BEST AND WORST US SENATORS

Time magazine recently listed a ranking of the 10 best and worst United States Senators. Not surprising that Ted Kennedy is on the list of the former. Kennedy has spent most of his adult life in the US Senate and has accumulated a record of legislative accomplishments that is probably second to none. However, what really struck me about this piece in Time is how it described him in the first paragraph, that "the key to his legacy is not that he is determined to stick up for his principles. It's that he is willing to compromise on them." I feel that this is one of the truisms of life that doesn't often get mentioned, i.e. sometimes to get shit done, we need to compromise on our ideals to create a win-win situation. An unyielding attitude towards compromise is, after all, just another excuse for intransigence.