If this was you or me???

[LuvBigRip]

WASHINGTON — Although Rep. Patrick Kennedy says he didn't ask for preferential treatment after he crashed his car into a barrier in an early morning accident, a police union official says that may not be the case.

Kennedy, who crashed his Ford Mustang into the barrier on Capitol Hill early Thursday morning, has denied that he was under the influence of alcohol, and said he was taking prescriptions for nausea and sleeplessness, including the sleep-aid drug, Ambien. The Rhode Island Democrat reportedly was seen staggering from his car after the accident. Kennedy claims he was late for a vote, several hours after the House had finished for the evening.

"I never asked for any preferential treatment," Kennedy told FOX News early Friday. Asked if he received any, he said: "That's up for the police to decide, and I'm going to cooperate fully with them."

Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed.

Cannon said the officers who responded to the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home and no sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.

A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. EDT. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Capitol Police were seen entering Kennedy's Cannon Office Building office Thursday evening.

Kennedy said in a statement that the attending physician for Congress on Tuesday had prescribed Phenergan to treat Kennedy for gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Kennedy said he later found out it could cause drowsiness.

Kennedy said that after working Wednesday evening he went home and took prescribed amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, which he said the congressional doctor also had prescribed, and he takes occasionally.

"Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote. Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication," Kennedy said in the statement. He said he had the accident, and, "At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol."

Kennedy spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College. He has been open about mental health issues, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., is the congressman's father.

Sen. Kennedy has canceled two public events Friday, one at a Manhattan elementary school, and another at a book signing later in the day.

[mnvdriver]

There is more to him than is revealed in this article.

[LuvBigRip]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Friday that he will enter a drug rehabilitation program after crashing his car on Capitol Hill a day earlier, CNN has learned.

Police labor union officials said earlier that officers were told not to give the Rhode Island Democrat a sobriety test after his traffic mishap.

Superiors told the officers instead to drive Kennedy home after the accident early Thursday, according to Greg Baird, acting chairman of the U.S. Capitol Police union, who called for an inquiry.

The Capitol Police said Friday that it's investigating the accident, the procedures followed and whether the evidence would support traffic charges.

Kennedy, son of Sen. Ted Kennedy, said Thursday he was apparently disoriented by prescription medication when he crashed his car into a barricade on Capitol Hill.

The lawmaker, 39, said police drove him home afterward but that he did not "ask for any special consideration."

Asked if he thought he got preferential treatment, Kennedy said, "That's up for the police to decide, and I'm going to cooperate fully with them."

Police reported seeing Kennedy's car swerve before the crash.

The police report, seen by CNN, includes an observation that Kennedy appeared to have been drinking and his ability was impaired.

"At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol," Kennedy said in a statement.

The report shows Kennedy was cited for three infractions -- failure to keep a proper lane, unreasonable speed and failure to give full time and attention to the operation of a vehicle.

According to the report, Sgt. Kenneth Weaver said he saw Kennedy's vehicle "traveling at a high rate of speed in a construction zone and also swerving into the wrong lane of travel" with its lights off.

Weaver said Kennedy's vehicle hit a curb and swerved back into the wrong lane. He said he was driving east and used "evasive maneuvers in order to avoid a collision" with Kennedy's car.

The officer said he turned around and pursued Kennedy, whose car did not stop but did slow, "finally stopping after colliding head-on with a vehicle barrier."

The report said that when Weaver approached Kennedy he noticed that his "eyes were red and watery, speech was slightly slurred, and upon exiting his vehicle, his balance was unsure."

Officers at the scene said he appeared intoxicated, law enforcement and congressional officials said.

Baird said when two sergeants arrived at the accident scene after the initial two officers, they conferred with the watch lieutenant on duty.

Afterward, the sergeants told the other officers to drive Kennedy home. His car had been damaged, police said.

"I think he was extended a courtesy by virtue of his position," union President Lou Cannon told CNN. Cannon was not at the scene of the crash.

Capitol Police declined CNN's request for an interview Friday.

[Jolie Rouge]

WRKO talk show host Howie Carr has a police report from a separate Pat Kennedy car crash two weeks ago:

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/kennedycarr.jpg

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/kennedycarr002.jpg

Check out Rep. Kennedy's handwriting!

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/kennedycarr003.jpg


Jason Smith compares that scrawl with Kennedy's normal penmanship:

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/kenn.jpg


Reader Gene e-mails:


Good grief, I just read the police / accident report from the Kennedy accident in Rhode Island. Some observations: Kennedy was clearly the "at fault" driver, he turned left directly into the path of an on-coming car.

Did he get cited?

Can't tell.

Both operators filled out a statement. The other driver's is detailed (15 lines of fairly small printing) and looks ordinary. Kennedy's is so scribbled it cannot even be said that it looks like a child. It is very short (2 1/2 lines of larger "printing"), few of the words can even be read, and the writing goes all over the place (up - down - sideways).

In spite of what the officer wrote, there is no way an unimpaired person writes like that. Kennedy can't even legibly write his name or address, let alone the narrative details. Saturday morning at 10:00 am - anyone impaired at that time of the morning has a REAL problem.

