The Washington Post's Web site on Friday posted the Reuters' dispatch, "At 74, Ted Kennedy still roars." The piece was largely favorable, lauding the Massachusetts senator for "speaking out on such trademark issues as civil rights, education and health care." It's noted that Time magazine recently named Kennedy one of America's ten best senators and that he "has helped enact legislation to protect civil rights, expand health care, upgrade schools, increase student aid and crackdown on discrimination."
Naturally, no mention is made of the costs associated with Kennedy's initiatives or their impact on expansion of Federal power. There are two references to Chappaquiddick, identified as the "scandal that tarnished his reputation and prospects of becoming president." Later, the article states: "Kennedy was dogged by personal problems early in life, most notably a 1969 accident in Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts, that took the life of a young woman who drowned when his car plunged off a bridge after a night of partying."
The article doesn't identify a primary reason this "personal problem" has dogged him for so long. He didn't report the woman's death until the following day, after his car - with her body in it - had been found. He claims he's "taken responsibility," but as is so often the case the assertion is meaningless.
But now he roars. Now he pontificates with great moral authority. Now he questions the motives of those who disagree. Now he lectures Supreme Court nominees on morality. Now he reads pieces in the Washington Post that view Mary Jo Kopechne's death as little more than an impediment to his political career.
