New Report: JFK Jr. Went to his Death “A Hero”

NEW EVIDENCE IN JFK JR. CRASH EMERGES: GOVERNMENT COVER-UP?

As the 10 year anniversary of his death approaches July 16, explosive new revelations are emerging about the plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy, Jr. The report was published in last week’s National Enquirer -  a source we might normally be somewhat dubious of, but considering their reporting on John Edwards and other stories has been surprisingly accurate of late, we are presenting this for your consideration.

If the secret documents the Enquirer claims to have obtained are proven genuine, it will raise many new questions about the tragic death of Kennedy and the Bessette sisters (such as: “why did the government lie?”). It will turn the official government story on it’s ear. For 10 years, we have been told that Kennedy’s fatal plane crash was the result of pilot error and spatial disorientation, sending him into a “graveyard spiral.” These new details paint an entirely different picture – that of a capable pilot desperately fighting to save his aircraft, and the lives of his passengers.

“KENNEDY FOUGHT THIS PLANE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE WATER”

Enquirer Report: Secret documentsreveal the truth behind JFK Jr.s tragic death

John F. Kennedy Jr. went bravely to his watery grave, trying valiantly to save the lives of his passengers – his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren.

But a government cover-up has stopped the truth of what really happened inside Kennedy’s small plane before it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 1999, from ever being made public.

A year after the tragedy, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) blamed the crash on a “graveyard spiral” that hurtled the plane toward the sea at nearly 5,000 feet per minute.

But The ENQUIRER has discovered a stunning report that claims the plane actually struck the water off Martha’s Vineyard in a semi-inverted dive – the result of pilot commands.

According to the obscure report in the aviation industry publication Flying, Kennedy’s plane “apparently struck the water in a semi-inverted dive, right wing first. This is an attitude that could not result from a graveyard spiral; it can only be the result of pilot commands.”

Veteran pilot Michael J. Pangia - former chief litigator for the Federal Aviation Administration – told The ENQUIRER: “Kennedy fought this airplane all the way down to the water.”

And an aviation source familiar with the crash report and the interior of John’s Piper Saratoga aircraft now tells The ENQUIRER: “The fact is that John Kennedy was bravely battling to find a sliver of visibility out of heavy fog and find his way to safety. He went to his death trying to be a hero!”

Kennedy, a novice pilot who was not instrument rated, likely relied on the plane’s autopilot to keep him on course. But investigators who probed the wreckage found the autopilot switch off.

The aviation source added: “It’s another sign that John was determined to take charge of his
situation. He was in the dark, yet heroically trying to regain control of his aircraft.”

Sadly, more evidence showing Kennedy to be a hero may never be found.

In our Feb. 20, 2001 issue, we exclusively reported that a “cover-up” of the crash was “dictated by Washington” and videotapes showing the plane at the bottom of the Atlantic, with John, Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette’s bodies, were destroyed.

After making a request to the NTSB under the Freedom of Information Act, The ENQUIRER received some of the first photos of the wreckage. We later learned the recovery team had also taken underwater photos and videos, images that contain crucial evidence about the crash.

But the NTSB “declined” to include additional material gathered by the Navy in their final report, leaving some elements of the tragedy forever a mystery.

 

Copyright 2009, National Inquirer.

Opinion: Vanity Fair Article Needs Clarification

EDITOR’S NOTE: The latest issue of Vanity Fair features an article called “Ted Kennedy’s Final Battle,” which is an excerpt from Ed Klein’s new book on the liberal lion. The article speculates heavily on which member of the Kennedy family will eventually pick up the torch of leadership – Patrick? Caroline? Joe? Kathleen? Christopher? – but seems to overlook the one we believe to be the best qualified…Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

One of of our longtime bloggers wrote to voice her amazement at Klein/Vanity Fair’s out-of-hand dismissal of RFK Jr.’s capabilities, expressing the dismay many of Bobby’s supporters felt after reading the article. We’d like to share her Letter to the Editor with you below:

VANITY FAIR ARTICLE NEEDS CLARIFICATION

By Susanne Silverstein

 

Dear RFK Jr. News-Staffers:

It’s been a while since I’ve visited the web site but my heart still gets tugged when I read articles like this month’s Vanity Fair. 

I feel the article is totally unfair to RFK Jr. in it’s perception that he is not one of the heirs most likely to be active in this or next generation.  The article goes on to hype Joe Jr & Caroline as being the two new leaders of the Kennedy clan.  They discuss how RFK Jr. has a speech impediment that makes running for office a serious challenge.  

I beg to disagree!  He has been out there speaking in public for years, never letting his spasmodic dysphonia stop him from getting the message across. He hosts a weekly radio show on Air America and does numerous television interviews. In my opinion, he’s a better speaker than all the other Kennedy kids put together! 

I have also been aware that he has had to work with a speech impediment, but Bobby is nothing less than an electrifying speaker.  It is a shame what his family is pulling.  They are only hurting our country by their selfish short-sighted behavior.  All of us face some dysfunction in our immediate families and I just chalk this nonsense up to petty jealousies.

 I hope the members here can convince him that he is beloved by millions.  That there are millions more longing to hear him speak; and that he will be able to sort out his family’s nonsense for what it is.  Just a histronic reaction to the sad scenario of Ted Kennedy’s illness and probable prognosis. 

Bobby Jr. has accomplished so much more in public life than most of his cousins, brothers and sisters put together!  I once did admire Joe Kennedy’s prowess, but he seems to be truly happier working on his energy company.  He has kept a low profile until now. 

We need to get more letters over to Vanity Fair to set them straight about Bobby Jr’s real promise and qualifications as a real leader for the next generation of Americans! 

 

Thank you,

Susanne

The Ghost of John F. Kennedy Visits President Obama

THE GHOST OF JOHN F. KENNEDY

by Ernie Mannix

“Strange…”  he blurted, on feeling that familiar pain in his lower back. “I’m just vapor and thought, and I still need a chiropractor.”

The handsome man instinctively brushed aside the hair barely hanging down on his forehead as he pressed on towards the residence portion of the house.

“Ah… I am here to see Obama” he told the secret service guard inside the residence. The guard did not react at all.  John Fitzgerald Kennedy knew right off that his presence would be seen only by his intended audience and the guard saw nothing. “Fix your tie pal.” Kennedy joked as he walked passed the oblivious sentry.

“You must be President Kennedy”, Obama sheepishly asked the figure now standing above him as he lay in bed.  ”These visits are getting quite regular, are you the last?” 

“Well, Teddy Roosevelt wants to come and see you, but ahh… we talked him out of it… well okay we restrained him.  Well,  I wouldn’t worry too much about that… for now.

Obama turned and looked towards his wife.

“Don’t worry Mr. President, your wife will hear and see nothing… time is standing still.” Kennedy mentioned, as he pointed to then tapped his watch.

Obama moved to get up, and President Kennedy interrupted; “Please don’t get up on my part, what I have to tell you won’t take too long, and you will be needing your rest for the coming months and years my friend.”

“Well, here it is Barack;

 I’m all for social programs that really work, and I know you need money to pay for them, but when you create bureaucracy that can only barely pay for its own fat self with those hard earned tax dollars, burdening the government itself and of course the poor taxpaying citizen, well son, then you are on the road to socialism.

You are creating agencies and bureaus that exist to feed themselves, and how the hell is that going to help a nation that is in deep debt? The state is not always the answer Obama, American know-how, and the unfettered creativity that powers it almost usually is. Yes, tighten the belt on business cheaters and scammers, but don’t choke off the growers and the doers. It’s real simple Barack, if you turn each and every time to bureaucracy, well, let’s just say you’ll be turning our country in the wrong direction.

We aren’t Europe. We aren’t communists. We aren’t socialists. And we sure as hell aren’t in the business of making the latter two of those particular groups stronger.

For you to raise a communist island that enslaves it’s people up to equal our democracy with so called talks is just nuts son. They are rotting away faster than their ‘57 Chevrolets and you want to bring them into a dialogue? You notice how Fidel’s brother said that the prerequisite is that you talk as equals? This guy is now gonna dictate the talks? Instead of trying to ‘understand’ what every other country is about, I suggest you study and understand what we are all about. Not every one on this earth is worth being friends with.

