TRIBUTES

Governor Martin O'Malley

Maryland

August 26, 2009

The Irish poet John O'Donohue taught us that the most powerful type of presence that any person can bring to this world is the presence of compassion.

Senator Edward Kennedy had that presence of compassion. With his passing, today our country has lost a great champion of progress.

Senator Kennedy worked very hard to make this world a more just and more fair place. It was his calling, his discipline and his craft. His colleagues from both sides of the aisle had a tremendous amount of respect for him because of his presence of compassion, because of his discipline, because of his hard work, because of his adeptness at forging consensus, and because of his belief that each of us can make a difference in this world.

He was a great man for many reasons. His hard work and presence of compassion will be missed both in theUnited States Senate and in the lives of all Americans. His footprint on the history of our nation includes some of the most historic social justice initiatives of our time, including his enduring struggle to instill quality healthcare as a right for all Americans, not a privilege for the wealthy.

My heartfelt condolences go out to the Kennedy family, the Shriver family, the Townsend family, to all those who knew him personally, and to the millions of Americans who are mourning his passing.