posted May 05, 2006 03:12 PM            

Patrick Kennedy's Capitol Hill car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning was the second vehicular mishap suffered by the Rhode Island Democrat in three weeks.

Appearing on ABC Radio's Mark Levin Show last night, WRKO Boston radio host Howie Carr detailed the earlier accident, which went unnoted outside of the local press in Providence, Rhode Island.

"The accident wasn't reported in the newspapers until almost a week after it happened," Carr complained in his own Boston Herald column last week.

"The story ended up in the D section of the Providence Journal, under the East Bay Sports Bulletin Board and a big story headlined, 'Two arrested after Newport tagging spree,'" he said.

On April 15 Kennedy was on his way to the drug store, driving a Ford Crown Victoria on Turnpike Avenue in Portsmouth, R.I., when he made an abrupt left turn into the path of an oncoming Nissan.

"By Kennedy standards, it was a fender-bender," Carr noted.

According to the police report, there was no indication that Kennedy was driving under the influence, with his physical condition described as "appearing normal."

Kennedy's handwriting after the accident, however, didn't appear normal, Carr told Levin, explaining that in Rhode Island police require drivers to write their own accident statement.

"It looks like it was written by a chimpanzee, or a 2-year-old," Carr said, speculating that it could been caused by "medications" Kennedy was taking.

posted May 05, 2006 03:17 PM            

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I.
WASHINGTON – Has another Kennedy received special treatment by police after another suspicious car wreck?

That's the question on everyone's lips in the nation's capital today following a report that Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., wrecked his car while admittedly under the influence of a prescription drug.

As Kennedy tells the story, "I never asked for any preferential treatment." Asked whether he received it, he said "that's up for the police to decide."

He also says he had taken a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness, but consumed no alcohol, before crashing his car near the Capitol.

However, a hostess at a popular Capitol Hill bar, the Hawk 'n' Dove, told the Boston Herald she saw Kennedy drinking in the hours before the crash.

Hawk 'n' Dove bar in Washington

"He was drinking a little bit," said the woman, who would not give her name.

Late last night as he left his office, Kennedy refused to say whether he had been to the Hawk 'n' Dove the night before, the paper reported.

A Herald reporter who visited bars where Kennedy is known to socialize said a bartender at the Tune Inn, next to the Hawk 'n' Dove, also said Kennedy was spotted Wednesday in the Hawk 'n' Dove, which describes itself as "Washington, D.C.'s oldest Irish bar."

The bar's manager, Edgar Gutierrez, said Kennedy is a regular, according to the Boston paper. Gutierrez said he was working Wednesday night but did not see the congressman.

Kennedy was cited for three traffic violations, according to a report by a U.S. Capitol Police officer.

Kennedy spokeswoman Robin Costello acknowledged the police report, but said "we have no knowledge of any citations."

The congressman plans to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. Eastern.

In a statement explaining his actions, Kennedy said the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Kennedy said that after working Wednesday evening he went home and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another drug that he sometimes takes to fall asleep.

In his statement, Kennedy said he apparently was disoriented from the drugs when he got up a little before 3 a.m. Thursday and drove to the Capitol thinking he needed to be present for a vote.

"Following the last series of votes on Wednesday evening, I returned to my home on Capitol Hill and took the prescribed amount of Phenergan and Ambien," Kennedy said. "Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote. Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

According the U.S. Constitution, congressmen have special protections on their way to and from a vote. Article 1, Section 6 says:

Senators and representatives "shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same."
"At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol," said Kennedy, going on to address questions about why he was not asked to take a sobriety test. "At the time of the accident, I was instructed to park my car and was driven home by the United States Capitol Police. At no time did I ask for any special consideration, I simply complied with what the officers asked me to do."

"I have the utmost respect for the United States Capitol Police and the job they do to keep Members of Congress and the Capitol Complex safe," he continued. "I have contacted the Chief of Capitol Police and offered to meet with police representatives at their earliest convenience as I intend to cooperate fully with any investigation they choose to undertake."

But some are questioning the incident and the way it was handled by police.

Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustang into a barrier on Capitol Hill.

"The officers on the scene, it is my understanding, smelled alcohol. And based on his demeanor and their experience, believed him to be intoxicated," Cannon told CBS News.

Cannon also says officers at the scene were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home.

A letter written by Capitol Police officer Greg Baird to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Baird wrote McGaffin that two sergeants who responded to the accident conferred with the watch commander and were ordered to leave the scene.

He said that after the officers left, Capitol Police officials gave Kennedy a ride home.

Cannon told CBS News, "I would think for the average citizen they would probably be taken into custody."

Cannon said that in certain circumstances officers will take people home, but he believes "because of who he is, courtesies were extended. ... If it had been you or me, we would have left in handcuffs."