“Mr. Kennedy, you are a Democrat!” Barack exclaimed incredulously.

“Don’t give me that crap Barack. Your party does not even resemble the Democratic party of my day. You’re acting like a teenager that thinks he knows everything there is to know, and all that came before him was so ‘uncool’. Come on, the only ones you won’t talk to are the people in your own country who are hopping mad at you and your policies. For instance, you can ignore that Tea Party all you want, but it sure is a group I’d be talking to, before the seeds they are sowing start taking root. Those are Americans for God’s sake, and you got that Pelosi out there belittling them. That is just silly. I don’t hear her even saying one cross word to the despots and dictators you both are facing.

“President Kennedy, I ‘ve gotta say, on that note sir, you once said: ‘Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.’

“Yes I did Barack, but there must be some kind of a goal there. Cuba? Iran? Chavez?  Unless you are now in the business of helping communists and terrorists, what are we as a democracy to gain from them?  And I think you really need to think about the first part of that quote and search your soul Obama.  You might think you are making it easier to be liked, but what you might just be doing is making it easier for us to be beat. Obama, understanding who your real enemies are is much more important than being nice to everyone. And for goodness sake, start using the word terrorist again. 

Listen, I’ve got to go, but let me leave you with another one of my quotes; ‘The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.’ 

Well, I wish you luck son, .. oh and I’ll try to dissuade Teddy Roosevelt from charging on in here” 

With that he smiled that million dollar smile, turned, and disappeared into the golden light beaming through the bedroom window.

 

Source: http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/emannix/2009/04/21/the-ghost-of-john-f-kennedy/

The Remarkable Life of Ted Kennedy

A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO TEDDY

* As Senator Edward M. Kennedy continues to battle terminal brain cancer, The Boston Globe paid homage’ to this icon of American politics with a lengthy biography published just before his 77th birthday.

Edward Moore Kennedy, ninth child of Joseph P. and Rose Kennedy, was born on Feb. 22, 1932 – which just happened to be the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birthday. Whether or not he took it as an omen, the proud father, who already envisioned a Kennedy becoming the first Catholic president, often pointed out the felicitous date to others.

Ironically, the presidency would not be bestowed upon Teddy, of course. Nor would it be in the destiny of JP Kennedy’s eldest son Joe Jr., the one his father had always predicted would be president.

As fate would have it, the only member of the Kennedy family who achieved that goal was the one assumed least likely to make it: Joe’s second son, the chronically (and often seriously) ill John F. Kennedy.

And as fate would also decree, President Kennedy’s time in that high office would be tragically cut short by an assassin’s bullet after little more than a thousand days.

Jack’s younger brother Robert, attorney general of the United States, was next in line to lead the family political dynasty. Bobby picked up the torch and attempted to reclaim the presidency in his brother’s memory. After being elected senator from New York in 1964, RFK ran for the White House four years later and may well have completed the journey had it not been for his ill-fated campaign stop at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 4, 1968.

Ted (L), Jack (center) and Bobby (R) in Washington, D.C., 1958

After losing all three of his elder brothers and seeing his father incapacitated by a stroke, Ted Kennedy, then-senator from Massachusetts, suddenly became the unlikely patriarch. For the next 40 years, not a day would pass that Teddy didn’t have someone approach and ask him to run for the presidency.

Despite a 1964 plane crash that almost killed him and the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident which nearly ruined his political career, Ted Kennedy did make a run for the White House in 1980, but lost the Democratic nomination to President Jimmy Carter. Well, he gave it the old college try, as they say, then he wisely chose to spend the rest of his years focusing on the responsibility of being a U.S. Senator. Ted seemed happy with his choice and never looked back.

But that didn’t stop people from asking. Would he ever run again? Why not the Presidency, they asked him over and over again as the years turned into decades. He’d say no a thousand times, and still the question was repeated.

Well, they finally stopped asking one day last May. When it became known that Senator Kennedy had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, that long-held dream of putting the last Kennedy brother in the White House was over.

As Ted Kennedy prepares to sail on his final voyage, heading for that bright horizon where he will reunite with all of his beloved friends and family who sailed before him, we’d like to encourage our readers to honor his birthday and celebrate his remarkable life. One way to do it is to take some time out of your busy day and read this well-researched and often moving tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy in the Boston Globe. Highly recommended.

Where is the Outrage at Treatment of Caroline Kennedy?

* This passionate letter to the editor of the Daily News (NY) so eloquently expresses the disappointment and outrage many of us feel about Caroline Kennedy’s shameful treatment at the hands of the New York media, and especially, Governor David Patterson and his cronies, who still have some `splainin’ to do. (Read more here: “Watchdog Demands Investigation Into Kennedy Leak”, WCBS-TV, NYC)

Editor:

Where is the outrage, the regret, the disappointment? OK, so at least some of us didn’t want to be represented in the U.S. Senate by Caroline Kennedy.

Whether it was because she says “Uh, ya know” or used some other slang in her verbal expression, or whether it was because we didn’t want her taking advantage of the Kennedy name, or maybe, we thought she just plain was not qualified — it does not matter! The daughter of a slain U.S. president, a niece of two U.S. public servants, one who was assassinated as he was running for president, deserves better treatment from a crude, somewhat rude press and their pundits. How can we have become so callous?

I was serving in the U.S. Navy on Nov. 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Proud to be doing what I was doing if only because my president served faithfully and heroically as a PT boat commander in the Navy during World War II. At the time of his tragic death, we in the Navy overseas were totally immersed in President Kennedy’s “People to People” program, the president’s own method of spreading American friendship around the world. I was shocked as were my shipmates, as we cruised the Agean Sea, suddenly on high alert, our destination Athens, Greece, for a refuel stop. But for the churning engines the silence was deafening aboard my ship that day, that hour, that moment, that we were given the heartwrenching news.

Later we all watched on TV as Caroline, her father’s little girl, and young John Jr. marched in the funeral procession with their mother Jackie. To us, she was never Jacqueline, just Jackie. She was at that moment our heartbroken heroine — she now belonged to all of us. Grown men teared up as they watched. We regaled in Jackie’s courage and determination and how she had prepared her children to appear in public that day with stiff upper lip.

They all made us proud and we will forever pay homage to our president, patriot, war hero whom I will not forget and a love for his family to whom this country is forever deeply indebted.

We still love you Caroline for the burden of sacrifice you carried as a little girl to where you are now. I am sorry that we did not speak up for you when we should have. I apologize to you for the way you have been mistreated. You should have been able to expect more from us and we should have expected more of ourselves. All done in the guise of news gathering, the old adage “Good men need only to remain silent for evil to flourish” has again reared its ugly head.

There are certain people to whom this country will always be deeply indebted. We now seem to have casually shucked that debt much like we shrug off a minor obligation, our own citizenship responsibility. That is indeed a sad epitaph.

Bob Farnham

Kent

Rumors of Caroline Kennedy Affair are FALSE

 

Caroline with her husband of 22 years, Ed Schlossberg

 DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE

The New York Post is reporting today that NY Times publisher Pinch Sulzburger has a new girlfriend…and it’s not Caroline Kennedy.

Yet more proof that Governor Paterson and his PR flack, former Bush White House deputy press secretary Judy Smith (you know, the one who spread these damaging rumors to the media after Caroline dropped her bid for Hillary Clinton’s senate seat – what was that all about, anyway?) just can’t stop lying.

Here’s the full story, from Page Six:

January 29, 2009 –

CAROLINE Kennedy is innocent – she did not have an affair with New York Times publisher Arthur “Pinch” Sulzberger Jr. The rumor that their friendship was the “marriage problem” referred to by aides to Gov. Paterson couldn’t be true – because the divorced Sulzberger already has a girlfriend.

Sulzberger has been seeing Helen Ward, a vivacious woman he met on a trek to Peru about a year ago.

“No comment,” Ward told Page Six yesterday, then added, “There is only one woman in Pinch Sulzberger’s life, and that is the Gray Lady.”