Kennedy's vehicle is owned by "Friends of Patrick Kennedy, Inc." Hum, he doesn't even own the car he drives in this home state? When and to whom did Kennedy report the details of this accident in which he crashed into a member of the public? How much delay was there before he reported it and why would he delay the reporting? What's good for the VP goose is good for the Congressman gander.

The other operator is insured by USAA, meaning he has some military connection - active - Reserve, Guard or retired.


***


Fausta at The Bad Hair Blog notes something important about Kennedy's claim that he was late to a vote ( in regard to second crash ) : http://badhairblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/an...-car-crash.html (http://badhairblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/another-kennedy-car-crash.html)


Late to a vote? One would think that answer showed he was drunk, but he was claiming something else: More like claiming (diplomatic) Constitutional immunity.

United States Constitution,

Section 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

Patrick claims he no alcohol prior to the incident.

And if he did, it sure didn't affect his memory of the Constitution.


Was Patrick Kennedy Hammered Again?

http://www.texasrainmaker.com/2006/05/04/w...hammered-again/ (http://www.texasrainmaker.com/2006/05/04/was-patrick-kennedy-hammered-again/)


Reader Chuck e-mails:


Why is it that Kennedy will largely get a pass by the press and will be treated with kid gloves and Rush Limbaugh gets excoriated for exactly the same problem? Gee. Do you really think the press is biased? Naw.


Reader RB e-mails:


Well, at least the "addiction" (aka, an "It's not my fault and I won't be responsible for my actions" excuse) may explain why he was going to the CVS on 15 Apr when he had an accident. Unanswered questions:

Who has prescribed drugs for Pat? When? For what? How many?

Was he "on drugs" when he had the 15 Apr 06 accident?

Why hasn't the media picked up on the 15 Apr 06 accident?

Two accidents in two weeks under similar circumstances - how much does it take for Pat to get a clue?

Did the physician(s) review his current prescriptions for possible interactions? Did they brief Pat on the effects? Were the medications properly labeled? Can Pat even read?



Patrick Kennedy - There's Something Else Wrong With This Story
May 04, 2006

Blogs are buzzing over Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) and a possible DWI which seems to have gone uninvestigated up until now. But in looking around, there's something else peculiar as regards Kennedy and a recent driving accident. Stay with me, I'll make it quick.

Drudge points to another recent accident:
http://drudgereport.com/flash3.htm

This morning's incident comes just over two weeks after Kennedy was involved in a car accident in Rhode Island.

Google news doesn't have it, it's almost nowhere to be found. Though I did find two mentions of it - here and here
http://www.rightnation.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=102005
http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_...ck_kennedy.html (http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2006/05/patrick_kennedy.html)

A call was placed to his Rhode Island office yesterday, but was not returned. I am somewhat puzzled by the police officer’s description of Patches’ physical condition: “Appeared Normal.”

Yet, during the same time frame, Kennedy was in the news for an accident which caused him to miss at least one appearance and receive several stitches to his mouth.

The hammer's head flew off and struck Kennedy in the face. Blood everywhere . Kennedy was rushed to the hospital to get six stitches in his lip.

The congressman canceled appearances yesterday. "He's kind of on the mend," said press secretary Robin Costello . "The injury is right to the bottom lip, so it's a little tough to talk."

The famed Kennedy teeth, however, were uninjured.

The emerging story looks bad enough given that Kennedy is one of the DC politicians who impose Federal guidelines linked to dollars for local DWI enforcement resulting in road blocks and such for the average American and no end of public education dollars spent on the serious issue of driving drunk.

But given the total lack of news coverage around another alleged recent car accident and the hammer story, I'm wondering if there isn't a little more going on besides a possible cover up of events last night.

Hopefully there still is something at least called the public trust and someone in the DC power structure, or the MSM has the honesty to start asking some serious questions of Representative Kennedy.

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_...ck_kennedy.html (http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2006/05/patrick_kennedy.html)

[Jolie Rouge]

Pat K fails Rhode test: Boy blunder didn’t have right—or write—of way
Boston Herald -- By Howie Carr, Boston Herald Columnist
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - Updated: 01:05 AM EST


A male member of the Kennedy family has been involved in an automobile accident that was totally his fault.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

Fortunately, this time no one suffocated in a ’67 Oldsmobile Delmont at the bottom of a tidal pond.

Come on down, Patches Kennedy, Boy Congressman from Rhode Island.

And what’s up with Patches this spring? First he takes a hammer to the mouth in Pawtucket, and now he’s driving around Rhode Island like an idiot, or should I say, a Kennedy?

Does Patches have some issues - I mean, other than the ones we already know about, the “medications,” the boat, the women, the fact that he’s more incoherent than his worthless father and is generally dumber than two rocks.

This time, the question must be asked, what’s up with Patches’ handwriting? Check out the Portsmouth Police Department accident report he filled out. Is that the handwriting of a 38-year-old member of Congress?

