The news that Sen. Ted Kennedy had been diagnosed with a brain tumor hit Congress hard on Tuesday, as lawmakers contemplated a Senate without a Kennedy for the first time since JFK was President.

Not many Senators are commonly referred to by their first name, but "Teddy" is.  Love him or hate him (and a lot of people fall into both camps) he will always have a special place in the history of the Congress.

Only two Senators have served longer than Kennedy, and I have had the pleasure of seeing all of them at work.  Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) holds the record of 49 years.  Strom Thurmond (R-SC) is second.  

The 90 year old Byrd, himself getting more and more infirm by the day, broke down in tears on the Senate floor when he spoke of his high regard for the Massachusetts Democrat.

"Thank God for you, Ted.  Thank God for you," an emotional Byrd said, sitting at his Senate desk, now unable to stand for lengthy periods.

About the time that I started working as a reporter in the Congress in the mid 1980's, Teddy was on the prowl.  He was divorced, and was simply having a lot of fun, sometimes too much fun.

There was the infamous incident at the Capitol Hill restaurant La Brasserie involving Kennedy and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT.)  You can google it for yourself.

Dodd and Kennedy have been good friends for years, but back then, they were constant companions when the Senate worked late.

Dodd and Kennedy both have "hideaway" offices back behind the space where Radio-TV reporters work out of the Capitol.  Kennedy's has a window that looks right down the National Mall, with a big painting of his brother, the President, over the fireplace.

There were nights when you would see a food cart being rolled back there and when votes were called, Kennedy and Dodd would come rumbling out and head down to the floor.  It was clear they were having a good time, as many lawmakers do in Washington, D.C.

Finally Teddy got himself in order, cleaned up his act and got married in 1992.  The late nights and the gossip finally went away.

One thing that I will give Sen. Kennedy is that he knows in order to get something done, you must to cut deals with the other party.  That means you get some of what you wanted, but not everything.

Many voters regard negotiating as a weakness, rather than a virtue.  I think that's unfortunate, because progress is difficult when you accept only the whole political loaf, and not half a loaf.

Now as for the title of this blog, "Senator Line Level."

I coined that back in the late 1980's, because at news conferences, Teddy always spoke so much louder than anyone else in the room. 

On a tape recorder, you have a Microphone input, which accepts lower levels of sound and a Line In, which takes much more powerful audio.  You get the picture.

On the floor, Teddy always seems to start off calmly and then winds himself up into a Legislative Rage, as he earns his nickname.

I do always find one thing very interesting about the Senate, and the House for that matter.  When a lawmaker takes ill or dies, there is grief, much like the grief experienced when a family member dies.  And it is bi partisan in nature, not a show for the cameras.

Kennedy's career will end one day, just as Strom Thurmond's did and as Robert C. Byrd's will as well.  All three have stains on their personal stories.  But all three will be remembered as Senate giants.