It's a shame to see Robert Kennedy pass on. He changed American politics forever and ushered in a new era of liberalism for the country that would last, for the most part, until the late eighties. He knew how to cross the aisle and was as skilled at backdoor politics as oratory. Even after leaving office, his control of the Democratic Party was pretty strong. Anyone else hear about the talk in '80 of lifting term limits to get him to run him again? It's hard to believe he's attended every Democratic National Convention in fifty-four years.
I'd still say Kennedy's most moving moment though was when he appeared at his brother's funeral just before leaving office. A lot of people thought he was kind of cold and unemotional - and he was most of the time, honestly - but his passionate eulogy for Jack was really the moment that humanized him most.
Of course, obviously a lot of stuff's come out in the last twenty years that's shown the Robert Kennedy administration was far from as perfect as it seemed - a lot of people have been disappointed to find just how many back room deal was were made to ensure legislative passages - but overall, the dynamic image of him as a strong, youthful president remains strong today.