It looks like it was written by a chimpanzee, or a 2-year-old.

Or a Kennedy.

It was Saturday, April 15 - Tax Day, not that that means much to a Kennedy. They want to raise your taxes, not theirs. Just ask Ted which state they filed Grandma’s will in. (Hint: it wasn’t Massachusetts.)

Patches’ trust fund bought him a house in Portsmouth, R.I., a few years back. On this Tax Day, at 10 a.m., he was on his way to the local drug store - fill in your own Patches Kennedy-at-the-DRUG-store joke here. It was a CVS.

Patches was behind the wheel of a 2003 Crown Vic - a gas guzzler, but then, like taxes, fuel conservation is something for the Little People to worry about, not one of the Beautiful People. The Ford is owned, by the way, by The Friends of Pat Kennedy, Inc. Must be nice.

So Patches is trying to turn off Turnpike Avenue into the CVS parking lot, and he’s in a hurry . . . if you know what I mean. Why should a Kennedy have to wait until the car with the right of way goes by in the other direction?

As one witness put it:

“A vehicle was in front of V#2 (the Patches mobile) making a left into CVS, and that V#2 turned directly behind the unidentified vehicle turning without hesitation.”

Didn’t the other driver know who he was?

The other motorist, a 46-year-old guy from Bristol, slammed his 2000 Nissan into Patches’ Crown Vic. By Kennedy standards, it was a fender-bender. Not only did not a single blonde die, no one was even paralyzed, or raped. Of course, Patches’ no doubt extremely urgent trip to the drugstore was delayed, which may be the cause of his almost indecipherable scribbling. Dammit, he needed some more . . . shampoo?

A call was placed to his Rhode Island office yesterday, but was not returned. I am somewhat puzzled by the police officer’s description of Patches’ physical condition:

“Appeared Normal.”

http://www.rightnation.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=102005

[Jolie Rouge]

Via AP, here are the various statements now on the record:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/05/AR2006050500866_pf.html


Kennedy's first statement, released by his press secretary:
"I was involved in a traffic incident last night at First and C Street SE near the US Capitol. I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident. I will fully cooperate with the Capitol Police in whatever investigation they choose to undertake."

___

Kennedy's full written statement:

"Last Tuesday, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress treated me for Gastroenteritis. The Attending Physician prescribed Phenergan, an anti-nausea medication, which in addition to treating Gastroenteritis, I now know can cause drowsiness and sedation.

Following the last series of votes on Wednesday evening, I returned to my home on Capitol Hill and took the prescribed amount of Phenergan and Ambien, which was also prescribed by the Attending Physician some time ago and I occasionally take to fall asleep. Some time around 2:45am, I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote. Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication. At that time, I was involved in a one-car incident in which my car hit the security barrier at the corner of 1st and C St., SE. At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol.

At the time of the accident, I was instructed to park my car and was driven home by the United States Capitol Police. At no time did I ask for any special consideration, I simply complied with what the officers asked me to do.

I have the utmost respect for the United States Capitol Police and the job they do to keep Members of Congress and the Capitol Complex safe. I have contacted the Chief of Capitol Police and offered to meet with police representatives at their earliest convenience as I intend to cooperate fully with any investigation they choose to undertake."

___

From the Capitol Police on their Web site:

"The United States Capitol Police are continuing to investigate a traffic accident that occurred early Thursday morning, May 4, 2006 at the intersection of 1st and C Street, SE. In addition to determining the existence of any evidence that would support traffic charges, the Department is also reviewing steps taken during the initial accident investigation to ensure compliance with existing policies and procedures."

[Jolie Rouge]

Mary Jo Kopechne was unavailable for comment.

[Jolie Rouge]

Drinks at the Hawk & Dove: $40
Phenergan & Ambien: $75
Crashing your Mustang convertible while intoxicated: $4,000
Being driving home by Capitol Police: PRICELESS



http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/kennlunde.jpg

[Jolie Rouge]

PATRICK KENNEDY SHOULD RESIGN

Nope, I didn't say it. Here's the call from a commenter at--yes, it's true--The Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2006/5/5/15728/53644/20#c20


Patrick Kennedy's in a lot of pain; I feel sympathy.

But if he can't remember even getting into his car, if he was in rehab over Christmas, if there's an allegation he'd been drinking before the accident -- well maybe he needs to resign.

Here's the problem folks: most Americans who aren't partisans truly believe the democrats and The Republicans are "all the same" and that the power-elite takes care of its own.

Democrats can talk about Abramoff and Cunningham and the Republicans' toothless ethics bill, but so long as the People see us as just the "other side of the coin", they have little reason to go to the polls to vote for Dems.

Now we've got Congressman William Jefferson who despite allegations of bribery won't resign, and Patrick Kennedy who announces he's "going to vote" and so dodges a Breathalyzer test, and now will go into rehab rather than resign.

This gives all the justification in the world to independents who will say that the Dems are "just as bad" and that "all of them are corrupt".

The Democratic Party needs to show it's different, that it's not a club of the elite taking care of the elite.

