In Maclean's extensive coverage of Ted Kennedy (commemorative issue), they describe him as “American icon”. I hate to be an iconoclast, but I really do not think of him as such.
This is the man who rode the cottontails of his brothers and the Kennedy name; had all the advantages of fame and fortune without having to do much. Andrew Coyne says of why Ted Kennedy ran for president: “because it was his turn”. For someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth, nothing less would suffice.
Yet, he worked hard to destroy himself and those with him. Mary Jo Kopechne did not deserve to die in the muddy Chappaquiddick River. Kennedy was likely drunk, and craven enough to run home to mamma and wait until dawn to call the police, while Mary Jo was drowning in the river.
He got off lightly. Someone else would likely be serving hard time for homicide; or at last criminal negligence causing death. Ted Kennedy got off easy, because who he was. Ditto his clear culpability in the William Kennedy Smith case, not to mention his drinking and whoring on a spectacular scale. Falstaff does well in comparison.
Andrew Coyne writes “...the true measure of life is how many show up at your funeral.” I beg to differ. People show up at funerals for a variety of reason, not the least the “fame (or infamy) and fortune” of the deceased; whether deserved or not. People show up at all kinds of things, to be part of the crowd, to see and be seen; perhaps catch a ray of the proverbial sunshine.
Yes, Ted Kennedy no doubt did some good work in the senate. But, that work did not qualify him for redemption, and most of his personal adversity was self-induced.
From those who much has been given, much is expected. Ted Kennedy just did the minimum.
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