A great Ted Kennedy speech.

I listened to part of it today on C-Span radio. (I'm a geek -- I admit it) . We tend to think of him as a figure of fun, but teh old warrior is pretty sharp.

washingtonpost.com: Kennedy Assails Bush Policies

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) yesterday lambasted the Bush administration's domestic and foreign policies as dangerously divisive, and warned Democrats that they will rebound at the polls only if they "stand up and speak out" for their core principles.

In his annual speech to the National Press Club, Kennedy sharpened his earlier challenge to President Bush's policy on Iraq, arguing that weapons inspections are working and that North Korea and domestic terrorism pose more imminent threats to the United States. The critique was one of the broadest and sharpest attacks on Bush policies since the president took office two years ago, and had particular significance because it came from one of the Democrats' most powerful figures on Capitol Hill.

While Kennedy did not specifically criticize the dozen Senate Democrats who supported Bush's 2001 tax cuts or others who have been hesitant to criticize the Iraq policy, he said the 2002 elections demonstrated there is "no assured political safety in just going along with President Bush."