Political allies and rivals pay tribute to Kennedy

BOSTON — In death as in life, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy on Friday brought together political rivals, this time to celebrate his sense of humor and dedication to family and country.

A who's who of politics gathered at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston for the more than three-hour tribute featuring musical performances, laughter and calls to continue to fight for Kennedy's last political wish: health coverage for all Americans.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona called Kennedy "the best ally you could have" when they agreed on issues, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, another GOP colleague, said he'd battled like a brother with Kennedy for 33 years and "loved every minute of it."

"I miss fighting in public and joking with him in the background. I miss all the things we could do together," Hatch said.

Hatch told of Kennedy's performance as a hip-swiveling Elvis impersonator at a staff Christmas party.

"He was awful in my opinion," the conservative Utah Republican and teetotaling Mormon bishop said.

"He always used to say that if he and I were on the same bill, it was obviously that one of us hadn't read it," Hatch said.

The speakers shared stories of his congeniality and knack for compromise as they recalled his congressional successes and the ones he had yet to achieve — most notably the struggle for a health-care overhaul — when he died this week of a brain tumor at 77.

The "Celebration of Life," contrasted with the solemnity of the motorcade that carried Kennedy's body from Cape Cod to Boston a day earlier and the sobriety of the public viewing, where an estimated 50,000 people filed past the senator's flag-draped coffin at the library named for one of his slain brothers.

Kennedy's niece Caroline Kennedy said traveling in the motorcade reminded her of the family history trips her Uncle Teddy would organize for her and her cousins when they were children. Over the years, they would visit the Washington Monument, Valley Forge, the Brooklyn Bridge and Bunker Hill, among other sites.

"Now Teddy has become a part of history and we are the ones who will have to do all the things he would have done, for us, for each other and for our country," she said.

Kennedy's nephew Joseph Kennedy II, eldest son of Robert Kennedy, called on the hundreds of invited guests to dedicate themselves to causes Kennedy had championed throughout his years in the Senate. And he recalled a lesson he learned from his uncle once when it appeared certain they were destined to lose a sailing race.

"He was telling me, never, ever, ever, ever give up. You stay in the race. And if people don't have health care, you stay in the race. If people don't have adequate housing, you stay in the race. If people aren't being treated properly you stay in the race," he said.

The health-care bill on which Kennedy took the lead has been among the most controversial pieces of legislation considered by Congress in recent years.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who has taken over Kennedy's role on the health-care bill, said Kennedy had called Dodd two weeks ago when he was coming out of surgery for prostate cancer.

" 'Well,' he roared, 'between going through prostate-cancer surgery and doing town-hall meetings, you made the right choice!' " Dodd recalled. "And though he was dying, and I was hurting, believe me, he had me howling with laughter in the recovery room as he made a few choice comments, I cannot repeat, about catheters."

A funeral Mass is scheduled today in Boston. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and tenor Placido Domingo will perform, and President Obama will deliver the eulogy. Kennedy will be buried tonight near his brothers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Material from the Los Angeles Times is included in this report.