John Kerry: “next week, on February 22, while the Senate is on recess, my senior colleague and friend Ted Kennedy will celebrate his…”

“next week, on February 22, while the Senate is on recess, my senior colleague and friend Ted Kennedy will celebrate his 75th birthday, all of this in a year in which he has already marked an extraordinary milestone--45 years of service to Massachusetts and his country in the U.S. Senate. Senator Kennedy began his career setting a high standard when it comes to birthdays. It was when he reached the minimum constitutional age, 30, that he first came to the Senate--1 of just 16 Senators elected at such a tender age from a total of over 1,895 Senators in all of American history. By his 70th birthday he was one of just 28 Senators to ever cast over 10,000 votes. But what we celebrate along with Ted at 75--Democrats and Republicans, all in awe of a lifetime of achievement--is the way in which literally every year since he has been marking the passage of time by passing landmark legislation.”