by Katie Fretland
In a polarized Senate, at least a couple of things can still bring the parties together: friendship and health.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, a conservative Republican songwriter from Utah, has written a ballad for liberal Democrat Edward M. Kennedy as he faces a battle with brain cancer, the Boston Globe's Susan Milligan reports today.
Kennedy, 76, and Hatch, 74, have different politics, but are close friends.
Last week, Kennedy made a brave return to the Senate to cast his vote in favor of the medicare bill he worked hard to see pass. It was his first time back to the Senate since a May seizure and cancer diagnosis. Kennedy entered to a bipartisan standing ovation and cast his vote with an assertive "Aye."
The moment is significant to the title of Hatch's song: "Headed Home."
Read the rest of the story at www.boston.com.
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Comments
This is most un-Swampish for Swamp Partisans, but Sens. Hatch and Kennedy have been buds for a long time. RMN and JFK were at least decent friends. I have seen encouraging notes that RFK wrote to LBJ on display at the LBJ Library at UT in Austin. Even GWB and Tom Daschle had some sort of un-natural friendship at times. Laura Bush recently said that Ted Kennedy really is GWB's friend.
So, while we are going at each other with the long knife, these guys are smoking a stogie and drinking a brewskie. There may be some chance that they are a lot smarter than us. That's a chilling thought.
Posted by: Django Scott - Houston Tx | July 17, 2008 12:42 AM
We need a green party that's not going to risk giving it to the oil barons and nuke barons and those who want to take our money from us.
It's a GAME---and WE ain't in it.
Posted by: instant runoff 2nd choice ballot | July 17, 2008 1:30 PM
Do the ballad's lyrics make reference to mary jo kopechne ? After all, this the pinnacle event in the life of the prince of chappaquiddick.
Posted by: thomas carchia | July 18, 2008 7:22 AM