A Times spokeswoman said: “Mr. Sulzberger is not and never has been romantically involved with Ms. Kennedy.” What about Ward? “I’m not going to comment.”

Caroline Kennedy has been married to interactive designer Edwin Schlossberg since 1986. They have three children. Sulzberger – who became the Times’ publisher when his father, Arthur “Punch” Sulzberger Sr., stepped down in 1992 – has been separated from his wife of 33 years, Gail Gregg, since last March.

Helen is also separated from her husband, Kevin P. Ward, executive director of the Aspen Science Center. A friend said Ward is unhappy with the breakup: “Kevin is crazy bitter about the whole thing.”

The Pinch-Helen romance seems to disprove the speculation that flourished after Paterson’s camp leaked that Caroline had “a tax problem, a nanny problem and a marriage problem.” Bloggers erroneously named Sulzberger, who is friends with Caroline, as the cause of the “marriage problem.”

As it happens, Helen has her own Kennedy connection. The Wards were said to be close friends with Caroline’s late brother, John, going back to the days when John was dating Daryl Hannah, and they all went on a trip out West to go helicopter skiing.

Glad we got that nasty rumor cleared up! And now that the supposed “nanny problems” and “tax problems” stories have also been proven false, can we please leave Caroline Kennedy the hell alone?

Here’s a better idea.

Instead, why don’t We the Media instead focus our coverage on why Governor Paterson engaged in a pay-for-play scheme to sell Hillary Clinton’s senate seat off to Kirsten Gillibrand (with a little help from her friends, including her heavyweight “sugar daddy” Al D’Amato?) instead of simply giving it to Kennedy for free?

If you thought Blago was bad, get a load of this. Now here’s a scandal the media can really sink their teeth into! 

Curiously, they don’t seem to be very hungry for pay-to-play scandals anymore after feasting on Blogojevich for the past two months. And besides, Blago’s got much better hair. 

Or is the mainstream media ignoring this story because it hits just a little too close to home, happening as it is right in their own backyard of New York state? Or could it be because their mega-media-corp owners’ names might be found on the list of Paterson’s campaign contributors?

Hmmmm.

Pay-to-Play Scheme in NY Senate Seat Pick?

Senator-designate Kirsten Gillibrand (right) and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a lunch meeting with New York Governor David Paterson at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Photo: Getty Images

BLAGO AIN’T GOT NUTHIN’ ON THIS

Ever since Caroline Kennedy mysteriously withdrew her name from consideration for Hillary Clinton’s former U.S. Senate seat last Wednesday night, and Governor David Paterson’s surprise pick of Kirsten Gilibrand on Friday, many have wondered aloud: who the heck is Kirsten Gillibrand, and why did a Democratic governor choose a relatively unknown upstate Blue Dog whose positions on key issues is more Republican than Democrat? 

Well, that’s a very good question to ask. Why did Paterson pick Gillibrand, when it seemed Kennedy was the obvious choice? And why did the Governor turn so nasty towards Caroline after she withdrew from the race? Why would he authorize one of his PR flacks (who, it turns out, is a former Bush White House staffer!) to “anonymously” kneecap Kennedy, spreading damaging stories to the press about Caroline’s supposed tax issues, nanny issues, and marital issues (stories Paterson now admits were totally false)?

The answer may not be in anything that Caroline did to piss off the Governor. It was what she didn’t do.

Here’s the REAL crux of the Paterson/Kennedy/Gillibrand senate seat story that the mainstream media won’t touch with a 10-foot pole…apparently becaue they’re all too busy flapping their lips about Blago and his really great hair:

Senate appointee Kirsten Gillibrand’ s former law firm is Boies, Schiller & Flexner.

David Boies, the senior partner at the firm, contributed $25,000 to Gov. Paterson’s campaign committee on December 23, 2008, while the governor was considering Gillibrand’s candidacy.

Boies’ son Chris, also a partner in the firm, contributed another $25,000 on the same day.

Source: The Village Voice (Jan. 22, 2009)

OK, go back and read that again. The timing of these campaign contributions reeks. Dec. 23, in the heat of the Senate seat competition?

Not TOO obvious, eh?

But wait…it gets better. Much, MUCH better. Read on.

THE MILLION-DOLLAR D’AMATO CONNECTION

This isn’t the first time Gov. Paterson’s engaged in a bit of pay for play and been called out. Less than two months after taking office, he had another little “issue” with a new hire in his press office, as reported by the New York Daily News’ Elizabeth Benjamin (who has been hot on the Governor’s heels over those nasty rumors he authorized his paid PR flack Judy Smith to leak “anonymously” about Caroline Kennedy).

Also, more info from the New York Times here on an “interesting” $3 million fundraiser Paterson held in December, while the senate seat contest was still hot. Check the guest list very, very carefully…

Then see this Village Voice article from Jan. 27, 2009 about the Paterson-Gillibrand-D’Amato connection, which reports that D’Amato gave Paterson a stunning $500k at a holiday party last year during the heat of the senate seat competition. That’s certainly enough money to buy D’Amato prime placement in the front row of Paterson’s press conference announcing Gillibrand as his senate pick…and perhaps it bought um….other things as well. (cough)

Here’s an excerpt from the Voice’s investigative report which unravels the fascinating relationship between Gillibrand and D’Amato (it’s all in the family, baby!), and how the two came to be so strangely close to Governor Paterson:

“D’Amato wound up in the camera frame throughout the hour and a half press conference by design. Governor David Paterson’s staff kept the dignitaries in a holding room and walked them onto the stage in a prearranged order, positioning D’Amato at center stage, where his presence was a not-so-subtle advertisement of his influence with both the governor and the state’s new senator, a potential boon to Park Strategies, his multi-million dollar Washington and Albany lobbying business.

Gillibrand’s first job was as an intern for two summers in D’Amato’s senate office, and her father, Doug Rutnik, was so close to D’Amato that, while still married to Gillibrand’s mother, he covertly double-dated with the then single senator, squiring a D’Amato press aide on a two-week Caribbean tryst to celebrate the senator’s re-election in 1992…

…Because Rutnik’s ties to D’Amato, George Pataki, and the former GOP senate majority leader Joe Bruno are Albany legend, it was hardly a surprise that Gillibrand wanted D’Amato there. What no one could quite figure out is why Paterson did.

A Voice review, however, of two campaign finance committees–Paterson’s and the New York State Democratic Committee, which Paterson controls–reveals that D’Amato may be Paterson’s largest single fundraiser.

D’Amato hosted a $1,000-a-plate dinner for Paterson at the Coyote Grill in Island Park on November 2, and Paterson went to the Christmas party sponsored by D’Amato’s firm on December 10, and most of the $581,400 in contributions connected to D’Amato that the Voice has identified were given to Paterson’s committees near those two dates.”

YOU SAY TOMATO, I SAY D’AMATO

Now, let’s do the math, shall we?

More than $500,000 from the December holiday party, and at least $15,000 from the Coyote Grill fundraiser in November (based on an invitation list of 15 persons at $1,000 a plate), that’s a pretty good chunk of change, wouldn’t you say? And all of it raised by Uncle Al. No wonder he’s the governor’s new BFF!

While the $50,000 in contributions to Paterson from Gillibrand’s very close friends and former law partners on Dec. 23rd is not a huge amount in NY politics and is unlikely to buy anyone a state job, let alone a U.S. senate seat, more than half a million dollars from D’Amato should be enough to get *anybody’s* attention focused on Uncle Al’s longtime BFF Kirsten Gilibrand.

It certainly got Gov. Paterson’s attention. 

Hey, ya know, it may be cold and flu season in New York, but those figures are nothing to sneeze at. 

And these are just the suspicious contributions we know about. There may be even more yet to be revealed. But adding up the estimated $15,000 from D’Amato’s November fundraiser, plus the whopping $500,000 from D’Amato’s December fundraiser (both lowball estimates, by the way), plus the $50,000 given by Gillibrand’s former law partners David and Chris Boies on Dec. 23 — puts a ballpark figure of nearly $600,000 in Paterson’s war chest.

