Daniel Patrick Moynihan has died. It's well worth reading the long obituary; he was a remarkable man, who was involved in our times at a very high level.
In some ways, Sen. Moynihan (together with Sen. Byrd) personified the Idea of the Senate. The Senate can be, and on occasion is, not just a legislative body but a truly deliberative one, where some of our best minds (of the deliberative sort) can get together and debate important policy issues. It does happen on television talk shows, and Sen. Moynihan was part of that, too, but there is the opportunity for it to happen at a very high level in the Senate, as long as there are people like Sen. Moynihan present.
Of course, I do not agree with every position he took over the years, in the Senate or in his appointed positions. That's OK; that's democracy and all. It's nice, though, to remember, on occasion, watching him on C-Span and learning something, even being persuaded on occasion.
I hope he will be missed. I hope that he has been missed, in our Upper House, since he retired a couple of years ago. I hope that his death will remind some of our Senators, and some of us who choose them, what the Senate can be.
Thank you,
-Vardibidian.