In 1993, I was the State Democratic Chairman of Kansas and I attended the Inauguration of President William Jefferson Clinton and many of the events surrounding it. My wife, Carolyn, and I purchased tickets to sit in the reviewing stands to watch the Inaugural Parade. We were spread pretty thin financially, and so I decided not to pony up for the expensive seats, opting for the $50.00 ones, which put us on aluminum bleachers quite some distance from where most of the dignitaries were seated. It was a chilly day and the metal bleachers were especially cold and the crowd was pretty sparse where we sat. We were watching for the new President, of course, as band after band after band marched by.

I looked over my shoulder at a distinguished looking white haired man sitting up several rows from us and realized that it was Senator Ted Kennedy. No one else seemed to have spotted him. He and another familiar looking guy were chatting away and watching the parade intently. I wondered to myself what the brother of a Democratic President, a lion of the Senate himself, was doing in the cheap seats. Curiosity finally got the better of me and I moved up into the row Kennedy was sitting in and introduced myself to him and his friend. I learned that the friend was Congressman Gerry Studds (whose ancestor, Elbridge Gerry was the source of the word Gerrymandering) of Massachusetts. Senator Kennedy showed his great political skills by instantly recognizing where I was from, asking how his friends Norbert Dreiling and Bob Glassman of Hays were doing (Bob was my law partner and I had begun my political career as Norbert's Executive Secretary when he was State Chairman). I felt comfortable enough with the situation to ask the Senator why he wasn't sitting with all the other Senators, Congressmen, Supreme Court Justices, and others in the heated, covered seats farther down the parade route.

Just as I asked, he said: "Look, there she is!" and he and Congressman Studds began almost running down the bleachers, towards the street. As he moved down, he was waving his arms, hollering "Eunice, Eunice" in that distinctive New England accent. I realized that the Special Olympics parade entry, led by Eunice Shriver, was passing by. When she spotted her brother, Eunice veered over to the barricades next to the parade route and they hugged each other and the Special Olympians all broke ranks to come get their hugs from Senator Kennedy, too. As I watched, I realized that there was absolutely no artifice nor political calculation in what was happening. There were no television cameras, no photographers, no reporters, just a brother and sister who were devoting their lives to the service of others, enjoying the moment. A United States Senator, on a day of history, had chosen to be with his family.

A loving and proud brother had made sure he was in the right spot to be able to show his sister how proud he was of what she was doing, as I am sure his sister had done for him and her other brothers in the happy and sad political times in their lives.

When I hear people criticize Ted Kennedy and his family, claiming they are an unhealthy dynasty or "too liberal" I remember that day and how I felt, seeing how human they were and I know that the critics are wrong and that this country needs more like Eunice and Teddy, not fewer, especially now.