Add to THAT all the smaller contributions from individuals and businesses raised by D’Amato for Patterson prior to those two fall fundraisers mentioned above (detailed here in the Voice’s excellent investigative piece), you’re looking at a Grand Total of well over a million dollars.

Cha-Ching!

BLEEPIN’ GOLDEN

That being the case, wouldn’t this make Paterson look guilty of doing the exact same thing that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is currently being accused of? And favor-trading more blatantly than Blago would have ever dared? (Which is really sayin’ something, as Blago is anything but subtle!)

I can hear that phone call now:

PATERSON: “I’ve got this thing and it’s bleepin’ GOLDEN! I’m not just gonna give that bleepin’ senate seat away for nuthin’!”

At a press conference last month, noting that Blagojevich has been under investigation for years for pay-to-play corruption charges, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald expressed his amazement that the activity would continue. “You might have thought in that environment, pay-to-play would have slowed down. The opposite happened. It sped up,” he said.

Apparently, no one warned Paterson to be careful since the heat was on. Or perhaps Paterson was warned and chose to arrogantly assume that he was ten feet tall and bulletproof. So far, Paterson seems to be. No one has even dared to raise a pay-to-play question regarding his senate pick…until now. So we’ll go ahead and ask a few questions:

Is it conceivable that Gov. Paterson got miffed at Caroline Kennedy because she was not willing to give him “anything but appreciation” for that Senate seat?

Could it be that Kennedy was too smart (and principled) to grease the Governor’s eager palms and potentially get herself embroiled in an explosive political corruption case? And did the Governor get pissed off because Caroline wisely stood her ground, held on to her integrity, and turned the other cheek?

CAROLINE WOULDN’T PLAY BALL

From our initial investigation, we can find no evidence of any campaign contributions given to Paterson by Kennedy or anyone connected with her.

Caroline is well-known for her avoidance of making financial contributions to New York Dems in local races, and this New York Daily News article from December 25, 2008 (curiously published just two days after friends of Gillibrand gave the Guv $50,000) flat-out states that Kennedy’s unwillingness to “play the game” may cost her the senate seat:

Caroline Kennedy’s supporters say she could raise tons of money as a senator, but when it comes to writing checks to New York Democrats, she’s been largely AWOL.

This decade, other than a $1,000 donation to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Camelot heiress has not financially supported any Democrat seeking city or state office in New York, records reveal.

Some say Kennedy, who is worth at least $100 million, missed an opportunity to curry favor among Democratic pols to establish herself as a serious political player as she lobbies Gov. Paterson for Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat.

NONE DARE CALL IT CORRUPTION

Starting to see what’s really going on here? Gillibrand was willing to pay-to-play (with a little help from her “sugar daddy” D’Amato) and Kennedy was not. A million-dollar payoff to the Guv’s campaign fund was cash she just wasn’t willing to pony, Macaroni.

Therefore, Gillibrand got the gig. It ain’t rocket science, folks. Just politics as usual.

Only difference this time is that the Governor of Illinois is being impeached for even suggesting (although not completing) such a transaction, while Paterson (who apparently did complete the transaction) is skating away like Tonya Harding. The local New York and national media plugs their ears and hums a tune, refusing to investigate any suggestion of Blago-type graft and corruption happening here. They hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.

Thanks to the Kansas City Star for pointing out an issue that both the New York Post and New York Times heartily agree on — that NY governor David Paterson is now officially Worse than Blagojevich after the media circus that surrounded his naming a replacement for the Senate seat left vacant by Hillary Clinton. But still, that’s as far as the media is prepared to go. None dare call it corruption.

Hmmm…wonder if anyone has been tapping Paterson’s phone during this senate contest? They were certainly listening to Gov. Spitzer’s calls in an effort to catch him in a liason with a high-priced hooker. Seems to me the authorities might have wanted to keep an eye/ear on Gov. Paterson during this selection process, especially in light of the Blago scandal. Under those circumstances, a case could easily be made for probable cause.

So WHERE ARE THE PATERSON TAPES? And where’s the investigation? Where’s the outrage? Where’s the IMPEACHMENT?

Opinion: Caroline Kennedy Was Kneecapped!

MUDSLINGIN’

Tongues have been wagging since Wednesday about Caroline Kennedy’s “mysterious” midnight departure from the race to fill Hillary Clinton’s senate seat. Speculation and rumor are rampant as to what was behind the move, and Kennedy’s “personal reasons” for ending her aggressive senate bid.

Some factions of Camp Kennedy and the New York Times initially tried to float the notion that Caroline dropped out due to her concern for Senator Edward Kennedy’s health. That, however, was swiftly refuted by sources close to Ted Kennedy, who himself was reportedly furious at any such reason being given.

Loosely translated, that’s the old lion roaring: “look, I might be sick, but I ain’t dead yet! Now cut out this nonsense and let me get some rest. I just had another seizure, for the love of Christ! Or hadn’t you heard?” (Well, actually, the whole world heard…being that it happened at President Obama’s inaugural luncheon, that one would be pretty hard to miss.)

Not surprisingly, a spokesman for Caroline Kennedy quickly got out there and told reporters that Caroline’s reason for ending her senate bid had absolutely, positively, nothing to do with Ted Kennedy’s cancer battle.

Allrightey, then! Glad we got that one straightened out. But if Ted’s illness isn’t the reason, what is?

Caroline refused to give an answer, but did say that she was getting sick and tired of all the ”mudslinging” going on. (Hey, if you’ve ever tried to get mud stains out of a pricey designer dress, you understand why she’s steamed.)

But wait a minute…mudslingin‘? Who’s slinging mud on Caroline, and what for? And what the heck was being said?

"They said WHAT about my daughter?"

KNEECAPPED!

Less than 24 hours after Kennedy’s sudden about-face, the New York press (particularly the Post, who broke this series of controversial stories) started throwing some curious little tidbits out there. No actual proof being offered, of course. (Like, zero. Got a document you’d care to share, Mr. Dicker? Or are you simply content to cast aspersions without a shred of evidence to back your borderline libelous claims?) Stories began to leak about the so-called “real” reasons for Caroline’s hasty retreat: did she “forget” to pay her taxes? Did she “overlook” the legal status of her nanny? Was she…(gasp!)…having an extramarital affair?

As it turns out, these leaks were flowing from the loose lips of some unnamed, anonymous source “close to Gov. Paterson.”

Mmm-hmm.

Political operatives who have worked with him over the years say that the “source close to the governor” is often Paterson. An aide to the governor says he “seriously doubts” that Paterson was the source of the Post’s story. Regardless, Kennedy’s camp was livid. “We know there’s no vetting issue,” one of her allies told New York Magazine. “I know what’s in the disclosure form, and up through Wednesday at three o’clock, there had been no discussion of a vetting issue, no complaints from the governor’s counsel. And for him to include the idea of a marital issue is beneath contempt. There’s no marital issue!”

Fred Dicker, the reporter who supposedly “has the inside dirt” on Kennedy, made the rounds of every TV news program on planet earth this week. Perhaps his most memorable appearance was on Fox News, where he got knocked around a bit by, of all people, Bill O’Reilly (whose hero, believe it or not, is former NY senator Robert F. Kennedy):

And from the left side of the political spectrum, Chris Matthews also questioned the source of this reporting, which reeks of outright character assassination (would that make the NY media accessories after the fact?):

NOT-SO-SWEET CAROLINE?

SO SEZ `DA GUV

On Thursday, things got even uglier: Gov. Paterson himself took a swing at Caroline Kennedy at a private event the night before he tapped Kirsten Gillibrand for the Senate. (Well, hey, at least this time he had the cajones to say so himself, instead of sending one of his anonymous snarky minions to kneecap her). At the event, Paterson told guests Kennedy had been “nasty” to him and shown “disrespect” with how she bowed out, attendees told The New York Post.

The governor’s attack came just hours after his office issued a statement wishing her well and disavowing quotes from a that mysterious unnamed, anonymous “source close to him” who had told The Post Kennedy had never been in true contention for the seat and was “mired” in personal issues. (The taxes, the nanny, the rumors of infidelity, etc.)

