Beannachd leat, Edward Kennedy

News came through this morning that Edward Kennedy, the last of that generation of a fabled American political dynasty, has died , aged 77.

Most of the obituaries so far have concentrated on Chappaquiddick bridge and what David Owen described on radio this morning, in an honest and unvarnished assessment of the man, as his character flaws

But let's not forget that Ted Kennedy was a towering Liberal figure in American politics and though he might not have made it to the White House (while men with less of the right stuff have) he was a great advocate for the poor and for social justice.

The Grumpy Spindoctor , a man with a sense of history, gets the tone right by reproducing Kennedy's speech from the 1980 Democratic convention, when he failed to defeat Jimmy Carter for the nomination. Worth a read. Mike White of the Guardian also has a good, honest take to which I can only add - beannachd leat.