No denying the mark Kennedy made on our nation

If you're old enough to remember a time when Washington, D.C., politicians had big philosophical differences, but didn't despise one another, you're probably close to 50 or older. And it's been about that many years since the late Sen. Edward Kennedy took a place in the U.S. Senate. Even though partisanship has poisoned so many people, Kennedy somehow kept decency alive.

Kennedy, who succumbed to cancer Tuesday, was one of the few who could reach across the aisle, but also hold true to the liberal principles he fought hard to protect. His name was on every important law passed concerning civil rights, workers rights and countless others that tried to better the lives of average citizens.

The Lion of the Senate, as he was known, had many faults and controversy swirled around him from early in his political career. What never was in question, though, was his passion to follow his family's quest to serve the public. He was unwavering in that until the very end.

Oddly enough, young Teddy, the jokester compared to his impressive brothers, became the most powerful and effective leader of all of them. His brothers President John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy were assassinated too early in their lives to ever know their full potential. Teddy Kennedy stepped up, and did his family proud.

Plenty of conservatives used Kennedy's liberal politics as tools to raise money, and he was the butt of jokes. But even his biggest critics cannot deny the role he played in our nation's history. He was there and affected in the deepest ways during the most tragic times, and was also there forming landmark legislation and getting it passed into law.

Whether you liked him or disagreed with everything he stood for, there's no denying that he devoted his life to serving the public. That's a noble cause and in the end, that's what Edward Kennedy will be remembered for.