Whew, those New York pols sure can play some dirty pool, can’t they? Blackmail, rumor-mongering and outright slander are the name of this game, folks. If you don’t kneel and kiss the Governor’s ring, you just might wake up to find a decapitated horse’s head in your bed the next morning. You may also find that people you thought were your friends are now acting like another part of the horse’s anatomy.

Although the Post’s reporting often leaves much to be desired, and the Caroline Kennedy drama is no exception, there was one editorial they ran this week which hit the nail right on the head. (And interestingly enough, we noticed it is penned by an anonymous writer, giving no byline.) The real issue here was not Caroline’s tax, nanny, or other rumored problems; it was Gov. Paterson, who clearly seems to have a leadership problem:

“If Gov. Paterson is so inept that he can’t arrange so simple a transaction as appointing someone to fill a vacant senate seat, what hope does New York state have of emerging intact from the fiscal crises now besetting it?

Make no mistake: Paterson’s endless procrastination on the matter of a Clinton succession – compounded by weeks of confusing, often contradictory signals regarding his intentions – created the circus that roiled Albany yesterday.

The governor is said to have told Kennedy last week that she was his choice – but that he was going to “keep the suspense up” by creating “a little misdirection” until he was ready to announce it.

That’s not leadership.

That’s incitement to anarchy. “

(Shazam! Whoever you are, Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous-Editorial-Writer, ya got that right!)

The Post Op-Ed continues:

“This page endorsed the Kennedy candidacy – but we’ll be the first to admit that she is far from blameless in this affair.

She certainly should have given the governor’s staff a heads-up on potential personal problems early on, which she apparently failed to do.

And the way she handled her withdrawal – seesawing back and forth and then staying out of contact for hours – was almost as bizarre as Paterson’s behavior throughout the affair.

Still, that’s where the governor should have exercised leadership and brought the matter to a close.

But he didn’t.

Instead, firing from ambush hours after the candidacy expired, Paterson staffers made matters worse.

They alleged that the “personal” issues that forced her withdrawal were tax liabilities and a nanny problem – as well as growing questions from reporters about the state of her marriage.

No doubt getting that out there felt good. But what purpose did it serve?

The candidacy was dead, while Paterson comes off as petty as well as inept – and who knows how many people the governor is going to need to pass his budget were needlessly offended?

A lot, probably.

Meanwhile, Paterson says he’ll announce Clinton’s successor in Albany this afternoon – fully 55 days after learning of the vacancy. “

TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION IS TYRANNY

Herein lies the real problem. Paterson’s vanity and publicity-seeking left the people of New York State (the people? Remember them, Guv? You know, the ones who will be deciding whether or not you get to keep your job?) without proper representation for 55 frickin’ days during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Not to point out the obvious or anything, but New York City is the economic heart of America, Governor. And it’s having a major coronary. The crooks on Wall Street got away with murder (most of our bailout money, too) and left the people holding the bag (or the mortgage that isn’t even worth the paper it’s written on, as the case may be).

Heck of a time to leave the people of New York State out in the cold without full representation in the U.S. Senate. While you were out getting all the face time on tee-vee, rubbing elbows with celebrities, trying to stage-manage and prolong this soap opera for as long as possible to build up your own political name, Governor, we think you might have forgotten somebody…

The PEOPLE!!!!!!!

Whatever his faults and/or crimes may be, at least the beseiged Blagojevich had the good sense to remember who put him in the governor’s seat in the first place — and that the people of Illinois deserved full representation. He did his legal duty by appointing Roland Burris to Obama’s vacant senate seat before Congress went back in session. When Harry Reid and other Democratic leaders tried to block Burris from taking his seat, they got smacked down and how!

In that case, the people sent a clear message to Congress: take your political catfight out to the parking lot where it belongs. Sit down and shut up, already. We The People have a constitutional right to representation. Furthermore, we demand it!

In New York, where the tax rate is one of the highest, most confiscatory in the land, and the local economy is sinking faster than a US Airways jet engine on the Hudson River, the people have every reason to be pissed off. They’re paying damn good money for the representation they deserve, and instead got pissed on. A steady golden shower for 55 days is what they got for their money, Governor, and they’ll no doubt put your ego in it’s proper place come 2010 when Caroline (or some other Kennedy, perhaps. Hello, RFK Jr.?) runs against you…and wins!

In the meantime, Governor, you might want to steer clear of high-priced hookers and be really, really good to your wife. You know what they say about people in glass houses and stones, don’t you?

* DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this editorial are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. or the Kennedy family.

Surprise! Caroline’s Out of the Running for U.S. Senate

HUH?

Late tonight, Caroline Kennedy confirmed that she was withdrawing from consideration for the vacant U.S. Senate seat in New York, startling the New York political world after weeks in which she was considered a top contender for the post.

Earlier today Kennedy called Gov. David Paterson, who will choose a successor to former Sen. Hillary Clinton, to inform him that she was no longer interested in the post.

Late tonight she issued this simple-but-puzzling one-sentence statement:

“I informed Gov. Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate.”

And that was that!

A person told of her decision said that Kennedy’s concerns about the health of her uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, who suffers from brain cancer and was hospitalized after suffering a seizure Tuesday, prompted her to withdraw.

Others close to Kennedy felt that Sen. Kennedy’s deteriorating health, evidenced by his collapse yesterday, would all but force Gov. Paterson’s hand in appointing Caroline Kennedy to Hillary Clinton’s now-vacant senate seat.

Kennedy believed that the job was hers if she would accept it, the person said, but aides to Paterson would not comment on whether that was true.

Kennedy’s sudden withdrawl shocked the media pundits, who have been predicting her as a shoo-in for the seat. Apparently, they’re not the only ones who are stunned.

The news appeared to catch the governor off guard, throwing the Paterson administration into confusion and setting off conflicting news media reports. After frantic talks between the governor’s operation and Kennedy’s camp this evening, Kennedy appeared to waver on whether to withdraw, and was preparing a statement reasserting her interest in the job. But at about midnight, she decided to make clear she was taking her name out of consideration and released the statement saying so.

The timing is certainly curious, coming on the same day of Hillary Clinton’s confirmation as secretary of state. 

No further clarification was given as to the nature of Kennedy’s “personal reasons” for withdrawl, and she declined to be interviewed.

Kennedy’s surprise move comes nearly two months after she, along with several members of Congress and leading political officials, began lobbying the governor for the coveted Senate seat. She attracted relentless attention and was viewed by many as the most likely choice for Paterson, given her national stature and ties to the incoming Obama administration.

“I’m surprised, I’m very surprised,” said Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright, a friend of the governor’s who met with Kennedy in his Harlem office. He added: “I had just met with her last week and she told me she was in and ready, willing and able.”

Kennedy had gained the support of some powerful backers in the state, including several labor officials and a top aide to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Kevin Sheekey.

But her pursuit of the seat also set off resistance, with some local Democratic officials suggesting it smacked of entitlement, and polls showing voters preferring Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for the position.

Kennedy, 51, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, has never served in public office.

In early December, her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also withdrew his name for consideration. Many in New York political circles considered him the first (and perhaps most obvious) choice to fill the senate seat once held by his father. (Robert F. Kennedy was the junior senator from 1964 until his assassination in 1968.)

After so much heavy campaigning on Caroline’s part, tonight’s news is both shocking and disappointing to longtime Kennedy supporters. With Ted Kennedy’s terminal illness as a factor, it is apparent that he most likely will be unable to serve out the remainder of his term. Many of us desperately hoped to see another Kennedy in the United States Senate, be it RFK Jr. or Caroline, working for the people of New York state. Sadly, that’s not gonna happen.

Perhaps there is still hope, depending on who is chosen to fill Teddy’s seat in Massachusetts when that unfortunate time comes.

