Nearly every piece of civil rights and other social policy legislation in the past 40 years had his backing, which always seemed to be energetic and enthusiastic.

His well-known personal flaws effectively disqualified him from ever becoming President, but he appeared to evolve into an even more effective legislator after giving up his Presidential ambitions.

I think the most important lesson of his life is how much can really be accomplished if one reaches across to one's opponents and cooperates with them in a respectful, bi-partisan manner. In fact, many Republicans today fondly remember "Teddy" both as a strong co-sponsor on important pieces of legislaton and as a good personal friend.