Boston, August 29: Top Democrats and Republicans united on Friday to pay tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy, the powerful liberal from America’s pre-eminent political dynasty whose death has been treated like the passing of royalty.
Dignitaries from both sides of the political aisle and overseas attended an invitation-only memorial service at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum after a public viewing that drew more than 30,000 mourners — so many that security had to turn people away.
Kennedy’s flag-draped coffin was displayed before picture windows showing sweeping views of Boston Harbor and the Boston skyline, and the memorial was punctuated by teary remembrances, guffaw-inducing anecdotes and song.
It was also lightly tinged with politics and references to healthcare reform, Kennedy’s top priority and a polarizing issue in U.S. politics.
Kennedy, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts for 47 years, died late Tuesday of brain cancer at age 77 after a remarkable career championing causes from civil rights, immigration and healthcare to the end of apartheid in South Africa, opposition to the war in Iraq and peace in Ireland.
His place in the Kennedy dynasty — brother John was the last president slain in office and another brother Robert was gunned down while campaigning for the White House — enhanced his stature as one of Washington’s most powerful politicians.
“He crept into my heart and before I knew it he owned a piece of it,” said Vice President Joe Biden, a longtime senate colleague who said he never would have reached high office without Kennedy.
The televised memorial more than an hour past its scheduled two hours in part due to lengthy tributes like one from Senator Orrin Hatch, a conservative Republican whose friendship and frequent political partnership with Kennedy earned them the nickname “The Odd Couple.”
—-Agencies