Kennedy, who began his legislative career at age 21 in the Rhode Island Assembly, has served in Congress since 1994.

Before attending Providence College, he spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic. He has admitted having mental health problems, including bipolar disorder.

Mary Jo Kopechne

The congressman's father, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., is still remembered for his famous Chappaquiddick driving accident in 1969 in which Mary Jo Kopechne was killed when the car the senator was driving went off a bridge.

No autopsy was ever performed to determine her exact cause of death.

posted May 05, 2006 03:38 PM            

Kennedy, D-R.I., plans to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The congressman was announcing his decision during a new conference Friday afternoon, then planned to travel to Minnesota later in the day.

Kennedy, who has struggled with addiction and depression, said he had checked into the Mayo Clinic over the Christmas holidays and returned to Congress "reinvigorated and healthy."

"Of course, in every recovery, each day has its ups and downs, but I have been strong, focused and productive since my return," Kennedy said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.

The congressman said he became concerned about his condition after the Thursday morning car accident.

"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions," Kennedy said. "That's not how I want to live my life. And that's not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island."

The congressman's father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., issued a supportive statement in which he said he's proud of his son for admitting his problem and taking steps to correct it.

posted May 05, 2006 04:51 PM              

A public figure with an addiction to prescription meds...

posted May 05, 2006 06:40 PM              

It was more to point out Limbaugh's hypocrisy regarding his tough stance on drug users than his self-admitted addiction that the media jumped on. Also he took a tough stance regarding the penalty of drug pushers and his pain killers were not prescribed by a doctor. If I remember correctly it was his housekeeper who he was using to get the drugs for him.

posted May 05, 2006 06:48 PM            

This is the same leftist twit who flies around America in private jets to lecture the rest of us on energy conservation.

This is the same leftist twit who along with his father, Ted Kennedy, the Hero of Chappaquiddick, opposed and still opposes a wind farm off the coast from the Kennedy Compound. A wind farm putting out free, clean energy for the whole area.

posted May 05, 2006 06:59 PM            

God, I LOVE that!!! I laugh so hard when I see hypocracy in motion. We have several thousand libbies here in my town

Hell they made up a new bumper sticker:

Bisbee Arizona - A Liberal Oasis in a Conservative Desert

At the little market the lady asked me if I was interested in one. I winked at her and said "Honey, I am Conservative drowning in your so called oasis" Hee hee..... She actually laughed. They know me here at one of the conservative 10% that resides in Bisbee - Thank goodness the rest of the County is mostly Pubbies.

Anyway, I digress.... So at one of our Friday night potlucks my favorite drunk - this little viscious old bat that wears fur coats, more bling that Snoop dog and is usally stoned too, comes up and says ... no slurs "Your president is killing our environment!!!' I said "really, and how many poor foxes and minks died to make the contraptions you wear called coats?" Then one of our friends yells to her "Hey, how's the new SUV?".

So much for caring about the environment. LOL.. Oh yeah, and she is known for driving the 3 blocks to a party instead of walking to save on gas LMAO....

When they ask me if I support Civil Unions I say "Hell yes!! Why should you not be penalized for living together like the rest of the married couples?"

posted May 05, 2006 10:42 PM            

Well TINK, I thought everyone in the great Northeast thought the whole Kennedy clan walked on water, after carefully washing their feet of course. Wouldn't want to pollute the waterways.

I was perhaps remiss in not including the fact Kennedy's accident report said he was impaired by alcohol and witnesses said he smelled of alcohol. So, it seems perfectly normal for a Kennedy to allege he has an addiction to prescription drugs...to seek treatment and avoid a drunk driving charge. Par for the course. Had it been you, you would have spent the night in the drunk tank...instead of being driven home, no breathalyzer, no blood test, just a nice ride in the night.

posted May 07, 2006 01:57 PM              

*Shivers. Reminds me of Hitler.

posted May 08, 2006 11:34 AM              

Lmfaooo

This is a joke right?

I'd be more concerned about Bush sniffing that crack you know? I mean he does have a history with it. And he is the president. Scary combo :x

I rather have a ***** as a president who actually does his job and knows how to talk without stuttering :/

posted May 08, 2006 11:46 AM              

By Del Quentin Wilber and Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, May 6, 2006; Page A01

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.

The congressman's office has said Kennedy (D-R.I.) was disoriented behind the wheel because he had taken prescription medication to calm stomach inflammation and to help him sleep. No one was injured in the crash, but Kennedy almost hit a Capitol Police car head-on before slamming into a security barrier, authorities said.

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.

Acting Capitol Police Chief Christopher M. McGaffin declined requests for comment yesterday. He told Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Congress, that managers had made mistakes in judgment and that "significant" administrative action has been taken.

