I wish them well, but whatever happens, I'm glad they both lived to see this day, and they probably are, too. For Kennedy, it was another great stride on the journey toward equality that his brother began. For Byrd, it's the culmination of many years of education, and the proof that a man raised in the most bigoted of societies can change, and can sincerely welcome the inauguration of an African American President.

Unfortunately, this sentence (from the Boston Globe) might be the first actual present-tense usage of the words "President Obama" that I saw:

"President Obama confirmed that Senator Edward M. Kennedy collapsed at a luncheon after the inauguration."

T-Rex - I think for Byrd, it's far more about a president who cherishes constitutional law, and whose heart is with the working man.

How long before the wingnuts claim that Kennedy staged (faked) the seizure as a means of generating support for his niece Caroline's chances of being appointed to the Senate (as in "Oh no, we have to make sure there's at least one Kennedy in the Senate")?

Now MSNBC is saying Byrd is not sick. He merely got nauseous when he saw Kennedy get sick.

"Now MSNBC is saying Byrd is not sick. He merely got nauseous when he saw Kennedy get sick."

I'll be someone left the potao salad sitting out.

Let's all be thankful for our faithful trolls: Al and Marler as well as John Hansen (and manyother's whom I don't recall immediately) who honestly believe they are having an intellectual discussion, just because they are commenting on Steve Benen's wonderful blog.

They thing it will rub off so they can take it back to their right wing sites and emulate what's going on in smart people's brains.

Let's us keep the welcome mat out in the future as well, as these trolls are the reminders we need on a daily basis that there still are ignorant, biased people out there suffering from severe cognitive dissonance.

We can't let our guard down and think that all of a sudden, with OBAMA at the helm everthing will be taken care of. Republican will be Republicans, and it is in their nature to ONLY see the negative and to find ways to blame all the wrongs on liberals and progressives.

None of those trolls have ever repented for voting Bush into office twice; they do not deserve forgiveness (yet) They need at least 16 years in the wilderness and enjoy Dante's inferno.

We can only hope that maybe, just maybe, they will actually start realizing that it isn't all that bad. We just have to keep reminding then that all the things that are good in this country, and taken for granted by Republican voters; started out as liberal ideas fought every inch by Republicans. Their revisionist histories - courtesy of O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Coulter, Malkin, Kristol, Hannity, Scarborough, and their ilk, has Republicans believe they are the ones who save this country. Nothing could be further from the truth, but what else are they going to do?

child labor and the 8-hour work day.

enough said.

The Kennedy seizure hits me pretty hard. My roommate died last night from leukemia (AML, from handling benzene in Vietnam). It's pretty hard for me to muster much optimism for Ted's fate. I've seen what brain cancer does, and it's not pretty. But at least we can do one thing for Ted: pass health care reform. It will be his last great achievement, and hopefully his best.