Much as I feel for Congressman Kennedy, it's time for him for his own good and for the good of the Party, to resign with dignity.

[hblueeyes]

If this were any of us we would have lost our license the first time and our butts would be sitting in jail.

Me :p

[Njean31]

the whole clan makes me nauseated. i think i need a phenergen now :rolleyes:

[silkprint]

Isn't he the one also that has the nasty little temper? Wasn't he videotaped a few years ago almost getting physical with an airport worker that was just dooing her job?

[Aloha from paradise]

It just goes to show you that if you have a famous last name and lots of $$$$ you can get out of anything. :mad: :mad:

[Jolie Rouge]

Car crash adds another twist to Kennedy saga
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Saturday May 6, 2006
The Guardian

The Kennedy family saga of tragedy and scandal took another turn yesterday when Patrick Kennedy, a Democratic congressman, said he was checking himself into a drug rehab programme after crashing his car into a police barricade.
Mr Kennedy, a Democrat from Rhode Island and the son of Massachusetts' Senator Ted Kennedy and nephew of John F Kennedy, told a press conference he had decided to seek treatment for addiction to prescription painkillers because he had no recollection of the accident.

The Congressman nearly drove his green Mustang head-on into a patrol car before crashing into a barrier outside the Capitol in Washington in the early hours of Thursday morning.

He is reported to have told police at the scene that he was on his way to cast a vote.

Mr Kennedy's admission of an addiction to painkillers came only hours after police released an incident report saying the he had appeared drunk, and had staggered from his car smelling of alcohol.

Mr Kennedy was not given a sobriety test, and was driven home by police, raising charges of preferential treatment for a member of America's most famous political dynasty. In his news conference yesterday, Mr Kennedy made no mention of alcohol, but repeated that he had been taking a combination of medicine prescribed by doctors for stomach flu and sleeping problems.

The Congressman , who has been open about his lifelong history of addiction and depression, said he had been treated at the Mayo clinic in Minnesota over the Christmas recess, but said he was still struggling with the disease.

There was no indication that Mr Kennedy, a member of Congress since 1988, intended to stand down at November's mid-term elections. However, the episode drew inescapable parallels to the fatal car crash in 1969 that irretrievably damaged his father's career.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1768874,00.html

[cavemtmomma]

"They'd arrest anyone else
but when the Kennedys screw up
They use their wealth."
I bet a few on this thread remember that one! LOL!
Mega Dittos :D

[iluvmybaby]

Jay Leno made a joke saying this is the first time a Kennedy has gotten in an accident where alchoal WASNT involved

[Jolie Rouge]

What's in a Name? Plenty If It's Kennedy
By Howard Kurtz -- Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 8, 2006; Page C01

It's hard to imagine that Patrick Kennedy would have gotten elected to Congress a dozen years ago without his last name.

It's equally hard to imagine that the media would be going wild about his late-night car crash and prescription drug addiction if he weren't a Kennedy.

The only lingering mystery is why national news organizations didn't pounce earlier on the Rhode Island Democrat's long history of alcohol and drug abuse, depression and a series of downright embarrassing incidents.

The answer in large measure is that Kennedy hasn't been a very important House member. But given the journalistic obsession with the Kennedy family and its tragicomic soap opera, he does seem to have gotten an easy ride -- except in the New England press, which has chronicled his every misstep.

While Kennedy, the 38-year-old son of Ted Kennedy, was widely reported to have held a news conference Friday, it was nothing of the sort. He read a statement designed to elicit sympathy, saying he was going into rehab, and took no questions. This amounted to an age-old damage-control technique: changing the subject.

Kennedy refused to respond to questions about his crashing into a Capitol police barrier at 2:45 a.m. Thursday and whether he had been drinking -- as one Hill bartender told the Boston Herald -- or, as he has maintained, was in a stupor caused by Ambien and another prescription drug. The story gained the whiff of a cover-up when a Capitol Police supervisor blocked any sobriety test.

When national news organizations last week began throwing together their congressman-in-trouble profiles -- along with the inevitable Ambien sidebars -- there was a long list of local clips to pore over.

In 1991, while a state representative, Kennedy acknowledged -- following a National Enquirer story -- having used cocaine as a teenager, but said he had kicked the habit years earlier by checking into a treatment center.

In 2000 alone, Kennedy got into a scuffle with an airport security guard, who said he shoved her during an argument about oversize luggage; admitted taking antidepressants; was accused by a charter company of causing $28,000 in damage to a rented sailboat; and, after a few drinks and an argument, had a distraught date call the Coast Guard to be rescued from his chartered yacht.

Just last month, Kennedy hit another car in a Rhode Island parking lot.

Relatively little of this drew significant national coverage. Among the brief mentions in the New York Times, a 2002 piece on Kennedy's reelection campaign included a paragraph on his personal problems, quoting the congressman as saying: "If you are a Kennedy, people always make more of such things than really exists, and the true Kennedy haters just won't let go of it."

