Mourning Edition

Just a few days after Ted Kennedy's death last week, NPR and other media outlets were already talking about his replacement in the U. S. Senate. Obviously, Kennedy's death came at a most inopportune time since August represented the final push for the Democrats to hold town meetings to promote health care reform. His death means that the Senate will not have the sixty votes needed to push through the health care agenda that Kennedy was promoting for most of his life.

Many of those interviewed about Kennedy's position indicated that decorum demanded at least a week was needed before one seriously broached the subject of his successor. Some were already urging that Kennedy's wife Vicki be chosen, certainly following a common precedent from the past. Some could not wait even a week, however, and have already indicated an interest in the position. Today on NPR we hear that Attorney General Martha Coakley is announcing her candidacy even if a Kennedy decides to run at a later date. My question is, "Doesn't Senator Kennedy deserve some respect in death without stepping all over each other in a bid to be elected to his position?" The mourning edition, or tradition, has hardly been honored. I am saddened by that.