Senator Ted Kennedy accepted an offer from Senator Barack Obama Thursday to take his place as Commencement speaker at Wesleyan University on Sunday. He was catching up on reading and correspondence on Cape Cod, after spending five days in the hospital.

Praise continued to pour in from across the political spectrum and from around the world. Most of his Catholic bishop friends chose to share their good wishes privately. But former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney referred to him as "the top of the heap" in state politics. President George Bush called him "a powerful spirit." Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, said, "He's like a brother to me. I love him. I love the Kennedy family." Senator Hillary Clinton called him "one of the greatest legislators in Senate history." Fellow Catholic Senator Sam Brownback led a GOP Senate luncheon in prayer for him.

Mrs Vicki Kennedy sent an email, reprinted in the Boston Globe, expressing thanks to their many friends and well-wishers. Senator Kennedy had requested staff briefings during his hospitalization, which came as no surprise to the Washington insiders who have long recognized his Senate office as one of the busiest on Capitol Hill.

Much has been written the past few days about his accomplishments and his place in modern history, and the ongoing suffering in Iraq is one among many reminders of how one senator can serve as the conscience of a nation. It is worth re-reading the speech he gave on October 7, 2002, calling on all Americans to stand up against the exceptionalism of unilateral war--six months before the invasion of Iraq.