The news conference was Kennedy's first public appearance since he crashed his green 1997 Ford Mustang convertible about 2:50 a.m. Thursday into the security barrier at First and C streets SE. New details emerged in a police report made public yesterday.

Before the crash, an officer saw the Mustang speeding through a construction zone and swerving into and traveling in the wrong lane of traffic, the report said. The car's lights were off, and the Mustang almost hit a police car before it smacked into the barrier.

In the report, an officer noted that Kennedy's eyes were "watery, speech was slightly slurred . . . and his balance was unsure."

Kennedy told the officer that he was "headed to the Capitol to make a vote," the report said. The House was not in session at the time.

Although the report includes a notation that alcohol played a role in the crash, police union officials said that supervisors did not allow officers to administer field sobriety or breathalyzer tests.

Kennedy, the son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and a scion of one of the country's most prominent political families, was not charged with any crimes but received three traffic citations: failure to keep in the proper lane, driving at an unreasonable speed and failure to give full time and attention to his car. Police said they are contemplating other charges.

Kennedy's office issued a statement Thursday night that said he was on prescription drugs and had not consumed alcohol before the crash. Under D.C. law, people who take prescription medications that hamper their driving can be charged with driving under the influence. The charge carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $300 fine for a first offense.

Within hours of the accident, union officials had written a letter to the Capitol Police chief that criticized the supervisors' decision to forgo sobriety tests.

The actions called "the integrity of our organization into question by creating the appearance of special favor for someone who is perceived to be privileged and powerful," wrote Officer Gregrey H. Baird, acting chairman of the Capitol Police labor committee for the D.C. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1.

Former chief Terrance W. Gainer, who left the force last month, agreed that sobriety tests should have been performed. "It appears there was a mistake made by police and by command officials, not the troops," he said.

Gainer said he understood that McGaffin was not immediately told about the crash. He said a lieutenant in the command center has been reassigned.

Authorities are trying to track Kennedy's activities before the accident. Detectives were canvassing bars near the Capitol to determine whether he had been spotted in them in the hours leading up to the crash, law enforcement sources said.

For his part, Kennedy said the accident "concerns me greatly." He has said that he returned Wednesday night to his home on Capitol Hill, took the medications and inexplicably wound up driving to the Capitol in the belief that he needed to vote.

"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police or being cited for three driving infractions," he said. "That's not how I want to live my life, and it's not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island."

Kennedy has been taking Ambien, a sleeping medication, his office said. Then, on Tuesday, he caught a stomach virus and visited a doctor in the Capitol who prescribed Phenergan to ease inflammation.

Each drug can cause confusion and poor coordination, with the effects heightened when taken together. The drugs in combination can also cause memory loss.

Kennedy said the "recurrence of an addiction problem can be triggered by things that happen in everyday life, such as taking the common [medication] for a stomach flu. It's not an excuse for what happened . . . but it is a reality of fighting a chronic condition for which I am taking full responsibility."

Lou Cannon, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1, said Kennedy did "the stand-up thing" by admitting his addiction and seeking treatment.

The episode follows another incident involving Capitol police and a member of Congress. In March, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) got into a scuffle with an officer as she tried to bypass a metal detector.

Police asked prosecutors to charge McKinney with assault, and a grand jury is investigating the case.

Staff writers Karlyn Barker, David Brown and Shailagh Murray and news researchers Rena Kirsch, Bob Lyford and Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.

Now, please don't come back and say Kennedy is lying when he says his addiction is from prescription medication while at the same time saying that Limbaugh is just being persecuted by the "liberal" press.

The press has reported this about Kennedy just as they did with Limbaugh. Now if they would only be as fair regarding the Bush administration and what is really going on in Iraq.

I sincerely doubt that either Limbaugh or Kennedy is telling the truth about their addiction being to prescription medications. But no one can claim in all honesty to know that Kennedy is lying while at the same time saying that Limbaugh isn't lying or vice versa.

posted May 08, 2006 12:50 PM            

TP is too obtuse to have a point.

Really now Mirandee this is just more of your reckless hyperbole that you can't back up with any facts.

Like the reckless slander against the President that he lied to the American people and stole, which is the stock in trade of the mindless, slanderous left.

You have failed to state one lie the President told and further, have failed to state any object the President stole from the American people.

Until you do you should follow your advice to lotus and shut the F up...or switch gears and accuse the Pres in yet another/different baseless, reckless, slander which you also can't back up with one iota of factual evidence.

Another thing Mirandee. There are no police reports showing Limbaugh was ever driving and/or had crashed an automobile while impaired with alcohol or anything else.

