Police Disciplined And Kennedy Will Go To Rehab In Latest “Kennedy Curse” Incident

Once again: another headline about another Kennedy in crisis after being in a vehicle — but this time not a limousine, car near water, or airplane but a car in Washington, D.C.

Once again, as in the case of his father, Senator Edward Kennedy, a mea culpa from a Kennedy, this time Rep. Patrick Kennedy amid allegations that proper procedures were not followed in the aftermath of the incident.

Is it all the invention of the media or Kennedy haters? Not quite: the latest is that the police involved have been disciplined by the Capitol Police.

Capitol Police have taken disciplinary action in relation to the handling of the response to Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s car accident, acting Capitol Police Chief Christopher McGaffin said.

McGaffin said the incident was improperly delayed due to “poor judgment” on the part of police managers and that a field sobriety test should have been administered to Kennedy after his car hit a barrier near the Capitol at 2:45 a.m. on Thursday.

There are the facts of the case (some hazy) and then there are the emotions swirling around the facts of the case (seldom hazy). The Washington Post gives us these facts:

Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy said yesterday that he is entering treatment for an addiction to prescription medications, an announcement that comes as police continue their investigation into a car crash involving the congressman near the Capitol.

Calling his addiction a “chronic disease,” Kennedy said he does not even recall the accident, which occurred early Thursday and raised questions about his behavior and how U.S. Capitol Police deal with members of Congress.

He “doesn’t recall”? Who does he think he is? Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifying in Congress on warrantless wiretaps? MORE:

Kennedy, 38, said yesterday that he has been battling problems with addiction and depression since he was a young man and that he will seek immediate treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He was a patient there during Congress’s winter break, he said, and thought he had returned to Washington “reinvigorated and healthy.”

“I am deeply concerned about my reaction to the medication and my lack of knowledge of the accident that evening,” he said during a brief news conference at the Capitol. “But I do know enough that I know I need help.”

Kennedy did not answer questions at the news conference or address a controversy surrounding the Capitol Police department’s handling of the matter. The union representing Capitol Police officers has said that Kennedy should have been given a sobriety test because officers at the scene suspected he had been drinking. The union suggested that Kennedy got special treatment because supervisors took over and drove him home.

Here’s a TRANSCRIPT of Kennedy’s comments.

The situation has become inflamed in the media (and particularly on blogs) because it isn’t as if this is just one more routine accident but one in which some suggest a coverup is underway. For instance, The Smoking Gun has the official report which states that cops thought Kennedy was under the influence:

According to cops, the Rhode Island Democrat (and son of Senator Ted Kennedy) appeared unsteady on his feet, had “red and watery” eyes, and had “slightly slurred” speech upon exiting his Ford Mustang after crashing the vehicle into a barricade near Capitol Hill. The reporting officer checked off a box indicating that Kennedy was under the influence of alcohol and that the politician’s ability was “impaired.” Kennedy, 38, has denied that alcohol was involved in the 2:45 AM accident, claiming instead that he was left disoriented by a reaction to the prescription drugs Ambien, a sleep aid, and Phenergan, an antihistamine. Both drugs carry warnings that alcohol, taken in conjunction with the medications, may increase drowsiness and dizziness. Following the accident, Kennedy was driven home by police, who did not administer any field sobriety tests to the six-term congressman.

Then you’ve got the Boston Globe (Kennedy’s home base paper) that reports that some say proper protocols were not followed in Kennedy’s case:

The upper management of the US Capitol Police came under harsh criticism yesterday for its handling of Representative Patrick J. Kennedy’s Thursday morning car crash, when the veteran congressman was sent home without a sobriety test.

Police also did not file an official report about the incident until nearly a day later — after news of Kennedy’s crash had been leaked to the media, according to a union official….

…The report also showed that the patrol officer believed Kennedy, who appeared to be disoriented, should be charged for three offenses: speeding, leaving his lane, and not taking care in the operation of his vehicle. But instead of being issued those citations at the scene, Kennedy was driven home by an officer.

