Sic transit the Lion of the Senate

The giant sucking sound you are hearing is a product of the Kennedy-shaped hole in the Democratic party. With the passing of the "Lion of the Senate," there is a mad scramble to replace him and chatter regarding what it means for Congressional business. Bridge-building in health care reform may become much more difficult now. Who will take up his duties on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is in as much doubt as who will fill his now vacant Senate seat. But his influence, as much as it was a matter of the 'Kennedy mystique,' may be all but spent beyond the unfriendly confines of the U.S. Senate. In death, though, he may yet succeed in getting health care reform of some sort passed. The passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy may in fact signal the end of an era because no one seems interested in picking up his torch of bipartisan deal-making.