More typical were earlier Times pieces headlined "Wielding the Kennedy Name for the Good of His Party" and "Kennedy With Oomph (and Moneybags) Is Patrick." A 2000 Los Angeles Times piece on Kennedy's money-raising prowess said he can be a "hothead" who "almost came to blows" with a Republican lawmaker. The Washington Post covered a couple of the incidents as gossip items and ran such short news stories as "Rep. Kennedy Hopes to Quit House Fundraising Post."

Kennedy has gotten rougher treatment in his home region, where Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr last week called him "generally dumber than two rocks."

It's difficult not to feel sympathy for Kennedy, who grew up in a relentlessly scrutinized family in which two of his uncles were murdered. But soft-focus media coverage has given him plenty of chances, far more than would be accorded a run-of-the-mill congressman with his history of self-inflicted wounds.

Thanks to his Capitol fender-bender, however, that is likely to change.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/07/AR2006050701097.html

Patrick Kennedy & Double Standards
05/05 04:37 PM

I don't wish anyone ill, except our nation's enemies. It's a good thing that Patrick Kennedy is going back into rehab. But I am very angry.

For nearly three years we witnessed the persecution of Rush Limbaugh, who became addicted to painkillers resulting from back and neck problems. We witnessed leaks by prosecutors who spread lies about him being involved in money laundering, drug rings, and doctor shopping. But the media happily repeated them. Some mocked him.

Rush got help. He has been clean for years. And in most cases, when someone becomes addicted to prescription drugs for the first time, the matter is eventually dropped. Most jurisdictions have set up drug courts for this very purpose. But that didn't stop the state prosecutor in Palm Beach County from spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars pursuing Rush.

Early on, prosecutors claimed they had evidence of over ten felonies. They demanded that Rush plead guilty to some felony—any felony. He refused, always insisting on his innocence. So, they leaked more lies to the media, hoping to intimidate him. They seized his medical records. They gave his medical records to the media. The media took those records and turned them into graphics for television. Reporters and commentators were studying his prescriptions, discussing both the kinds and amount of medicine he had taken. They were beside themselves with glee. Newsweek, AP and the Palm Beach Post, Rush's local paper, were especially vicious, serving as lap-dogs for the prosecutors.

In court, Rush fought these people every step of the way—all the way to the Florida Supreme Court. He spent millions of dollars defending himself—despite the fact that he had been a first-time abuser, went to rehab, and was clean. And then last October, the lead prosecutor sauntered into court and in response to questioning told the judge—we have no evidence that Rush Limbaugh has committed any crime! None.

So, I am very angry. You will hear commentator after commentator speaking sympathetically about Patrick Kennedy and his addiction to painkillers. You will hear people say that he is addicted, he has a serious health problem, he deserves to be praised for his forthrightness today, and we should leave him alone. And many of these commentators will be the same people who were giddy in their ceaseless attacks on Rush.

I am angry at the double standard, where liberals are regularly treated one way and conservatives another. I am also glad Patrick Kennedy won't be abused as Rush was. But you can be sure that the next conservative with a problem won't be treated like Kennedy.

But there are some aspects to the Kennedy matter that require answers. If Patrick Kennedy, who is not a first offender, is addicted to painkillers, from where did he get them? And there are news reports that he had been drinking earlier at a Capitol Hill bar and alcohol was later smelled on his breath. So, why was the officer on the scene prevented by more senior police officers from performing a routine sobriety test?

I truly wish Patrick Kennedy well. But you bet I'm angry.

http://levin.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MDljMzgxOTU0MmFhZDY3NDk2ZmFkNzMzMDMyMzYxZWE=

[Jolie Rouge]

R.I. Democrats back Rep. Kennedy’s re-election
Party endorses lawmaker receiving drug treatment after Capitol crash
EXCLUSIVELY ON MSNBC.COM
Updated: 10:03 a.m. ET May 9, 2006


WEST WARWICK, R.I. - Democrats endorsed an absent Rep. Patrick Kennedy, being treated for addiction to prescription pain drugs, for re-election Monday night at their state convention.

Kennedy checked into the Mayo Clinic on Friday for his second stay in less than five months after a middle-of-the-night car crash near the Capitol on Thursday that he said he couldn’t remember. It was his second car crash in three weeks.

Republicans have said Kennedy should step aside because he can’t fulfill his duties. But Democratic leaders said Monday night that he has done a good job and deserves support in his battle with addiction. “We do not walk away from our friends,” Democratic Party Chairman Bill Lynch said.

Kennedy has talked openly about battling addiction and mental health problems for years. He was treated for a cocaine addiction as a teenager and has since said he was in recovery for alcoholism. He has been diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder.

Many Democrats praised Kennedy for his openness and said the current controversy surrounding him would not exist if he suffered from another disease. “We treat physical illness and mental health very different in this country,” U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin said.

6 terms in Congress

Kennedy has been elected to six terms in Congress. He is the son of Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy and the nephew of President Kennedy and senator and attorney general Robert Kennedy.

His supporters describe him as a hardworking legislator skilled at bringing money back to Rhode Island.

