Teddy Kennedy as Cindy Sheehan

Liberals have great use for the dead; unable to defend the abduction of their life stories, they can be manipulated in any way necessary without protest; criticism of such re-writing of history is the only thing deemed disrespectful of the dead.

Remember the "absolute moral authority" of Cindy Sheehan, who used her son Casey's death to launch a personal anti-war campaign that every media outlet and left-wing group hitched their wagon to? Never mind that Casey was a model soldier and enthusiastic patriot; his mother left his grave unmarked and lie in it for photos while the media hailed her with kudos - iconic earth-mother , indeed...

Well, despite media enthusiasm for her cause - end the war, death to Bush, viva Chavez, et al, she was widely viewed as a nutcase by middle America, and her self-serving jihad based upon the desecrated memory of a fallen soldier faltered. The media dumped her like ten pounds of sh*t in a five pound bag (God forbid she should embarrass Nancy or Baracky!), and looked for a new liberal icon, preferably one who had the stench of death on him, so that their cause could be advanced without criticism.

And so we have the demise of Ted Kennedy, perfectly placed in the midst of the battle to create/prevent socialized medicine in the United States, one beloved by liberals and their handmaidens in the mainstream media. And so, instead of stories asking (hoping) whether Cindy Sheehan can end the war in Iraq, we get stories like these:

Health Overhaul Backers Seek Boost by Citing Kennedy’s Support

Democrats are invoking the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s commitment to universal health-care coverage in seeking regain political momentum to pass a U.S. health overhaul plan by the end of the year.

“Ted Kennedy’s dream of quality health care for all Americans will be made real this year because of his leadership and his inspiration,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said

Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd, a Democrat who shepherded a health-reform measure through Kennedy’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, said he hoped his colleague’s death “would remind people to calm down” and debate “in more civil tones about what needs to be done, because that’s what Teddy would do.”

Ah. So the late Senator's "inspiration" will help insure the passage of health care reform, and it will be done in "civil tones", because that's what Teddy would want.

In other words, we're passing heath care reform, and you naysayers better shut the hell up. After all, it's what we claim Teddy would have wanted. So lie down and take it, lest I curse you with a decree of "dishonor to the dead".

But using his name to wage partisan warfare and disrespect the wishes of the republic is fine, by the lights of the Left and the media.

Let's hope the Democrats have as much success using Teddy's death as a bludgeon as Cindy Sheehan did with her late son....