Ted Kennedy: Morning Reaction

I do feel somewhat guilty about yesterday's post on Kennedy before his death, wondering what the political fallout of his death would be on health care reform, and how the right would react to it with indifference, if not hostility.

Of course, that guilt vanished after reading Malkinvania's reaction.

The U.S. Senator from Massachusetts succumbed to brain cancer at the age of 77 tonight. Put aside your ideological differences for an appropriate moment and mark this passing with solemnity.

There is a time and place for political analysis and criticism. Not now.

Yes, there will be a nauseating excess of MSM hagiographies and lionizations — and crass calls to pass the health care takeover to memorialize his death.

That’s no excuse to demonstrate the same lack of restraint in the other direction. Not now.

Yeah, no time for criticism. Sure. Nice restraint there, honey. Ed Driscoll makes the same attacks over at Pajamas, Patterico can't find a single nice thing to say about the man, Robert Stacy McCain goes straight for Chappaquiddick and Ann Althouse warns of exactly the attack I called yesterday, that no matter what actually happens, Wingnuts will say Kennedy's death is being used for political gain by Obama.

Wingnuts. Still as classy as ever. But there isn't a person alive who should be surprised by this, given the virulent reaction by the right to Kennedy receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this month.

It should be even less surprising given Rush Limbaugh's comments in March:

On his radio show Friday, Rush Limbaugh suggested that Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) would be dead by the time health care reform legislation passes. "Before it's all over, it'll be called the Ted Kennedy memorial health care bill," the talk show host says.

It was the right who made Ted Kennedy's illness and subsequent death a political issue first. Just keep that in mind as the attacks keep rolling in. Remember what I said yesterday:

Hell, why not go for the full Five Dragons Wingnut Special platter and start in with the rumors that Obama had Kennedy killed in order to force Republicans to pass health care legislation? I wonder how long it'll take before that little gem makes it to El Rushbo/Glennsanity.

Given the circumstances, before the end of the week. Possibly before the end of the day.