Looney Liberal of the Week: Patrick Kennedy

This week's award goes to Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI). Kennedy crashed his car on Thursday morning at approximately 2:45 AM. He claims that alcohol was not a factor, but Capitol Police who first arrived on the scene reported he was staggering, that his eyes were red and watery, that his speech was slurred, and that they thought they smelled alcohol on his breath. They were going to give him the standard breath-alyzer test, but were prevented from doing so by two Capitol Police seargents that arrived on the scene shortly after, and who then gave Kennedy a ride home.

Kennedy told officers at the scene that he was there to cast a vote, but Congress had adjourned hours earlier. In the first statement which Kennedy gave after the accident (Thursday), he said he had consumed no alcohol prior to the accident, but had become disoriented after taking two prescription medications. However, rumors are now swirling that Kennedy was indeed seen drinking earlier in the evening.

On Friday, Kennedy issued another statement and this looney lib announced a sudden case of amnesia. He said he couldn't remember anything about the incident or having been cited with three traffic violations. Fred Barnes, Executive Editor of The Weekly Standard, questioned Kennedy's statement on the Friday edition of Special Report with Brit Hume at FOX News television. "How do you un-remember something?" asked Barnes.

In his Friday statement, Kennedy also pointed out that he was addicted to prescription pain medication and would be checking himself into the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

I was not surprised at all how The New York Times presented this story. The tone was very understanding and matter-of-fact. Kind of like... 'You know. Accidents happen. People get addicted. Ambien has been known to cause problems. The FDA is investigating. Senator Edward Kennedy says he loves his son very much and is proud of him... yada, yada, yada.' Even the following direct quote from the story is colorless... "Although Representative Kennedy said Friday that he could not remember the crash, he issued a statement on Thursday night explaining it." That's it! No follow-up!

I think the NYT should get an award for this story. Why? Because it's probably one of the best examples of how ALL their reporting should be done. Just the facts, with little or no color. Unfortunately, the NYT presented the story this way because the Kennedys are libs, and we wouldn't want to embarass them now, would we?

If the congressman was a Republican, and one with name recognition, the story would have been totally different. The word "allegation" or "alleged" would be all over the article. The congressman would be "claiming" this or that, instead of merely saying it. There would have been calls for an investigation. There would have been calls for the congressman to resign. There would be an outcry that would go on for months!

Maybe the NYT should have received this week's Looney Lib award?