edward kennedy is the missing man in the battle for health care reform. on capitol hill nearly everyone agrees things would be different if the liberal lion was here. >> he's the only person i know who can corral it and get it done. >> reporter: as he stays home in massachusetts for treatment of a brain tumor, colleagues say kennedy is closely monitoring the debate but his influence is said to be limited by his increasing difficulty communicating. today the health care reform he calls the cause of my life is stalled. with democrats wavering if their support, they're nearly certain to miss president obama's deadline by august. >> there are not the votes do this just on our side of the aisle. >> on kennedy's rare return to washington, even the president takes notice. >> to sir edward kennedy. that's the kind of greeting a knight deserves. it is thrilling to see you here, teddy. >> reporter: in his absence his colleagues invoke his name hoping also to borrow h

if you are ted kennedy, you're rich, you're powerful already, this is what was talked about in "democracyamerica." the really itch are rat some point going to -- the really rich are at some point going to block the door to stop anyone else from getting in. if you can't get a lon get a loan and do your business, what are you going to do? you stay where we tell you to stay. >> there is no doubt about that. i have always argued that, and the notion of sawing the ladder of success in half means that there is less left for the people at the bottom of. the one class will be the middleless class where people don't make too much, they don't make too little, kind of like a voltare novel, we all live in small houses, grow our vegetables and have this community thing. to a certain degree, the president believes he is doing the right thing in redressing the wrongs of the past, because the ted kennedys of the world, some of these other people might have gotten rich off the backs of slavery, to ann coulter's point, jim crow laws or unfair things, and the way to fix that to make the universe right is to

how about you, ted kennedy? how about joe lieberman?ou're the only ones that can protect this man. that's it -- i know ted kennedy is going to do it. joe lieberman, help! ok. let's see. ok. spell world backwards. you can use a pencil if you want. >> d-l-r-o-w. >> that was a lucky guess. do you remember are the three words that i just said to you a minute ago? >> well, there was table, apple and penny. >> language. what is this? >> in english? >> don't be smart with me! >> watch. >> that's a watch. repeat the following, no if's and or but's. >> no if's ands or but's. >> follow the three-stage command. take paper in your right hand. your right hand. fold it in half. oh, my goodness. he is so confused. my gosh, you can see what obama was saying. we got to get this guy out! put it on the floor. wow. you got another three points. ok. read and obey the following. ok. you have to follow me. close your eyes. open your eyes. write a sentence. what are you writeing? >> write a sentence. >> and then just copy this little picture here. >> i'm no ar

hbo has a special tonight on ted kennedy called ted kennedy in his own words.t is a 90-minute documentary kicks off the hbo series of documentaries and they are telling you it is a great documentary but it is not balanced. it is a celebration of a man who they say came so close to the flame of the 20th century that the burns haven't been healed but the burns could have consumed someone else and your reaction to the film will be basically your politics. it is tonight at 10:00 p.m. it will have multiple plays through august 13th. >> thank you for the heads up. >>> 5:59. it is monday. but it is okay because the weather will be nice. a check everybody. a couple of pahy clouds. i was on the weather terrace and comfortable out there. in he t0s in hethe rist.

ted kennedy is now being treated for cancer, and unable to be on hand for that debate. first proposed that bill in 1997. >>> a chinese-born boeing engineer who became a u.s. citizen has been convicted of spying for china for decades. he sold trade secrets, including data on nasa space shuttle program. he now faces 90 years in prison. >>> bill gates wants to try his hand as controlling the weather. gates and a team of co-inventors have filed five patent applications to propose a way of slowing down hurricanes. the plan? to use barges to pump cold, deep ocean water into the path of oncoming storms. >>> and the running of the rednecks, the sprint, a time-honored tradition for people to get a good seat for a concert in the eastern part of the state. setting up blankets, and tarps and a few bruises along the way. >>> the dow opens at 8711 after jumping 95 points thursday. the s&p up eight, the nasdaq up 22 points. overseas trading, the nikkei was up 51 points and in hong kong, the hang seng surged 443 points. >>> wall street is hoping to pull off a five-day rally after jpmor

put up a copy of the "newsweek" magazine, a cover story by ted kennedy in which he begins by talking about his battle with brain cancer, who cannot be sympathetic to a guy who has given so much of his life and the rest of it is a pitch for democratic version of health care. this week ki"newsweek" move tll? >> we have suspected this is a ted kennedy message week in and week out in, now we have it straight from the source. >> this is a piece by kennedy. i wonder if they would give that platform to a republican senator. >> i think the new "newsweek" is trying to redefine itself in an era where the notion they're going to recap the week's events once a week is anti-deluvian. looking to make news on the news and get newsmakers, whether conservative leader or liberal leader, on big subjects. >> as far as making news, here we are talking about it. all right, jim, terry, stick around. thanks very much for joining us. when we come back, more with terry on his program ygs night line," the evolution of the broadcast from ted koppel era and way it's enjoying a rating surge. >>> when ted koppel s

