About Kennedy: "the greatest United States senator of our time."
Obama
Birds of a feather flock together. Graphic source: Reuters.
For thou hast lost thy
princely privilege
With vile participation.
Henry IV, Part I
Act III, sc. ii
Ted Kennedy's 18 July 1969 crash on the island of Chappaquiddick when the senator drowned 28 year-old campaign worker, Mary Jo Kopechne. Graphic source: AP Photo
As many people growing up and politically inclined such as myself we learned a great deal about public affairs from people like Ted Kennedy. Those assembled in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts advised the younger brother of JFK in order to salvage his political career from another Kennedy escapade. He was involved in a car accident, with 28 year old Mary Jo in his care, yet for ten hours he reported the mishap to no official agency. This was a Regatta Weekend reunion party at a friend's cottage with all married men (except one) and six women--the "boiler room girls"--the loyal staff who had worked together on Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. After a binge of sailing and heavy drinking, Kennedy drove his black Oldsmobile sedan off a small wooden bridge into Poucho Pond, trapping Kopechne in seven feet of water. He did not notify any officials. Kennedy--only 38 and up for re-election the following year--had violated one of the cardinal rules in politics: "Never get caught with a dead girl or a live boy." In his celebrated defense speech on 26 July 1969, Kennedy delivered the television speech that saved his senatorial seat. Speaking to the nation for just 13 minutes he justified his actions and in the next election campaign he handily won 62% of the vote. Previous to the incident though 79% of Americans polled thought him the next Democratic nominee. It was not to happen. Five days after the accident, Kennedy's lawyers arranged for him to plead guilty to leaving the scene of the accident involving personal injury with a two-month suspended sentence and one-year probation. That was his only slap on the wrist unless you count the odds against him that prevented him from attaining higher office. Many of us were horrified when they learned that rescue workers found Mary Jo's body in the well of the back seat with her head held up, perhaps indicating that she had been alive for some time breathing in an air pocket. If only Kennedy had had the guts to turn himself in a timely manner. She might have lived.
So how could I mourn for Kennedy? Nothing he did ever equaled that one fateful night that Mary Jo died and I learned a great deal about American politicians. The only curse the Kennedy's have is the one that they bring upon themselves. Kennedy was so blind to his faults he joked about Chappaquidick.
This is not an accusation from Ted Kennedy's political opponents, but a nostalgic remembrance by one of his friends. Ed Klein, former Newsweek editor, tells the Diane Rehm Show:
"I dont know if you know this or not, but one of his favorite topics of humor was indeed Chappaquiddick itself. And he would ask people, have you heard any new jokes about Chappaquiddick? That is just the most amazing thing. Its not that he didnt feel remorse about the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, but that he still always saw the other side of everything and the ridiculous side of things, too."
I have waited since 1969 to relate my feelings about Teddie Kennedy.
Requiescat in pace Mary Jo.
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