2 or 3 months in jail.

Though the sentence was suspended... so he didn't serve any of it.

What a joke. It's all in who you know, or who you are related to.

I would think that would be the best way to honor him, to use his death to fast-track that health care bill. It was the cause of his life, after all, and i doubt he'd want anything more in death than to see that passed.

To be honest using his death to push through the healthcare bill is hardly dishonouring him. Its actually a pretty much perfect tribute - afterall socialised healthcare was his goal.

Yeah.  Though it's going to turn out to be ironic I imagine.

Afterall this program is much worse then the Nixon plan which Kennedy described as "A cash payout to big buisness."

In reality Kennedy just got desperate and was willing to push through even stuff he knew was a bad idea just so there would be some kind of universal healthcare out there before he died.

Now he didn't get to see a  universal healthcare bill pass like he wanted AND his memory is going to cause a problem even bigger then the one he saw all those years ago.

Tragic story.  I'm sure he'll be rolling in his grave.

This rationalization seems beyond ridiculous to me.

First off the Health-Care bill isn't something we should pass just because someone dies. It's actually pretty insulting to even think the American people are so naively sentimental to be willing to pass a bill they've expressed deep concerns over because one man in the nation dies.  Well reasoned and considered substance and that alone is the one and only reason to pass a bill that effects every man, woman, and child as well as ~17% of the economy.

Second, the man wasn't even dead for 2 hours before they started to exploit it.  I don't care how much someone wanted something and worked for it.  There is a time to mourn and a time to carry on and pay tribute.  Exploiting it before his body is even cold is morbid and disgusting....even for the always shameless political class.

Thirdly, those who truly respected and cared about him would not turn their thoughts to advancing his agenda in his absense mere hours after his death.  Those who cared would put the priority of mourning their friend before exploiting him.  A few days, a week, or even a month (depending on how close you were) sure.  But to do so mere hours afterwards, or to see no problem with having done it mere hours afterwards exposes those who support it as nothing more than exploitative idealogues who care far more about the agenda than the man - if they care about the man at all.  It makes me wonder if they weren't hoping for him to die given how quickly they reacted.

It's completely, thoroughly, disturbingly, and unbelievably sick to me.  I dare say I have more respect for the man's passing then his so-called friends in the Senate and even his supporters who now cheer on his exploitation.