Taking up Kennedy's legacy, Johnson declared that 'no memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the Civil Rights Bill for which he fought so long.' Johnson and Dirksen established a strong bipartisan alliance in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, precluding the possibility of a Senate filibuster defeating the bill. The Johnson administration attempted to mediate the conflict, but communicated through Fortas and others that it would not oppose Israeli military action.