Kennedy stardust lifts party hopes

AILING liberal lion Ted Kennedy summoned up one last roar of defiance for captivated Democrats, vowing that the “dream lives on” through a new generation led by Barack Obama.

Walking gingerly onto the stage barely three months after being diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumour, the 76-year-old war horse sprinkled political stardust across a teary-eyed audience with a bravura display.

The elder statesman of America’s most fabled political dynasty had been expected to miss the convention on health grounds, and was initially expected to be honoured via an eight- minute video.