“Patrick Kennedy has a famous last name, but that famous last name is not why people continue to re-elect him,” Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty said. “He has earned the confidence of the people in this state.”

Kennedy sits on the House Appropriations Committee and has said he steered roughly $100 million to Rhode Island in 2005. That money was divided among cities and towns to help them buy equipment for police, upgrade water systems, renovate senior centers and address other local needs, Kennedy’s spokeswoman Robin Costello said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11442711/

[Jolie Rouge]

Thu May 11, 7:21 AM ET
Opinions

Kennedy's accident, treatment ring familiar

It's very sad to see Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., continuing the sad history of his father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. ("Rep. Kennedy's rehab stint may not be career obstacle," News, Monday).

Consider Kennedy's actions: Driving into a security barricade near the Capitol, claiming lack of memory of the incident, possibly drinking to excess, and apparently using whatever influence is available to keep police officers from doing their job as procedures demand.

Kennedy was not processed properly after the accident, likely because political influence was brought to bear. At least he did not endanger any passengers or try to cross any bridges.

Does anyone think Rep. Kennedy would have come forward if the news media hadn't become involved and made the incident public? His ongoing addiction to painkillers or any other substance abuse is an issue for the people of Rhode Island. Also, any political influence that might have hindered a proper investigation should be probed thoroughly.

Lastly, it's sad to see that Patrick Kennedy appears to have learned nothing from the actions of his father many years ago. The acorn truly falls not far from its tree.

Dick Goodrick, Dayton, Nev.


Where is focus?

U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy says he has been strong, focused and productive in his work. This comes from a guy who also says he can't remember waking up in the morning. With focused and productive lawmakers like this, no wonder Congress is in the shape it's in.

Scott Abramson, San Mateo, Calif.



Find better representation

Patrick Kennedy claims he was disoriented only because of medication he was taking - medication that made him believe 2:45 a.m. was the middle of the day and he was late for a vote.

Rhode Island residents, do you really want someone so high on drugs that he doesn't know what time of the day it is or when he voted on critical state issues? Or are you so enthralled with a Kennedy representing you that it doesn't matter?

Dick VanCleave, Fuquay-Varina, N.C.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060511/cm_usatoday/kennedysaccidenttreatmentringfamiliar;_ylt=Au4ob3_ q2zX86YtjudlcdKqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3YWF***A2BHNlYwM 3NDI-

[Jolie Rouge]

Rep. Kennedy Ends Rehab, Returns to R.I.
By MICHELLE R. SMITH

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rep. Patrick Kennedy, fresh from a stint in drug a rehabilitation facility, said Monday he was feeling good and looking forward to getting back to work. ``I can tell you today, I feel confident about my health, positive about my future, and passionate about my work representing the people of Rhode Island,'' Kennedy said during an address at Brown University.

The Rhode Island Democrat and son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., was released on Friday after nearly a month of being treated for addiction to prescription pain medication at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

His talk Monday at a forum on the future of mental health care and addiction treatment was his first public appearance since being released. He spent the weekend visiting family members in Washington before returning to Rhode Island Sunday night.

``Congressman Kennedy's doctors are encouraged by his progress and have worked with him to put in place a stringent system of after care that may include periodic visits to Mayo Clinic for continued health care consultation,'' the institution said in a statement released by Kennedy's office.

The six-term congressman had checked into the Mayo Clinic on May 5, one day after a middle-of-the-night car crash near the Capitol that he said he could not remember. He also had been treated at the clinic over the Christmas holidays.

The accident has raised questions about whether Kennedy, 38, was drinking and had received special treatment by police, who did not conduct field sobriety tests.

Capitol Police cited him for three traffic violations and said he appeared to be intoxicated. Police said Friday they were still investigating the incident.

Kennedy has been a passionate advocate for improved mental health care coverage, speaking publicly about his own battles with depression, alcoholism and substance abuse.

As a high school senior, Kennedy was treated at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College.

Kennedy has been outspoken about wanting to end the stigma of mental health problems, and he has been praised by mental health professionals for being open about his personal struggles.

Rhode Island Democrats endorsed an absent Kennedy for re-election a few days after the crash near the Capitol. But state Republicans have called for him to step down.

``He ought to resign because he can't fulfill his duties as congressman,'' said Chuck Newton, Rhode Island Republican Party spokesman. ``We're a small state and we only have two congressmen, so it really matters if someone can't do the job.''

Jack McConnell, a longtime Kennedy friend and adviser, said he's confident the congressman will overcome any public doubts.

``These first couple of days, he's got a job to do to reassure people he's committed to the job,'' said McConnell. ``I think people are going to be receptive to that. When you are up front about your problems, people tend to cut you slack.''

Associated Press Writer Andrew Miga in Washington contributed to this report.


06/05/06



http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001/20060605/1038466511.htm

[Jolie Rouge]

Kennedy pleads guilty to DUI
By ANDREW MIGA, Associated Press Writer
Tue Jun 13, 11:24 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy has reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs in connection for his middle-of-the-night car crash last month near the U.S. Capitol.

