The New York Times Brings You to Obituary-Writing School

Here's an interesting point about Ted Kennedy, his long life and his long career from his New York Times' obit….

"He was a quintessential Kennedy, in the sense that he had all the warts as well as all the charisma and a lot of the strengths," said Norman J. Ornstein, a political scientist at the American Enterprise Institute.

"If his father, Joe, had surveyed, from an early age up to the time of his death, all of his children, his sons in particular, and asked to rank them on talents, effectiveness, likelihood to have an impact on the world, Ted would have been a very poor fourth. Joe, John, Bobby… Ted.

"He was the survivor," Mr. Ornstein continued. "He was not a shining star that burned brightly and faded away. He had a long, steady glow."

So, Ted Kennedy's greatest strength was his ability to not get himself killed in war or assassinated at an early age? Am I wrong, or is that the takeaway message from that quote?

Now, I'm not a fancy New York Times obituary writer, but — to my crude non-obituary-writing ears — that seems like kind of shitty thing to say about a person who just died.

But I guess that's why the New York Times never did hire me to write obituaries for them. (Though, I'm still holding out hope that my resume slipped between the desk and the wall.)

Joe Biden Has Some Moving and Surprisingly Cohesive Words for His Old Friend Ted Kennedy

Joe Biden, it appears, can be rather eloquent if he really, really, really sets his mind to it…

The Daily Show and Colbert Report on Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy was — like all good politicians (and most aging childhood singer-slash-actors with personality affective disorders) — was the source for a lot of humorous prodding, jocular poking and jocose probing.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert — never ones to let the opportunity for a jocose probing go unprobed — racked up a number of finely jocose probes. Here's a few of our favorites…

April 20, 2006: Ted Kennedy Interview

The Daily Show and Colbert Report air Monday through Thursday starting at 11pm / 10c.

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Barack Obama on Ted Kennedy Direct from the Heart of Kennedyland

Here's President Barack Obama on Martha's Vineyard giving his thoughts on a man whom he considered "the greatest United States senator of our time" and who considered him the heir to the Kennedy name (as equally kind and dubious as that might be)…

Am I the only one who thinks it's a little odd that Barack Obama brings his family to Martha's Vineyard and then a few days later Ted Kennedy dies in nearby Hyannis? Especially since Kennedy was hospitalized pretty much immediately after Obama's inauguration in January.

So, what am I suggesting? That Obama has been sneaking into Kennedy's home, slipping into his bedroom and perching himself on the ailing senator's chest while sucking the Kennedy je ne sais quoi from his lungs?

No, I'm not. But you weren't completely scandalized by the implication, were you?

The Kennedy Boys Are Back Together Again

How do you say "Ugh!" in Massachusettsese?

Look! It's John Kennedy! Oooo! And there's Bobby Kennedy! And over there, isn't that Other Guy Kennedy? Wow! They've all come to get Teddy and bring him on one final sailing voyage, a sailing voyage into the sky…

So, what do you think? Did Jeff Danziger have this masterpiece of bittersweetousity sitting in the top drawer of his desk, just waiting for Kennedy to go? Every morning he'd check the news to see if today was they day. Or was he so blown away by the news of Kennedy's passing that he was moved to sit down and start drawing, unaware of what might flow forth from his cartooning pen, as happily surprised by the resulting piece of brilliant art as we all are?

Personally, I like to think that when Danziger awoke this morning, he found the cartoon sitting at the foot of his bed, a the faint whiff of fine Irish whiskey in the air.