OAK BLUFFS, Mass. — President Barack Obama said goodbye Saturday to his friend and mentor Edward M. Kennedy, offering a studious profile of a man whom he and much of the country had come to admire and respect.
There was no soaring rhetoric and only a flash or two of emotion to betray the closeness of a relationship that had grown stronger with Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama’s candidacy at a critical juncture in last year’s election.
Presidents are keenly aware of the moments when the nation sizes them up — during war, national tragedy and funerals. His first public eulogy as president was such a moment for Obama, who has rallied the nation during collective, but not personal, crises.
As such, Obama’s remarks were bereft of the politics that some had speculated he might reach for. He made only a passing mention of the legislative battles raging in Washington over issues Kennedy had fought for: energy, health care and education.
Reading from notes instead of a teleprompter, Obama’s delivery was muted and less free-flowing than his typical speeches. He was serious but flashed a grin when his recollections of Kennedy’s jolly side made the congregation chuckle.
And he was somber, looking directly at Kennedy’s widow, Vicki, as he described how deeply the senator “loved this remarkable woman from Louisiana.” Moments after delivering the eulogy, the president embraced the widow, having already met privately with her Saturday.
After the funeral, Obama returned for one more night to Martha’s Vineyard; he returns to Washington today.
Obama said Americans are left with one image of Kennedy: “the image of a man on a boat; white mane tousled; smiling broadly as he sails into the wind, ready for what storms may come, carrying on toward some new and wondrous place just beyond the horizon.”
