"I am here tonight to pay tribute to two men who have changed my life, and the life of this country - Barack Obama, and Edward M. Kennedy. Their stories are very different, but they share a commitment to the timeless American ideals of justice and fairness, service and sacrifice, faith and family. Leaders like them come along rarely. But once or twice in a lifetime, they come along just when we need them the most.
"I have never had someone inspire me the way people tell me my father inspired them - but I do now. And I know someone else who's been inspired all over again by Senator Obama.
"In our family, he'll always be known as Uncle Teddy. More than any senator of his generation, or perhaps any generation, Teddy has made life better for people in this country and around the world. For 46 years, he has been so much more than just a Senator for the people of Massachusetts, he's been a Senator for all who believe in a dream that's never died."
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