John Kerry

I caught it by accident.
I'd forgotten about this, and was very glad to be reminded.
Like you, he earned my deep respect for that moment of clear truth-telling, reflecting both his political courage and his personal integrity.
Hearing Lautenberg's voting record summarized yesterday, as well as his welcome comments on Kerry's war record and that of chicken hawks, I thought to myself, "His absence will be deeply felt.".. way beyond the Dem vs Republican thing. Although I'll be relieved if we can keep the seat Democratic, I don't see any of the Democratic candidates measuring up to Lautenberg's clear-eyed, non-nonsense liberal commitment, or to his political and personal integrity (But I am not an expert on NJ politics. karynnj, can you help reassure me about the potential for either of the two possible Dem candidates that they can fill Lautenberg's shoes?)