kennedy never worked with -- ted kennedy never worked with nixon back in the old days. the clintons never worked with jim cooper and people like that. there was never a deal where everybody said we'll share the benefits of this politically. when is that going to happen? >> 70 votes is a lot of votes. >> how about we're willing to share the credit for this for the other point of view? >> that hasn't been the tact so far with republicans. >> why don't they want to share? >> this is a more polarized time. >> i don't understand. chuck, is there a mood -- why don't they go to judd gregg and call him on what he said today, that iowa is almost part of the administration and say, look, do you have pieces you want. let's try to put together a gerried bill, a compromise bill here? >> i think they are trying to do that somewhat. at the end of the day they have the votes to do it themselves. it's a mess ajs thage they've b sending. i kind of think they want to see does that strengthened hand of al franken, of that 60th vote and granted, i know that means bob bird and ted kennedy wh

president reagan nominated the conservative judge robert bourke and in 45 minutes senator ted kennedyaunched a blistering attack on the floor of the senate. >> rogue police could break down doors in midnight raids and school children could not be taught about evolution. >> what was your reaction when ted kennedy made this speech? >> well, i thought that it was a real break from the previous 200 year history of our country on how you handle judges. >> iowa senator charles grassley, a republican, has served on the senate judiciary committee since 1981. >> for the first 25 years you were cord about kwaqualificatio not worried so much about their judicial philosophy as long as they were dispassion nate. >> democrats and allies, puerto rican education fund with sonia sotomayor still on its board, the constitutional protections for long other things abortion. they were right. stewart taylor of national journal. >> i spoke to him recently. roe versus wade? of course. >> as heated as the bourke hearings got. the clarence thomas hearings were hotter. thomas an african-american, yale graduate a

i committee that nexts week starts confirmation hearings on sonia sotomayor, and he will be on ted kennedy'sate health committee, which hopes to draft the president's national healthcare reform plan by the end of this month. >> minnesotans want a rational healthcare system that provides healthcare for all americans that is accessible and affordable and gets the costs down. >> reid tried to downplay the democrats' advantage in the senate. >> the democrats are not looking at the nomination of senator franken to help with the minority. >> minority leaders say it is up to the democratic majority to set the bipartisan tone, and as for mr. franken, it is perhaps worth noting that in his previous job as a radio talk show host he had to apologize to people, including women and catholics to name just two groups. bret: there is a lot of talk about healthcare reform. congress is back. what is the state of play with healthcare reform legislation? >> the rest is very much on. the most important thing is the senate finance committee chaired by max baucus. they have to come up with a draft bill in the next

many say it, if only ted kennedy were here. he is battng a brain tumor in his home in massachusetts. he has called health care reform because of his life. but he has not returned to capitol hill in months. colleagues say that senator kennedy is monitoring the health care debate from his home. but he is having difficulty communicating. if at all possible, he will be there for the final vote. >> sarah palin officially stepped down as governor of alaska now she is looking forward to the next chapter of her life. >> her final moments as governor of alaska, serving hot tubs to the people who elected her, -- serving hot dogs to the people who elected her, she'd stepped down. >> i felt it was my duty to avoid date of protective, typical politics as usual. >> a little known lt. gov. sean parnell was sworn in as the new governor. many are still at a loss why palin would leave office more than a year before the end of her first term. if anyone knows, they are not saying, including her husband. >> it has been an awesome experience. she ih

president reagan nominated the conservative judge robert bourke and in 45 minutes senator ted kennedyunched a blistering attack on the floor of the senate. >> rogue police could break down doors in midnight raids and school children could not be taught about evolution. >> what was your reaction when ted kennedy made this speech? >> well, i thought that it was a real break from the previous 200 year history of our country on how you handle judges. >> iowa senator charles grassley, a republican, has served on the senate judiciary committee since 1981. >> for the first 25 years you were cord about kwaqualificatio not worried so much about their judicial philosophy as long as they were dispassion nate. >> democrats and allies, puerto rican education fund with sonia sotomayor still on its board, the constitutional protections for long other things abortion. they were right. stewart taylor of national journal. >> i spoke to him recently. roe versus wade? of course. >> as heated as the bourke hearings got. the clarence thomas hearings were hotter. thomas an african-american, yale graduate an

. >> president obama and ted kennedy are not on the same page, with the president ready for a veto threat. it is the f-22 fighter jet. the president says we don't need it but lawmakers in massachusetts and georgia say it is jobs and with need it. it is a veto fight. >> chris, would you believe there was tension in the white house about how close barack obama should be to the naacp should be. they wanted to take bloomberg to yankee stadium but the biggest event since the inauguration, the white house said, filmly, secret service said, security would be a concern, unofficially people were bidding a sigh of relief that they went off to a quiet armory in harlem. chris: why not yankee stadium? >> it play be too much of obama with the blook community and the civil rights community. there's still that campaign going on right now. >> and for a change of pace, i want to say something potentially positive about the economy. i was talking to the c.e.o. of the business development corporation, there are these corporations throughout the country. the c.e.o.'s had a meeting and they all agree that good