One lower-ranking officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said yesterday that it was unusual for officers not to cite Kennedy at the scene of the crash.

So there you have it: an accident; an accident involving a Kennedy; a police report suggesting driving under the influence. Those facts of the actual acciden alone wouldn’t have put Patrick Kennedy in the middle of a big, fat controversy.

The controversy is produced by what happened next: that Kennedy was treated in way that many say would not be the same way an average person was treated.

Why all the emotions over something (again) involving a Kennedy? It’s because the Kennedy family continues to stir up emotions since it was considered the political dynasty of the future that would essentially help preserve and expand upon the values embraced in FDR’s new deal.

So you see various factors:

• After JFK’s assassination details began to pour out with allegations about his administration’s ties to the mob and his affairs with other women.

• The Kennedy’s had a glamorous image because they passionately advocated certain issues and had charisma. Less flattering tidbits didn’t diminish the public’s affection for JFK after he died.
• Senator Ted Kenney’s Chappaquiddick incident was capped by his unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination, which further chipped away at the family’s aura of political invincibility. Chappaquiddick, coupled with the info that had later trickled out about JFK in office, led foes to often suggest that the Kennedys felt they could set their own standards and skirt the law.
• The supermarket tabloids have had a field day with the Kennedys (and their partying) through the years. Then there was the rape charge involving a Kennedy — all continued to shift the focus on issues involving the Kennedy’s behavior, choices and power to keep a lid on things. Kennedy family critics have been given lost of material.
• The nation grieved the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr. in a plane crash with his wife and sister-in-law. JFK, Jr. had been seen as Camelot In Waiting by some. But even to this day tabloids are running stories suggesting some prescription drugs may have contributed to the accident, etc.
• Those who support the Kennedys believe the family has suffered through a kind of Kennedy “curse” (which goes back BEFORE JFK’s assassination). A book pondering this question was even written. They feel those now jumping on Patrick Kennedy are doing so partly for political reasons and a deep “gut” hatred of anyone who is a Kennedy.
• Those who don’t like the Kennedys feel this is one more instance of a Kennedy family member exercising membership in The Elite Club by getting special treatment and not facing all the consequences other less powerful and wealthy Americans would face.

But, when the final details about this latest Kennedy scandal dies down, and after the case has been disposed of in however it ends, you can’t escape this fact:

Those who still cherish the memory of Camelot (which was masterful p.r. imagery created about the Kennedy administration) and had hoped for some kind of political restoration do often bend over backwards to defend a member of the Kennedy family who is under fire. It has not just been a case of defending the persons, but the political values.

And many those who hate the Kennedys do with such a vehemence and near glee that it’s clear that underneath the actual issue at hand, more issues are lurk with these folks. It has not just been a case of opposing the persons, but the political values.

But increasingly there’s a large segment of the American public not still under Camelot’s spell of Camelot or influenced by sarcasm-dripping, adjective-hurling talk show hosts. They may not hate OR love the Kennedys and just consider them other mortals who are in public life. This case — unless new details confirming Kennedy’s version come out — won’t play well with them or enhance the family’s nurtured if diminished political image.

Meanwhile, another factor is at play.

JFK came to power during a time when actor’s and celebrities images were more carefully protected and crafted. An image could be easily packaged and presented to the American people. The big Hollywood studios and some Hollywood agents did it for years; JFK and his team perfected it for use in politics. As time has gone on, and reporting standards have changed, image control has been harder on the Hollywood (note the image self-destruction of Tom Cruise) and political fronts.

Yet of all recent Kennedy scandals, Patrick Kennedy’s may be the easiest for most Americans to understand and the less easy to defend. The common comment on the street already is: “If it had been you or me, do you think the cop would have skipped the breath test and driven me home?”

The larger moral of the story: political dynasties don’t necessarily succeed or endure — unless you’re talking about the Bush dynasty and that even one seems to be at risk these days.

UPDATE: Capital Hill Blue’s publisher says he knows the real story.

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