Obama Speaks at Robert Byrd's Memorial Video

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Bill Clinton

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Other bigwigs spoke at the memorial service:

Obama's Speech at the Department of Interior Video

After Obama signed the healthcare bill, he and the now even more famous Joe Biden went to the Department of Interior to thank supporters of healthcare and talk about the benefits of the new health law. The 11 year old boy is Marcelas Owens, whose mother died after she lost her job and her health insurance. Republicans have spent a great deal of time mocking him. In this video, there is a sweet moment when Obama notes that he and Marcelas coordinated their ties:

Obama Signs Health Bill March 23 Live Stream

Obama will sign the health bill in a ceremony in the East Room at 11:15 am eastern. At 12:05, Obama will remark on the health insurance at the Department of the Interior. You can watch both here. WhiteHouse.gov and CBSnews.com will also have live streams.

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In attendance at the signing via Politico:

Vice President Biden, Vicki Kennedy, Connie Anderson, Ryan Smith, Marcelas Owens, Secretary Sebelius, Senator Reid, Senator Durbin, Senator Baucus, Senator Harkin, Senator Dodd, Speaker Pelosi, Representative Hoyer, Representative Clyburn, Representative George Miller, Representative Waxman, Representative Levin, Representative Dingell. Other members of Congress who supported the bill also will be there.

Brown Gives Gracious Victory Speech - Video

Scott Brown, the new Massachusetts senator, said the first call he made was to Vicki Kennedy. Classy. In his speech, he said he hoped he would be a worthy successor to Ted Kennedy. There was no venom spilling from his mouth. He wasn't mean, though he did bring Mitt Romney on the stage. Ick. Brown's not Sarah Palin, for sure. He's smart, charismatic and in tune. So is his daughter Ayla, who you might remember from American Idol.

I don't agree with Brown on issues but I now understand the appeal. Democrats are demonizing him, but instead of that, they ought to look at what's to be learned here.

Here's his speech:

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Vicki Kennedy: Ted Kennedy Was Inspired by Obama

Vicki Kennedy Urges Passage of Healthcare Bill

The bill is not perfect, writes Vicki Kennedy, Ted Kennedy's widow, but it would do a lot:

The bill before the Senate, while imperfect, would achieve many of the goals Ted fought for during the 40 years he championed access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans. If this bill passes:

-- Insurance protections like the ones Ted fought for his entire life would become law.

-- Thirty million Americans who do not have coverage would finally be able to afford it. Ninety-four percent of Americans would be insured. Americans would finally be able to live without fear that a single illness could send them into financial ruin.

-- Insurance companies would no longer be able to deny people the coverage they need because of a preexisting illness or condition. They would not be able to drop coverage when people get sick. And there would be a limit on how much they can force Americans to pay out of their own pockets when they do get sick.

-- Small-business owners would no longer have to fear being forced to lay off workers or shut their doors because of exorbitant insurance rates. Medicare would be strengthened for the millions of seniors who count on it.

-- And by eliminating waste and inefficiency in our health-care system, this bill would bring down the deficit over time. Read the whole op-ed at WaPo

Saying Goodbye to Kennedy

Kennedy touched so many people's lives. Kennedy even helped Liberian immigrants:

For James Hunder, the president of the Liberian Organization of the Piedmont, Kennedy's death is a blow. The organization works to advance educational, cultural and social opportunities for those with Liberian ties.

Kennedy supported immigration reform that would help Liberians stay in America, and he pressured the U.S. government to suspend aid to Liberia during the country's civil war, said Hunder, who has several letters that Kennedy wrote to him about the Liberian cause. Even though Kennedy likely did not write the letters himself, Hunder said, something about him and his character comes through.

"This man -- there's just something special about him," he said. "I believe he's a God-fearing man and a humanitarian. He's very concerned about peace and tranquility in all parts of the world." Winston-Salem Journal

Kennedy's casket is now in Boston. Kennedy's wife Vicki is greeting people:

Obama Issues Kennedy Proclamation

DEATH OF SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Senator Edward M. Kennedy was not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy. Over the past half-century, nearly every major piece of legislation that has advanced the civil rights, health, and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. With his passing, an important chapter in our American story has come to an end.
As a mark of respect for the memory of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on August 30, 2009. I also direct that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of his interment. I further direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same periods at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Orinn Hatch's touching tribute:

America has lost a giant in politics and public policy. I have lost a close personal friend.

People called us the “odd couple,” which was certainly true. There are few men with whom I had less in common. Ted was born to a famous patrician family of Boston. He attended private schools and Harvard University. He was politically liberal, and liberal in his lifestyle – at least until he married Vicki Reggie, who set him straight. I grew up in a poor, working class family in Pittsburgh. Where Ted was the affable Irishman, I was the teetotaling Mormon missionary.

We did not agree on much, and more often than not, I was trying to derail whatever big government scheme he had just concocted. And, in those years that Republicans held the majority in the Senate, when it came to getting some of our ideas passed into law, he was not just a stone in the road, he was a boulder.

Disagreements over policy, however, were never personal with Ted. I recall a debate over increasing the minimum wage. Ted had launched into one of his patented histrionic speeches, the kind where he flailed his arms and got red in the face, spewing all sorts of red meat liberal rhetoric. When he finished, he stepped over to the minority side of the Senate chamber, put his arm around my shoulder, and said with a laugh and a grin, “How was that, Orrin?” Read the rest.