Senator Ted Kennedy's office on capitol hill. AP Photo Evan Vucci
I certainly do not always agree with Bill O' Reilly but in this video segment he does a commendable job in covering the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy. O' Reilly avoids the emotion and petty hatred that some have displayed toward Kennedy from the right and gives an honest analysis of what he thinks of the Kennedy legacy.
O' Reilly first deserves credit for appropriately calling out vicious attacks on Kennedy as "disgraceful." Some have used Kennedy's death to make very personal and damning attacks on Kennedy in the name of conservatism. In reality Kennedy's tenure was filled with controversy most infamously the "Chappaquiddick incident." One can not realistic cover the life of Kennedy without mentioning this incident. However, one can also not come close to accurately portraying the life of Kennedy by only focusing on this incident or Kennedy's drinking. O' Reilly does the respectable thing by mentioning the incident and the effect it had on Kennedy's political career without dwelling or overly emphasizing the controversy.
After addressing those making personal judgments against Kennedy O' Reilly goes on to describe the liberalism that defined Kennedy's political career. O' Reilly appropriately plays a video clip in which Kennedy celebrates liberalism rather than running away from the label. To his credit, O' Reilly attacks Kennedy's liberal stances without attacking Kennedy himself. O' Reilly gives Kennedy credit for doing what he thought was best.
Much of the sensibility shown in this video clip are missing from the political discourse today. Both sides of the debate tend to view the other side as "evil" or "out to ruin America" when in reality most politicians, liberal and conservative, are simply trying to do what they view as best for the country. We can disagree with what someone believes without attacking another's character or intention. O' Reilly exemplifies that principle well in this clip.
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