theory he gives the democrats a felt buster profit majority in the senate but with robert byrd and ted kennedy ailing, democrats can only count on 58 votes. >>> well, all sunscreens are not created equal. coming up we will look at which top a new list. kim has this forecast. >> what a great day. this weather is fantastic. i will spell out the forecast in to next weekend. we love looking forward to thwacked. you are watching the noon show on 9 news now. back on the other side of this break. b@ >>> a research group wants us to think before we buy another bottle of sunscreen. the group says three of five screens either don't protect skin from sun damage or they contain hazardous chemicals. the group tested more than 1500 sunscreens and the group claims that they don't offer the best protection and also they have bad chemicals inside of them. now, this group ranks the soleo organics as the best. >> you know what j.c., something you have to do because i didn't do this once and i should know better. you have to check and make sure the sunscreen hasn't expired because not only will it not work i got

and ted kennedy broughto this debe, this negoation something tt's irreplacable. infinite capacity for understanding allhe nuance to the legiation but more than that, knowing how to build coalition. knowing how t assemble people from the oth side, where to give, what e history wa, he is irreplacable. the on person who can py that role the president of the united stes. he has to insert himself full-time, bigime right now. nobody knows ght w what the nonnegotiable elements are in the congress. i mean what the white house insists has to b there and cannot be i it. so i just think it's time forim to go and to emasize that if this gs down,democrats in 2010, ere is no safety f them. there is no asylum at they voted againstt. the fate, fortune and future rides on health care. >> wow,hat is big stuff. do aree it is at portant. >> i d completely agree. i don't know why is not more active. >> leer: . >> ah, you could talk to peoe on capitol hill aut hat are you doing and they ll talk about removing this and removing that and the white house doesn't come up because that not

. >> reporter: along with a gift exchange, the president gave the pope a letter from ted kennedy and asked the pontiff to pray for the ailing senator. >> the pope asked the president how everything went at the g-8 summit here in italy. the president called the three days of tough negotiations very productive. >> reporter: speaking at the end of the summit, the president said leaders took a united stand against the iranian treatment of protestors after the disputed presidential election. >> what we wanted was exactly what we got, which is a statement of unity and strong condemnation. >> reporter: before wrapping up this summit, the g-8 leaders signed onto a $20 billion aid package to help poor nations feed themselves. obama had a final stop in the final stage of the african nation of ghana. charlie d'agata, wjz eyewitness news. >>> and president obama said he chose ghana as his only stop. in hopes of highlighting the effective governments that they have in place there. >>> and katie couric has a preview of what's coming up tonight on the cbs evening news. >>> she needed a heart transp

. >> ted kennedy, a driving force behind health care legislation, senator kennedy obviously suffering from brain cancer, he's on the cover of "newsweek" magazine and in the essay he quiz this, "quality care shouldn't depend on your financial resources or the type of job you have or the medical condition you face. every american should be able to get the same treatment the u.s. senators are entitled to. this is the cause of my life. it is a key reason that i defied my illness last summer to speak at the democratic consengs in denver, to support barack obama, but also to make sure as i said that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every american will have decent quality health care." >> we all love ted kennedy and we wish him well and hope for his recovery. but we don't necessarily agree that his particular prescription is going to bring about quality health care for americans, for all americans. we all like to do that. th problem is the direction in which the democratic majority seems to want to go and the president wants to go, basically put the government in charge of o

ted kennedy has often sought solace at sea. he's waited a lifetime for the political bottle in washington. for many years in the senate, he's been seen as mr. health care, as seen on the hbo documentary on his life. >> that democratic platform plan that provides decent quality of health care. north and south, east and west, for all americans, is a matter of right, and not a privilege. >> reporter: his absence from washington now, is painful for himself, his friends, and even some of his adversaries, who can't help but wonder how things would be different if ted kennedy were leading the debate. >> one of the biggest problems is unifying democrats. and he's the only person i know, in the democratic party, who could bring together their five, largest groups. >> reporter: kennedy watches the hearings on tv. and reads the news clippings his wife, vicki, brings every morning. his most important role, now, is an inspirational one. friends, hoping to tap the emotion of his speech last year at the democratic convention, talk about winni

long before i was asked to pinch-hit for ted kennedy, senator den did i and his staff and others invited -- senator kennedy and his staff and others invited the minority early on to share their ideas. we got drawn into this and were not informed is what we hear. that's not the case. they had no idea what they wanted to offer, only they got nervous about this plan going forward. that started at the end of last year, not after the president was inaugurated, january 20. we began by listening. we listened to stakeholders, providers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, anyone we could gather who had an interest in the subject matter was invited to come and talk about what they thought a health care, national health care reform package ought to look like. and the culmination of that effort was to draft a bill. why do we draft a bill? because the rules of the senate require it. you can't begin a markup in the "help" committee unless you've got a product on the table. it's got to be legislation, written. the rules require it. so we wrote a bill and put it on the table and invited our colleagues