Two additional charges of reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit will be dismissed under the plea agreement reached with prosecutors. "As congressman Kennedy has said all along, he will take full responsibility for his actions and that is what he is doing today," Kennedy's chief of staff, Sean Richardson, said Tuesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060613/ap_on_go_co/patrick_kennedy_1


Driving while a Kennedy

Don't you just love Rep. Patrick Kennedy's excuse for wrecking his car at 2:45 a.m. in the nation's capital?

He swears he wasn't drinking – even though a hostess at a local bar says she saw the chip off Sen. Ted Kennedy's old block hoisting a few just before he crashed into a barricade on Capitol Hill.

He insists instead that he had taken two prescription drugs – the sleep aid Ambien and an anti-nausea drug.

Now let's give Kennedy the benefit of the doubt for a moment. Let's take him at his word. Let's assume the hostess at the bar was mistaken about seeing the congressman guzzling drinks before the accident. Let's just pretend that his story about the prescription drugs is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

What do you suppose would happen to you if you crashed into a barricade on Capitol Hill at 2:45 a.m. and were staggeringly intoxicated by combining prescription drugs?

That's right. You would be unceremoniously thrown into the pokey for driving while intoxicated.

As a lawmaker, Patrick Kennedy should know that we don't just have laws against "drunk driving" in this country. We have laws against driving while intoxicated.

Let me remind Kennedy that booze is still perfectly legal. You don't even need a prescription for it. So, it would seem to me that driving under the influence of drugs so powerful they require a prescription would make this a more serious matter than just being tipsy from a few legal drinks at a bar.

Just listen to Kennedy's own story! It's astonishing. He took these powerful prescription drugs and became so disoriented that he actually believed he had to go to the House of Representatives at 2:45 a.m. for a vote. I mean this guy was minutes away from a total blackout.

Yet, he thinks he can minimize the impact of his recklessness by simply saying: "At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol."

Now, of course we know that's a lie.

Surely he isn't suggesting he has never, in his life, consumed alcohol. Yet that is literally what he says.

But why is Kennedy so insistent about the drinking? It shouldn't make the slightest difference legally whether he was intoxicated from legal booze or prescription drugs. Either way, he's guilty of driving while intoxicated.

So, even presumably sober, 24 hours later, this guy can't come up with a good excuse for what he did.

Nevertheless, the Capitol Police did not arrest Kennedy.

The Capitol Police did not put him in jail.

The Capitol Police did not even give him a citation for driving while intoxicated or reckless driving.

Instead, the Capitol Police gave Kennedy a free ride home.

Now why do you suppose Kennedy got that kind of preferential treatment over a mere taxpayer?

Probably, because the Capitol Police see members of Congress as their bosses – the people responsible for paying their salaries.

But that's not accurate.

Members of Congress may be responsible for approving the budgets of the Capitol Police, but the money they play with is your money, my money.

The Capitol Police don't work for them. They work for us!

It's becoming increasingly obvious that we have two standards of justice in this country – one for you and me and the other for "the commissars" like Kennedy.

This guy was born, not just with a silver spoon in his mouth, but with a get-out-of-jail-free card in his back pocket. Because of their position, their money, their "stature," people like Patrick Kennedy – just as his father did – are able to get away with murder.

No one is safe as long as a Kennedy has access to a set of keys.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50094

[speedygirl]

I have empathy for him as I do with most addicts. He was 100% wrong in his behavior but addicts do not think with a full deck. Let's not forget our president is an addict in recovery and many here are supportive of him.

[speedygirl]

BTW: a little on Dubya's DUI. This is a problem from the dregs of society to the most powerful man in the world. Yeah, Kennedy was born with a silver spoon but he had to seeuncles assasinated, another killed in a plane crash, a cousin die of an OD, another killed in a skiing accident, JFK Jr killed in a plane crash and growing up in a dysfunctional family with a mom with mental illness and a dad who was an alcoholic. Hs brother Teddy had cancer as a child. The guy was born into a life of tragedy that most of us could never fathom. Please read below. The president can't even say the words that he was an alcoholic! Denial is dangerous.

In 1974, George spent Superbowl Sunday at a party hosted by Hunter S. Thompson. When asked decades later if he remembered whether Bush had used any drugs at his party, Thompson replied:


"I can't be expected to remember what every drug-addled yuppie hanger-oner who wanted to get close to me during a football game twenty-five years ago digested. There were so many dope fiends milling about, I don't remember what some Yalie named Bush, whose father was a factotum in the Nixon Administration, was doing. But he strikes me as the sort of person I would have thrown out of the room. A rich, beer-drunk yahoo with a big allowance who passes out in your bathtub. ... I don't want to become the Deep Drug Throat. ... I won't do it."
Bush continued his life of hard drinking and was finally arrested for drunk driving in October 1976, this time with his teenaged sister Dorothy in the car. But it would be another decade before he finally realized that alcohol was a problem for him.

