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Byrd: Rename Health Bill for Kennedy

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 26, 2009 1:38 PM CDT

(Newser) – Senator Robert Byrd wants his colleagues to honor Ted Kennedy by renaming health care legislation in his honor, Politico reports. “As a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling,” said Byrd, 92, himself in poor health. "My heart and soul weeps at the loss of my best friend in the Senate, my beloved friend."

Other tributes rounded up in the Boston Globe:

Nancy Reagan: People are sometimes surprised by how close Ronnie and I have been to the Kennedy family. ... Ted and I found our common ground in stem cell research, and I considered him an ally and a dear friend."
Arnold Schwarzenegger: "Uncle Teddy ... was the rock of our family: a loving husband, father, brother, and uncle."
Harry Reid: "It was the thrill of my lifetime to work with Ted Kennedy. He was a friend, the model of public service, and an American icon."
Benjamin Netanyahu: "Kennedy has been a friend for 30 years, a great American patriot, a great champion of a better world, a great friend of Israel. He will be sorely missed."

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Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. (AP Photo)

Bill co-sponsors Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., listen as President Barack Obama speaks before signing the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in April. (AP Photo)

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Throughout his career, Senator Kennedy believed in a simple premise: that our society's greatness lies in its ability and willingness to provide for its less fortunate members. - Sen. Robert Byrd

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