[...] that Kennedy could go down in history with the likes of Daniel Webster - the giant of the Senate in the first half of the 19th century - would have been inconceivable at many points in his career, as he weathered crises both personal and professional, tragic and scandalous. Senate colleagues who had long admired his work ethic began to see in the bipartisan coalitions he built to advance his health and education agenda the skill of a true master of legislative politics.