Despite episodes like these, Bush continued abusing alcohol for another decade before finally quitting cold turkey in 1986. But even though he acknowledges that he could never seem to stop after just one drink, George has always maintained that his problem was nothing more than simple overindulgence:


"I don't think I was clinically an alcoholic; I didn't have the genuine addiction. I don't know why I drank. I liked to drink, I guess."
Years later, Bush reflected on his substance abuse days for a New York Times reporter:


"The signal we ought to send to our children is that in spite of what happened in the '60s and '70s, we have learned some lessons. And the lessons ought to be: don't be using drugs and alcohol."
Today Bush regrets ever drinking, cannot trust himself with any amount of alcohol, and hoped in vain that his children would avoid it. But don't call him an alcoholic, particularly in front of his kids. Evidently Bush believes that an effective way of discouraging young people from abusing drugs or alcohol is to stonewall whenever the topic comes up. A few years ago he advocated this technique to a Newsweek reporter:


"I wouldn't tell your kids that you smoked pot unless you want 'em to smoke pot. I think it's important for leaders, and parents, not to send mixed signals. I don't want some kid saying, 'Well, Governor Bush tried it.'"
The man certainly practices what he preaches. Bush categorically refuses to answer questions about allegations of past drug abuse, especially persistent rumors about him having used cocaine.

[LuvBigRip]

1974? 32 years ago???? Quit in 1986? 20 years ago? C'mon

[speedygirl]

C'mon now? the president was about the same age then as PK is now. It doesn't matter an alcoholic/addict is just that and can recover to lead a productive life...Mr Bush was in politics during that time so it is NO different.
It seems like some want to make this a Democrat vs Republican issue when in actuality it is a human issue that knows no political party.

[Jolie Rouge]

Kennedy rebounds, seeks re-election
By RAY HENRY, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 31 minutes ago

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. - There's only one question Rep. Patrick Kennedy really answers this campaign. It came up at an ice cream social. It's raised on the street. He even hears it in bedrock Democratic neighborhoods. "How are you feeling?" asked a white-haired woman at a high-rise for the elderly.

"I've never felt better," he said. "One day at a time."

It's an answer some people — let alone politicians under intense media scrutiny — couldn't give after the year he's had: checking himself into a rehabilitation center, crashing his car at 3 a.m. into a security barrier outside the U.S. Capitol, returning to rehab and then pleading guilty to driving under the influence of prescription drugs. He's admitted battling depression, bipolar disorder, an addiction to prescription drugs and bouts of binge drinking.

The drama doesn't seem to faze Rhode Island voters.

A September poll by Brown University of 578 likely voters showed the six-term Kennedy with support from 60 percent of those surveyed, compared to 25 percent for Jonathan Scott. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Instead of hiding, Kennedy, 39, called a news conference before he went into rehabilitation and immediately returned to Rhode Island after he got out. A campaign commercial got right to the point. "It's no secret this has been a challenging year for me, and I'm grateful for the support so many of you have shown" Kennedy says into the camera, then promises to work on rising energy and health care costs.

His constituents seem forgiving — to a point.

"If the guy is trying to improve himself and get help, everyone deserves a break," said Elena Baldinelli, 66, a Kennedy supporter. "If he keeps doing it, he's going to ruin it for himself."

Kennedy's Republican opponent said the race is winnable even though he faces an incumbent with massive name recognition and far more campaign cash. Although Scott accuses Kennedy of being weak on border security and criticizes him for supporting universal health care plans, the mental health counselor seemed reluctant to raise Kennedy's relapse. "We always talk about him in terms of his personal problems, his last name and his bank account," Scott said. "If it weren't for those three things, we wouldn't talk about him at all."

Even among his supporters, Kennedy knows he's being judged. "They are sizing me up," he said in a recent interview. "They take stock of me."

"And one of the good things for my recovery is I am in the public eye. And that's good for me personally because I'm going to have people always looking over my shoulder, always looking in my eye. Every room I ever walk into, they're going to be looking at me."

Few of the state's leading Republicans criticized Kennedy after his crash, except Patricia Morgan, chairwoman of the state GOP. "Most Rhode Islanders are good, solid, hardworking people who would be embarrassed to be crashing their car into a barrier in the middle of the night and getting off scot-free because of who he is," she said recently.

Rather than devoting a lot of time defending himself and his six terms in Congress, Kennedy instead has spent time this campaign handing out federal grants, shaking hands and invoking his family name on behalf of Democratic candidates. He is the son of Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts.

Even critics sometimes concede that Kennedy is effective. Carmine Ruggerio, 55, an unaffiliated voter, heard Kennedy speak at a nursing home.

He complained that Kennedy got off light after this year's crash. But when Ruggerio's sister lost four toes, couldn't walk and had difficulty securing a handicapped license plate, the family knew who to call.

"She called up Patrick Kennedy and she got it," said Ruggerio. "I don't think anybody could beat a Kennedy. I don't care who runs against them. He could be a Republican and win, too. It's the name."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061102/ap_on_...nnedy_s_rebound (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061102/ap_on_el_ho/patrick_kennedy_s_rebound)



"If he keeps doing it, he's going to ruin it for himself."