Jack Reed: “I rise to salute Senator Ted Kennedy on his 70th birthday and to state something that is obvious to everyone: In the…”

“I rise to salute Senator Ted Kennedy on his 70th birthday and to state something that is obvious to everyone: In the course of this country and this Senate, hundreds of men and women have served, but only a handful are truly great Senators. Senator Ted Kennedy is one of those great Senators. His greatness is measured by his vision, by his compassion, and by his effectiveness. He is the architect of so much that has improved the lives of so many Americans--health care, education, foreign policy, so many things that have made the lives of so many people better. Indeed, the measurement of his greatness is not the votes on this floor or his elections in Massachusetts, but it is in the lives of countless children throughout this country and seniors and working men and women, disadvantaged Americans, dispossessed Americans whose lives are better, indeed, who cherish hope because Ted Kennedy served in this body. Ultimately, his great reward and tribute will not come from us but will come years from now, when a child or a senior or a working American, not knowing from whence a law evolved but knowing that it has made their life a little better and given them more opportunity, will say 'thank you,' and that thanks will be to Ted Kennedy.”