Horse with No Name

Eager to put the baton of Camelot into the floundering hand of Barack Obama, Democrats will parade the ailing Ted Kennedy in front of the convention two ways tonight.

DENVER - U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, a liberal icon who is battling brain cancer, was in Denver on Monday and may deliver a speech at the Democratic convention.

First, there will be the Ken Burns docu-drama, sure to tap into the deeply felt connection to Bobby and Jack.

NBC's Ann Curry confirmed that the ailing lawmaker was in the Mile High City and might make an appearance at the party gathering.

Then, lumbering on to the stage in a surprise appearance in the midst of his cancer treatments, Ted himself will appear.

On Sunday, the Boston Globe reported that the senior senator for Massachusetts was planning to be in Denver, citing a family confidant. "The whole Kennedy family will be in a special section. It should be quite (a) moment," the person said.

The importance of having Barack assume the mantel of the Kennedy's is understandably significant to Democrats, who have put their money on a horse with no name.

Kennedy's family is also convening in Denver, including sister Jean Kennedy Smith, sister-in-law Ethel, nephews Joe and Stephen Smith, and nieces Kathleen Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy, who will also address the convention.

So they are collecting to make sure that this convention, 40 years after Bobby's run, is awash in the latent emotional power that the deaths of Bobby and Jack carry.

A Kennedy speech is usually a convention highlight, and Kennedy revels in an address that elicits a regular response from the crowd.

Given Kennedy's illness, this year's speech should be especially poignant.