Satan with Wings

I recently spent the day listening to talk radio and the gushings of many anonymous callers extolling Ted Kennedy's virtues ("He pinned the Purple Heart on me." "He saved my ill daughters life.", "He regularly goes to church." etc.) I was actually quite taken aback by the degree of adoration shown to Edward Moore Kennedy on his passing. But, this being Massachusetts, I was not shocked. After all he was returned to the Senate seven times by the voters here. However, to balance these kudos, there are many negatives that will hound Ted Kennedy well past his interment -- he "borked" Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas; he championed the legalizing of millions of illegal immigrants in 1965; he was a bosom buddy to the despots, Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega; he abetted the drowning of a young lady and then lied about his actions; he sullied his Senate position with his boozing and his womanizing; he kept slicing the salami aiming toward socialized medicine, etc., etc. Despite all these failings, many in the Bay State still went aflutter as his shadow passed. He was affectionately known as the "lion of the Senate" but, as Rush Limbaugh recently said, yes, and "we were his prey."

So was he an angel or its doppelganger -- a seraph with horns or Satan with wings? Each of us will come down one one side or another of this question. But, I for one, can't bring myself to genuflect.