There are no police reports and no accusations Limbaugh has, was or is using anything other than prescription painkillers.

Just more leftist bullsh!t from you.

Kennedy lied through his teeth to avoid a drunk driving charge and conviction.

It is Commander Corruption who...as his brother Roger says...has a nose like a vacuum cleaner Fastest disappearance of a line of coke ever. No wonder Commander Corruption fired the White House doctor and refused to make any of his regular medical checkup reports public....as had been the practice in the past and still is.

Driving while a Kennedy
Posted: May 8, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
WorldNetDaily.com
Joseph Farah

Don't you just love Rep. Patrick Kennedy's excuse for wrecking his car at 2:45 a.m. in the nation's capital?

He swears he wasn't drinking – even though a hostess at a local bar says she saw the chip off Sen. Ted Kennedy's old block hoisting a few just before he crashed into a barricade on Capitol Hill.

He insists instead that he had taken two prescription drugs – the sleep aid Ambien and an anti-nausea drug.

Now let's give Kennedy the benefit of the doubt for a moment. Let's take him at his word. Let's assume the hostess at the bar was mistaken about seeing the congressman guzzling drinks before the accident. Let's just pretend that his story about the prescription drugs is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

What do you suppose would happen to you if you crashed into a barricade on Capitol Hill at 2:45 a.m. and were staggeringly intoxicated by combining prescription drugs?

That's right. You would be unceremoniously thrown into the pokey for driving while intoxicated.

As a lawmaker, Patrick Kennedy should know that we don't just have laws against "drunk driving" in this country. We have laws against driving while intoxicated.

Let me remind Kennedy that booze is still perfectly legal. You don't even need a prescription for it. So, it would seem to me that driving under the influence of drugs so powerful they require a prescription would make this a more serious matter than just being tipsy from a few legal drinks at a bar.

Just listen to Kennedy's own story! It's astonishing. He took these powerful prescription drugs and became so disoriented that he actually believed he had to go to the House of Representatives at 2:45 a.m. for a vote. I mean this guy was minutes away from a total blackout.

Yet, he thinks he can minimize the impact of his recklessness by simply saying: "At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol."

Now, of course we know that's a lie.

Surely he isn't suggesting he has never, in his life, consumed alcohol. Yet that is literally what he says.

But why is Kennedy so insistent about the drinking? It shouldn't make the slightest difference legally whether he was intoxicated from legal booze or prescription drugs. Either way, he's guilty of driving while intoxicated.

So, even presumably sober, 24 hours later, this guy can't come up with a good excuse for what he did.

Nevertheless, the Capitol Police did not arrest Kennedy.

The Capitol Police did not put him in jail.

The Capitol Police did not even give him a citation for driving while intoxicated or reckless driving.

Instead, the Capitol Police gave Kennedy a free ride home.

Now why do you suppose Kennedy got that kind of preferential treatment over a mere taxpayer?

Probably, because the Capitol Police see members of Congress as their bosses – the people responsible for paying their salaries.

But that's not accurate.

Members of Congress may be responsible for approving the budgets of the Capitol Police, but the money they play with is your money, my money.

The Capitol Police don't work for them. They work for us!

It's becoming increasingly obvious that we have two standards of justice in this country – one for you and me and the other for "the commissars" like Kennedy.

This guy was born, not just with a silver spoon in his mouth, but with a get-out-of-jail-free card in his back pocket. Because of their position, their money, their "stature," people like Patrick Kennedy – just as his father did – are able to get away with murder.

posted May 08, 2006 01:09 PM              

He really could have been in a state in which he thought that he was racing to an almost-missed vote without having downed any kind of alchohol at all.

A random example: A lady I knew had a severe case of insomnia after having her latest kiddo and was prescribed Ambien. The doctor gave her one half pill in the office and then told her to take another one as soon as she got home and then go immediately to bed.
She didn't - she took it and then stayed up and watched TV with her husband. After a short time, she apparently began singing at which point her husband carried her back to bed. She looked up at him and said, "You're a pretty Christmas Village!" As he layed her down on the bed, she said, "AND NOW YOUR FACE IS MELTING!...Oh, but now you're an android..."

posted May 08, 2006 06:39 PM              

It was Mystic Gemini that I said had a point about the coke. Who is TP?

posted May 08, 2006 06:48 PM            

quote:

---

I sincerely doubt that either Limbaugh or Kennedy is telling the truth about their addiction being to prescription medications. But no one can claim in all honesty to know that Kennedy is lying while at the same time saying that Limbaugh isn't lying or vice versa....Mirandee

---

Hyperbole since not one person has suggested Limbaugh was lying about an addiction to painkillers. Yet, you attempt to make Limbaugh and Kennedy equivalents...as liars, lying about their addiction.