RFK Jr. Remembers JFK Inauguration

John F. Kennedy takes the oath of office, becoming our nation’s 35th president. January 20, 1961

 

MEMORIES

On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, the latest issue of Newsweek features recollections of inaugurals past from the likes of Rep. John Lewis, Ari Fleisher, Franklin Graham, and my personal favorite, Karl Rove (who recalls how his first night on the job was capped by a stern warning from a West Wing janitor to “respect the house” — he should have heeded this advice). 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is also interviewed for the article. Here’s what he had to say:

“I was only 7 years old when my uncle became president, but I remember his Inauguration Day better than any other. He didn’t say anything to me that day; there were too many people all over, and they all wanted to talk to him. But our entire family was there to watch him. After the inaugural ceremony and the parade, we were allowed into the White House to see where my cousins would be living. We saw their bedrooms and explored the whole house. We ran through all the halls—outside to the pool and down to the basement and into the bowling alley. That was the first time we were in the house and, as little kids, it felt enormous. It was a really big place. As time went on, my uncle invited us back frequently, about once a month. When I was a few years older, I met with him—just us—in the Oval Office and he talked with me about my interest in the outdoors, about pollution and environmental issues of the time. At one point after that, he arranged for me to interview Stewart Udall, who was the secretary of the interior. To thank my uncle, the next time I went to the White House I brought him a salamander.”

…uh, well…there’s more to that story. For reasons that might be obvious, RFK Jr. left out the best part. So we’ll turn to a 2006 New York Times article to provide the punchline:

“One of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s family mementos is a boyhood photo of himself in the Oval Office with his uncle President John F. Kennedy. Then 9, Mr. Kennedy — who is still known as Bobby — had just given the president a spotted salamander in a small vase. The salamander appears to be dead.

“He does not look well,” President Kennedy told Bobby as they observed the slimy pet. The president is prodding it with a pen, to no avail. “I was in denial,” Bobby Kennedy said, explaining that he had probably doomed the salamander by keeping it in chlorinated water.

Not to attach too much significance to a dead salamander, but, oh, what the heck: the photo distills some Bobby Kennedy essentials — his matter-of-fact presence in royal circles, his boyish chutzpah and a lifelong appreciation for animals (even those he has killed).

Now 52, Mr. Kennedy, is one of the country’s most prominent environmental lawyers and advocates. Clearly he was traumatized by his youthful act of environmental insensitivity and vowed as an adult to become a fervent protector of all the planet’s salamanders. Or perhaps this is overreaching, seeing too much in a simple picture. (Sometimes a dead salamander is just a dead salamander). “

Here’s that famous photo now:

“He does not look well”: Seven year-old Bobby Kennedy Jr. with his clearly amused Uncle Jack (and a very dead salamander) just two months after JFK’s Inauguration, March, 1961.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (and in fact, the entire Kennedy clan) will be in attendance Tuesday when Senator Barack Obama is sworn in as the nation’s 44th president. Joking with reporter Kris Jenner about a “Kennedy invasion” of D.C. next week, Bobby quipped: “I think there’s four million people who are going to be in Washington this weekend, and probably around half of them are Kennedys!”

Without a doubt, the Kennedy clan will have more influence in this White House than with any administration since JFK. Bobby Jr. will likely be a frequent guest in Obama’s Oval Office, engaging in private discussions with the president about the environment. This time though, we think he should probably leave the salamander at home.

“All My (Kennedy) Children” 2008 Year-In-Review

Caroline Kennedy campaigns with Sen. Barack Obama, April 21, 2008.

2008 “ALL MY (KENNEDY) CHILDREN” YEAR IN REVIEW

Well, it sure has been an action-packed year for the Kennedys. 2008 brought us the election of Barack Obama, a man many Kennedy family members believe will be a President like John F. Kennedy.

In the early primary season, the Kennedys split down the middle between Obama and Hillary Clinton. Watching the squabble over endorsements certainly kept the pundits busy during the winter months. The media’s constant comparisons of Obama to JFK resulted in increased awareness of the Kennedys and an encouraging resurgence of interest amongst members of a generation too young to have any firsthand memories of him.

But in May, the golden glow of “a return to Camelot” was dimmed by the tragic news that Sen. Edward Kennedy had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. The Mighty Teddy was suddenly rendered vulnerable before our eyes; his illness a poignant reminder that the last surviving Kennedy brother can’t stay with us indefinitely.

This year also marked two other sad anniversaries for the family: 45 years since the assassination of President Kennedy, and 40 years since Senator Robert Kennedy’s murder.

But we’d like to focus your attention on another important event which passed without much fanfare this year.

On the last day of 2008, it is interesting to “flashback” now and read this article (dated June 4) again. What a critical turning point moment it turned out to be in such a historic election year, although we didn’t fully grasp it’s future importance at the time.

Let’s rewind and take a closer look with some hindsight, shall we?

The news of Caroline heading up Obama’s VP search team came on June 4th, the 40th anniversary of former NY senator Robert Kennedy’s assassination. (Curious timing, that.)

As fate (or the voters) would have it, the current occupant of that same senate seat – Hillary Clinton – announced her campaign was over on June 4th. (Although in truth, her campaign really ended two weeks earlier, thanks to a tasteless and ill-timed remark she made about the RFK assassination which RFK Jr. defended, incidentally.)

Clinton’s “I’m out of the race” announcement finally came, curiously enough, in perfect synchronicity with Obama’s Veep committee announcement.  Within a matter of hours, in fact. Smell test, anyone?

At the time, of course, everyone whispered “back room deal!” Clinton loyalists scrambled to explain why their candidate, who had famously vowed to stay in the race until the bitter end, ultimately decided otherwise: “Hillary is only giving up her campaign because she’s angling for …the Vice Presidency!”

Well, that didn’t happen, but  the series of events to follow unfolded in a most unexpected and even puzzling way:

The persistent political rumor this year was that RFK Jr. endorsed Hillary because he wanted to reclaim his father’s senate seat.  As many of our readers will recall from past coverage, that endorsement didn’t go over so well with the party’s liberal base. To say the very least.

Meanwhile, Caroline, Teddy, et al…suddenly jumped off the Clintons Good Ship Lollypop and got on board Obama’s Soul Train, Bound For Glory.

By November, another sudden turn…now Obama is the President-elect, Hillary is offered SoS, and Bobby Jr. ….WHAT?…takes his name out of the running for that senate seat he’s always wanted? Days later, RFK issues the stunning statement that he will not accept that rumored cabinet appointment at EPA, either. Really?

The mind boggles.

Then, the plot twist to end all plot twists; out of nowhere comes cousin Caroline, who never expressed the slightest desire in holding elected office…and now she wants Hillary’s senate seat?

In Happier Days: RFK Jr. with Hillary on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, January, 2008

SOAPDISH

So what’s the real deal, you may ask? What kind of political backslappin’ and palm-greasin’ is REALLY going on behind the scenes? And who writes this stuff? It’s a soap opera, I tell ya: “All My (Kennedy) Children”!

I actually heard a pretty logical theory today from a friend of mine, and I’m not so inclined to disagree with his take on things. Tends to explain a hell of a lot, really. Here’s the logic tree he followed, and his inevitable conclusion:

- Hillary offered to “help” RFK Jr. get  the NY senate seat in return for *his* endorsement if she won.
- Obama offered to “help” Caroline get the same senate seat in return for *her* endorsement, if he won.
- Once it became clear that Hillary had lost the nomination, she made a deal with Obama to just go quietly…in return for consideration as VP or a very high level cabinet position…and for “help” paying off her campaign debts. (Who’s your Sugar Daddy, baby?)
- Once it became clear that Obama had the nomination cinched in early June, he brought Caroline onto his VP search committee to “help” prepare her for bigger things ahead, and….

Six months later - ba-da-bing! – whaddyaknow, Hillary’s leaving the senate for the promised cabinet post, RFK Jr. (who backed the wrong horse in this race) is out in the proverbial cold, and Caroline is a shoo-in for the promised Senate seat.

Whew, ya got all that?

Okay, now just don’t say anything to Blago about this wild conspiracy theory. He might just get some crazy idea in his head about how to sell (cough!)…ahem, excuse me, I mean FILL Obama’s vacant senate seat…;)

What 2009 has in store for the Kennedys, for the Obamas, indeed for us all, is anybody’s guess. But the new season of “All My (Kennedy) Children” starts this week, and it’s not to be missed. (Cue cheesy organ music here…)

PROMO SCRIPT FOR “ALL MY (KENNEDY) CHILDREN” – Week of January 5, 2009

V/O: OVERBEARING ANNOUNCER

Will Caroline easily get the NY Senate appointment?

