AP -- Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy died late Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, after a battle with brain cancer. He was 77. "We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," a family statement said.

Kennedy, who became known as the "Lion of the Senate," played major roles in passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, and was an outspoken liberal standard-bearer during a conservative-dominated era from the 1980s to the early 2000s. 

UPH -- I wonder will Ted's death have a huge impact  on President Obama's ability to pass the proposed Health care reform bill?  Positive or negative?

Will Ted's  "cause of his life" remain a dream that will cease with his untimely death or will it eventually become reality?  What's your take?