John F Kennedy Biography

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Thomas: A surprising friendship with a liberal icon

Most of my adult life has been intertwined with the Kennedy family. As a freshman at American University in 1960, I stayed up late watching the election returns, as John F. Kennedy barely eked out a victory over Richard Nixon. As with most Americans my age, the decades that followed always involved one or more members of the Kennedy family, whether it was legislation, indiscretions, speeches or just curiosity.

This larger-than-life family has been unique in American politics. But so were the friendships Ted Kennedy established across the political lines that so easily divide us. He used those personal relationships to accomplish things that mattered to him. Many on the right hated and demonized him, but I don't ever recall his responding in kind.

These days, people on "one side" of the political spectrum are not supposed to cooperate, much less have a personal relationship with anyone on the "other side." Siding with "the enemy" can get you branded a compromiser, a sellout, or worse, a fool. While it is true that on too many occasions, conservatives have had their ideological pockets picked by liberals whose favor they curried, that is no excuse for hating people because of their political beliefs.

Kennedy once said in a speech: "I am an American and a Catholic; I love my country and treasure my faith. But I do not assume that my conception of patriotism or policy is invariably correct, or that my convictions about religion should command any greater respect than any other faith in this pluralistic society."

What student or advocate of the First Amendment would disagree with that?

Flaws? Of course he had them in abundance, as we all do, but his, unfortunately, played out on a national and international stage. How would you like to have lived with the daily pressure of knowing that somewhere out there someone may have wanted to kill you as they had your brothers?

I recall a dinner at Ted's home when he lived in McLean, Va. His sister, the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, was my dinner partner. He

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