Over the years, I've been deeply moved by the people who've told me they wish they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did w… - Caroline Kennedy

I have admired Joe Biden since I was a Senate intern, in 1974. He was a new senator, devout Catholic, and devoted father to two young sons who had just lost their mother and sister. Teddy recognized him as someone who shared his belief that government should always be on the side of those who need help. In their own families and beyond, they gave others strength in times of loss. They never stopped listening to those who were struggling and treated everyone with dignity. They fought for working families. They worked across the aisle to get the best deal possible and battled to protect the gains they had won. They shared an empathy for others and a commitment to service over self.

If you're no longer being denied a job because of your race, gender or disability or you've seen a rise in the minimum wage you're being paid, Teddy is your senator, too. And for children who are receiving health care thanks to the Children's Health Insurance Program, if you see a nurse at a community health center or if you are benefiting from the Medicare program that he fought to create – and just last month he returned to the Senate to save – Teddy is your senator, too. If you're a child who is getting an early boost in life through Head Start or attending a better school or can go to college because a Pell Grant has made it more affordable – Teddy is your senator, too. And if you're an eighteen-year-old who's going to vote for the first time – and I bet it will be for Barack Obama – Teddy's your senator, too.

But it's the life he's led that is the true source of this inspiration – a life spent fighting for ordinary people in neighborhoods and courts in the state Senate and in the United States Senate. I've never had someone inspire me the way people tell me my father inspired them, but I do now – Barack Obama. And I know someone else who has been inspired all over again by Senator Obama. In our family, he's 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's 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.