Kennedy mourned as friend and mentor

WASHINGTON – A heartbroken Sen. Patty Murray called him a “valued
friend, a courageous partner and a personal mentor,” while Sen. Maria
Cantwell called him the “heart and soul” of the Democratic Party and
prepared to cancel a trip to China so she could attend his funeral.

Washington
state’s two senators reflected Wednesday on the death of Ted Kennedy,
reminiscing about their relationship with a man known as the “Lion of
the Senate” and eulogizing him as a consummate legislator who wouldn’t
hesitate to reach out to help younger colleagues. They called him a
voice of conscience and conciliation in an era when politics had become a
blood sport.

“A very important person is gone,” Murray said in a
conference call with reporters. “We are now responsible for doing things
without him. The torch has been passed.”

Cantwell said Kennedy
was among the first senators to greet her when she arrived in the
Senate.

“For all the Kennedy name and fame, Teddy at heart was a legislator;
he simply knew how to get things done,” Cantwell said. “And for nearly
half a century he was the best. He will be sorely missed and never
replaced.”

Murray served with Kennedy for 17 years and was a
member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee,
which he chaired. Murray recalled her first day in the Senate when she
sat and watched Kennedy arguing in favor of the Family and Medical Leave
Act, which she had championed in Washington state.

The last time
she talked with him was several months ago during a conference call with
committee members about health care reform. It was Kennedy’s signature
issue.

“He encouraged us to be thoughtful, strong and think about
what we wanted to accomplish,” Murray said, adding that Kennedy “will be
sitting on our shoulders” when the health care debate resumes in
September.

Her most memorable moment involving Kennedy came the
day she was sworn in for the first time, accompanied by her mother, who
had never before left her wheelchair-bound husband.

Murray said
her mother had grown up revering President John Kennedy, and after the
ceremony Ted Kennedy came by her office.

“He gave her a hug,”
Murray said. “There were tears in her eyes.”

Murray also recalled
that the last time Kennedy was in Washington state he visited the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Kennedy had been instrumental in
securing funding for cancer research.

“His passing is a loss to
me,” she said. “It is truly a loss for the country.”

Cantwell, in a
telephone interview, said she got to know Kennedy especially well
during the fight over extending unemployment benefits.

“He was
constantly nurturing, guiding young members and helping them find their
way,” Cantwell said. “He was masterful as a legislator. He knew how to
grow policy.”