Or will she be matched against her former in-law Cuomo (the plot thickens!) Who would Kerry Kennedy be campaigning for?

Will Hillary Clinton pass the test for Secretary of State in her Senate confirmation hearings?

And what of Bobby Jr.? If he’s not serving in President Obama’s cabinet or filling a vacant senate seat, what will he do next?

Tune in tomorrow for another episode of “All My (Kennedy) Children”…

---

The Young Know Caroline’s a Kennedy, But Which One?

Caroline with her father, President John F. Kennedy

Say the name Caroline Kennedy to Jensie Farrar, and she turns almost maternally protective. Ms. Farrar was married in Albany on Nov. 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the passage of 45 years has done little to dull her shock or to alter her image of the president’s only girl.

Say “Caroline Kennedy” to Bess Goden, 23, and she pauses, working quietly to exactly place it.

“I’m like, ‘Is she a Kennedy Kennedy, or is this one of the cousins?’ ” Ms. Goden, an aspiring actress, asked while taking a cigarette break from her job at the Borders bookstore cafe on West 34th Street. “She’s the one with the brother who died in the plane?”

Ms. Kennedy, who declared last week that she would like to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as the junior senator from New York, is in many ways embarking on a test of the enduring power of her politically royal name.

Interviews with about 50 New Yorkers — people from upstate and across town, people of all ages and races and political persuasions — suggest that the Kennedy brand is rich with resonance. But it also provokes resentment and puzzlement, especially among younger voters, who are suspicious of dynastic politics as the Bush era ends, and are uncertain of where in the famous family tree she falls.

“I don’t know who her father is, but if you told me, I bet I would know,” said Michelle Kuhns, 21, a senior at St. John’s University in Queens who was working during her holiday break at a bagel shop on Long Island. “I’ve heard the name, yes. But that’s it.”

New York’s connection to the Kennedys is long and illustrious. President Kennedy and his brother Robert, who once held the Senate seat that Ms. Kennedy is seeking, spent childhood years in Riverdale in the Bronx and Bronxville in Westchester. Her father carried the state in 1960; her uncle was elected senator in 1964.

But Ms. Kennedy’s relationship with New York has been a quiet one. Until she became a fund-raiser for the city’s public schools in 2002, she had been largely overshadowed by her brother, John Jr., who was called People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1988 and founded George, a political magazine, in 1995.

Now people here are taking her measure.

“THE KENNEDYS…I THINK THEY RUINED THE COUNTRY!”

“The Kennedys — don’t get me started,” said Tom Gorey, 60, who was Christmas shopping on Long Island. “I think they ruined the country.”

Skeptics questioned whether Ms. Kennedy knows about places like Buffalo, Utica, or Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, and the pressures on working people in hard times. “What I want is someone who is going to cut spending and cut taxes,” said Jim Nowicki, 47, an insurance company employee in Buffalo, “someone who can bring business back here.”

But by far the largest gap between those stirred by the Kennedy mystique and those unmoved is time.

People who knew the name of the pony she rode when she lived at the White House (Macaroni), or remembered where they were when the president was shot, or recalled her uncle’s funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral expressed an affection for the family and interest in her bid for senator.

Michael Petagina, 52, who owns a hobby shop in White Plains, suggested that Ms. Kennedy would be excellent in the Senate — and beyond.

“She’s for truth, justice and the American way,” Mr. Petagina said. “She did the right thing staying out of politics to raise her family, and now I think she’ll be the next president of the United States.”

Doreen Horrigan, a Buffalo businesswoman in her 40s, said she had always hoped that John F. Kennedy Jr., who was killed with his wife and sister-in-law in a plane crash in 1999, would have sought public office. “I was looking forward to him,” she said. “His passing was tragic.”

Among those born after 1970, the Kennedy story seems to have a different cast of players. Outside Madison Square Garden, Chiara Veltri, 27, who was asked about Ms. Kennedy’s political ambition, responded with a rumination about “John Kennedy,” which unspooled for several minutes before it became clear that she was not talking about the 35th president, but his son.

“When I was a kid, I really loved him,” said Ms. Veltri, an assistant bank manager. “He had such charisma, and you could tell he was a nice guy.” As it turned out, she had seen him once on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Whether the Kennedy mystique applies to Ms. Kennedy, people were not sure. “Caroline Kennedy has great intentions. She comes from a great, wonderful family, but I just don’t know enough about her,” Ms. Horrigan said.

Many residents interviewed last week, as Ms. Kennedy began a series of meetings with political leaders around the state, spoke of her apparent reserve: Ms. Kennedy’s endorsement of Barack Obama for president in January marked her first venture into electoral politics. Her phone call this month to Gov. David A. Paterson, who will make the Senate appointment, was her second.

Yvonne DeWitt, 51, who was waiting for a bus in downtown Albany, said she viewed Ms. Kennedy’s earlier reticence as evidence of character. “You can tell in the way she speaks. She’s not about herself,” Ms. DeWitt said. “She’s a very spiritual and beautiful woman, in her heart.”

The same quality came across differently to Joseph Scali, a Middletown lawyer. “I’m troubled by the arrogance — the idea that she feels she can purposely remain inactive in the political arena and then assume a sense of entitlement,” he said in White Plains.

Elmer A. DeLeon, 23, manager of a hip-hop group called Solar, said he was familiar with Ms. Kennedy but dismissed her bid for public office. “I don’t think she’s qualified,” he said, “She’s using her name to get into office. The way this country is going, we need people who are going to do their job.”

The public sentiments are unlikely to have any immediate weight on Ms. Kennedy’s candidacy because voters have no say in whether she gets the seat. Mr. Paterson will appoint a candidate of his choosing. About a dozen candidates have been mentioned, including Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, who represents parts of Manhattan and Queens, and the state attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo. The seat will be in play in the 2010 election and again in 2012.

Ciro Mele, 63, who was interviewed at the Off-Track Betting parlor on Canal Street in Manhattan, suggested that New Yorkers should not waste a minute worrying about Ms. Kennedy’s qualifications or whether she was leapfrogging over hard-working public servants. The state can learn from California’s experience, he said.

Just look what her family did for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, he said. Offering a rendition of Mr. Schwarzenegger’s signature line, “I’ll be back,” as several buddies chuckled from their plastic chairs, he said the former actor improved his social standing when he wed Maria Shriver.

“Now he’s married to a Kennedy, and he says things like ‘I ascertained such and such,’ ” Mr. Mele said.

He is confident New York will be equally enhanced if it takes a chance on Caroline Kennedy.

“She’ll be good,” said Mr. Mele, a retiree. “It’s in her blood.”

 

Story from the NY Times. Reporting was contributed by Dennis Gaffney, Jane Gottlieb, Abby Gruen, Angela Macropoulos, Mick Meenan, Winter Miller and Mike Regan.

“This is a Time When No One Can Afford to Sit Out” – Caroline Kennedy

NEW YORK – The Rev. Al Sharpton took Caroline Kennedy to lunch Thursday at a famed Harlem soul food restaurant as she continued her quest to join her uncle in the U.S. Senate. Kennedy smiled as she and the civil rights activist made their way through a throng of media and into Sylvia’s, whose walls are lined with photographs of visiting politicians including the Clintons.

“I come at this as a mother, as a lawyer, as an author, as an education advocate and from a family that really has spent generations in public service,” Kennedy told reporters after lunch. “I feel this commitment, and this is a time when nobody can afford to sit out. And I hope that I have something to offer.”

The late President John F. Kennedy’s daughter acknowledged Wednesday she’s seeking to be appointed to the Senate seat held by Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been nominated by President-elect Barack Obama to be secretary of state.

Kennedy was asked what she would need to do to prepare herself for the post, which has attracted the interest of at least a dozen Democratic officials including her former relative by marriage, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

“I have, you know, quite a lot to learn, but I feel like I bring a lot with me, as well,” Kennedy said.

She was also asked why she was plunging into politics now, after spending most of her life carefully cultivating her privacy.

