The Hard Truths About Sen. Edward Kennedy

UPDATED:
Wow! It appears that the late Sen. Kennedy had a real sense of humor about the shenanigans of the fateful night in July, 1969 at Chappaquiddick. Upon this nice revelation, I will revise my remark on where Edward Moore Kennedy is now. The bastard of the senate should be enjoying some fire at this moment. The fact that there was anything but true remorse and shame for what he did is a sign that for 46 years, there was a sociaopath in the senate. Not a bastion of "moral clarity". Closing question. Had this been revealed while Toastmaster Ted where still alive and at the height of his tenure in the senate, would he have done something honorable, like resign?


Yes, a torch has been doused as Sen. Edward Moore "Teddy" Kennedy died late Tuesday night and the dream of a "Camelot" went with him off to the glory.
But, the reality is that Sen. Kennedy was not so much the "Liberal Lion of the senate" as a really flawed man that was damned lucky to be born in the Kennedy clan of Massachusetts. And not in some blue-collar family in South Boston that he claimed to represent in his mind-boggling 46 year senate stranglehold.
Oh, note that the seat Sen. Kennedy won in 1962 was the same seat occupied by his older brother, President John F. Kennedy. This seat may finally go to some one other than a Kennedy for the first time since 1952, an even more mind-boggling 56 years.
The famed Boston Herald columnist, Howie Carr, gives some of his insight on Sen. Kennedy.
One that stuck out in my mind is how Sen. Kennedy went from being a pro-life Dem to pro-abortion Dem.
From Mr. Carr's column:

Here was his take on abortion in 1971: “Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized - the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old.”

Yet the longer Sen. Kennedy hung around the senate like a bad piece of Limburger cheese, his views on abortion "evolved" and he became one of the strongest advocates for unfettered access to abortion on demand.
And the issue that his fellow Democrats want to force on the American people, socialized medicine, Sen. Kennedy was given a gift from that eeevvviiilll "conservative" Republican, Richard M. Nixon. Mr. Nixon wanted to pass legislation to nationalize health care. Sen. Kennedy could have been the leading advocate. To vote on and implement nationalized medicine. But, Sen. Kennedy fought it instead. Now, Sen. Kennedy is off to the Glory and the chances of socialized medicine may be going right with him.
I referred to his fortunate status in life. It came in handy in 1969.
Yes, you know what I am writing about.
The fateful event at Chappaquiddick that derailed Sen. Kennedy's chances of ever, ever becoming president of the United States.
On July 18, 1969, Sen. Kennedy was attending a party on Chappaquiddick island with a group of women known as the Boiler Room Girls, volunteers for the presidential campaign of Sen. Kennedy's late brother, Robert Kennedy. One of the attendees was Mary Jo Kopechne. According to Sen. Kennedy, she wanted to leave and go back to her hotel. And Sen. Kennedy, chivalrous man he was, offered to take her back to the hotel. Well, Sen. Kennedy took a wrong turn in his Oldsmobile and ended up off the bridge and in a tidal basin. And, Sen. Kennedy had enough wherewithal to save himself. Too bad he did not care to remember to try to save his passenger, Miss Kopechne. She ended up drowning. And the penalty Sen. Kennedy got? A suspended driver's licence. A great piece by Cliff Thier at The American Thinker really tells the story of the sorry events of that fateful night of July, 1969.
And let us not forget that Sen. Kennedy was kind of a hooligan before he got started in politics. How many knew that Teddy Kennedy got kicked out of Harvard? And why you may ask? Why for having another student take a Spanish test for him. The so-called dummy, former President George W. Bush was never kicked out of any school he went to. And when it came time for service in the Korean War, Teddy Kennedy was, well stateside. It paid to have connections.
But worse of all is the fact that this man spent more than half of his life as a member of the United States senate. That the political power was so much more important to him that he did not resign when diagnosed with the inoperable brain tumor. That the people of Massachusetts could not vote on a successor sooner than now. And it may not happen.
It should be noted that Sen. Kennedy, exerting undue influence, got the home state legislature to take the power of appointing a successor away from the governor. Who was the governor in 2004? Mitt Romney, a Republican. Who was the Democrat nominee for president? Sen John Kerry (D-MASS.). Had Sen. Kerry been elected president, heaven forbid, then Gov. Romney would have appointed a successor. And, HORROR OF HORROR! Gov. Romney would have appointed a. . .REPUBLICAN!
In the twilight of his life, Sen. Kennedy but two weeks ago wrote a letter to Democrat Gov. Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts legislature to change the law back to give the governor the power to appoint his successor. It is OK now. Because Gov. Patrick is a DEMOCRAT.
To the end, Sen. Kennedy was most interested in political power and how to preserve it.
And, I believe that Sen. Teddy Kennedy lived a tortured life because of who he was.
Now, may he rest in peace in the hands of God.