“These are issues that I care so much about and I understand that, really, I have been trying to work on them as a private citizen and in the position that I have,” she said. “But really, to solve our problems, I think government is the place where people need to come together.”

Kennedy’s emergence as a contender has generated both buzz and controversy. She comes from a Democratic dynasty but has never held public office, and some Republicans and Democrats have criticized her lack of experience.

Democratic Gov. David Paterson has said he won’t make an appointment until Clinton is confirmed. The governor confirmed Kennedy’s interest in the seat on Monday, the same day she reached out to Sharpton in a telephone call.

After speaking to Kennedy, Sharpton released a statement saying he disagreed with those who say she isn’t qualified to be U.S. senator.

He said he had invited her to dine wtih him at Sylvia’s this week, reminding her that he took Obama there during his campaign “so it’s a good luck stop since he did all right.”

 

RFK Jr. Out — Caroline Kennedy In?

STRIKE TWO!

Looks like Mr. Kennedy won’t be going to Washington

Less than a month ago, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the Huffington Post in response to rumors that he might be tapped to run President Obama’s EPA or Interior Department, “if asked, I will serve.”

Well, it seems that something has changed since then. Either he wasn’t asked, or was asked and after weighing the various options and potential consequences, decided that a cabinet post is not in his future.

Today, the NY Daily News is reporting that if asked, Kennedy most likely will not serve after all:

- Robert Kennedy Jr. sounds like he’s definitely taking himself out of the running for head of the Environmental Protection Agency. “I have six mouths to feed,” the eco-crusader told us at Monday’s Waterkeeper Alliance/Conde Nast soiree, where James Blunt performed. “But I’d love to be involved with anything the Obama administration does.”

Kennedy told the crowd he’s now “driving a Lexus hybrid. My daughters said it’s the first grown-up car I’ve had.”

So that, apparently, settles that! Looks like Mr. Kennedy won’t be going to Washington this year. Or next.

But what about that senate seat? Ever since President-elect Obama announced Hillary Clinton as his nominee for secretary of state on Monday, speculation has run rampant as to whether or not Kennedy would be appointed to fill out her term of office in the senate. But no, it appears he doesn’t want that gig, either. 

JUST SAY NO

Yesterday, RFK Jr. telephoned New York governor David Paterson and asked that his name be removed from the list of potential appointees. Considering that he has often expressed a strong desire to reclaim the senate seat once held by his father, the reaction to Kennedy’s announcement has been a mix of surprise and disappointment among his many faithful supporters.

The push for Kennedy as Clinton’s replacement was strong; there was even a short-lived Facebook group organized to promote RFK Jr. for the Senate (Kennedy was the only contender to have such support).

But Kennedy isn’t alone in his mad dash for the sidelines. He’s got good company on the bench. On Monday, Nita Lowey (D-Westchester), once considered a prime choice, withdrew her name from consideration. And on Tuesday, former president Bill Clinton announced that he was “not interested” in occupying his wife’s senate seat when/if it becomes available. So that’s three down, hundreds more hopefuls to go.

New York governor Paterson says he will wait to name Clinton’s replacement until after she leaves the U.S. senate, which would be next January if Hillary’s cabinet nomination is confirmed by her senate colleagues. 

Kennedy supporters shouldn’t despair too much. There’s still Caroline! While the martyred president’s daughter has always wisely eschewed a political career, the possibility that she might be under serious consideration to fill Clinton’s senate seat appears to be more than just talk. Even RFK Jr. sang her praises yesterday (while at the same time, withdrawing his own name) as a worthy contender for the job.

Earlier, it was suggested that Caroline might be named as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, but that idea was squelched a few days ago when Obama announced his foreign policy advisor, Susan Rice, as the nominee.

So that frees up Caroline Kennedy to do something else. Her appointment to Clinton’s senate seat would certainly present an interesting dynamic and plenty of drama. After many years of having a close relationship with the Clintons, Caroline shocked the world when she switched teams to support Senator Obama during the 2008 primary election season. I rather doubt that has been forgotten by the Clintons.

A Somber Anniversary

“We must use time as a tool, not a crutch.” — JFK

NOVEMBER 22

Today marks 45 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

It is a time when all Americans (even those who were not yet born in 1963) stop to reflect on what our country lost that day – for we lost so much more than more than just a man — and we ponder what role that tragic event played in shaping the world we now find ourselves living in.

While it is important that we pause to remember the past, and to ask these questions about America’s future (he would want us to), let’s not allow ourselves to forget the man Jack Kennedy was. Because it seems that far too often, we focus our attention on his death and the many questions that still remain unanswered. Shouldn’t we instead remember his life?

Sitting atop the perch where Abraham Zapruder shot his film of the assassination, a young boy tries to make sense of it all. Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX. June 1, 2008

Since this somber anniversary happens to fall around Thanksgiving, it just doesn’t seem appropriate somehow to be mournful. Rather, let us give thanks for all of the good things he brought to this world as a catalyst for change. Let us recall the way he inspired people around the globe; the hope and optimism he brought to the presidency. Let’s celebrate his vision, his strength, his courage, his razor-sharp mind, his grace, charm, and of course, that delightful, sometimes wicked wit.

This would be a perfect time to reach for one of your favorite books on the shelf and immerse yourself in some of his words. Listen to some of his best speeches. Because these things are the legacy he left us. His words will live in history forever and cannot be erased.

A single red rose, left by an unknown admirer on the Grassy Knoll in front of the former Texas School Book Depository (now the 6th Floor Museum).

Naturally, we all have our own favorite books and speeches of JFK’s; I’ve certainly got a long list of works I find deeply moving and inspiring, but I’ll refrain from making any recommendations here because I feel that how each of us remembers him today should be a strictly personal choice.

But there is one little tidbit I want to share:

On November 19, 1963, just three days before his death, President Kennedy wrote this message for the rededication ceremonies of the national cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania:

“The goals of liberty and freedom, the obligations of keeping ours a government of and for the people are never-ending.”

Just one sentence, but this says it all. Written exactly 45 years ago, these words serve to remind us all that there is still so much work to do. Lest we forget.

 President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

May 29, 1917- November 22, 1963 

Notes and flowers left for President Kennedy on the Grassy Knoll Fence. Dallas, June 2008

 PHOTO GALLERY

Graffiti on the Grassy Knoll’s stockade fence

Notes and flowers left for President Kennedy on the Grassy Knoll Fence. Dallas, June 2008

St. John Hunt, son of the late E. Howard Hunt, signed the Grassy Knoll’s stockade fence.

One word says it all: IMAGINE

An Associated Press photographer snaps a picture of a single red rose on the Grassy Knoll.

A single red rose, left by an unknown admirer on the Grassy Knoll in front of the former Texas School Book Depository (now the 6th Floor Museum).

“X” marks the spot where President Kennedy was fatally wounded on November 22, 1963. Elm Street, Dallas.

A single red rose on the grassy knoll overlooks the spot where JFK was murdered. Notice the “X” mark in the center lane of Elm Street.

The author at Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX. June 1, 2008

View of the murder site and grassy knoll from opposite side of Elm Street, Dealey Plaza.

Wide angle of Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll, as seen from the opposite side of Elm Street.

Sitting atop the perch where Abraham Zapruder shot his film of the assassination, a young boy tries to make sense of it all. Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX. June 1, 2008

 

 

Text and images copyright RFKJrforPresident.com. All rights reserved. 

President and Mrs. Kennedy (holding red roses) at Love Field, Dallas. Nov. 22, 1963

 * FOR FURTHER READING, WE RECOMMEND:

“Midnight in the Plaza of Good and Evil”

“Happy Birthday, Mr. President” 

“A Word From JFK on Independence Day”

“Former JFK Secret Service Agent Speaks Out in New Book: The Echo From Dealey Plaza”

“Op-Ed: Whoops, They Did It Again”

“Op-Ed: Who Will Carry The Torch Now?”

“JFK on Presidential Leadership”

The “Fearless” Kennedy

Op-Ed: We Have Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

Dallas D.A. Releases Secret Stash of JFK Assassination Files