Ted Kennedy was guilty of plenty at Chappaquiddick- driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and, worst of all, leaving his passenger there to die. The driver of a car is responsible (in morality and in law) for what happens to his or her passengers. What Kennedy did was disgusting and reprehensible. And although he went on to a successful career in public service, I can't help wonder what his life would have been like had he made the same mistakes and NOT been the son of a prominent and well-connected family. He would not have gotten all the second chances that he got- and he got a lot of second chances.
Now then- none of this should have much, if anything, to do with his other accomplishments. He had a long career in the Senate, he was successful at passing quite a few pieces of important legislation (many of them co-authored with prominent Republican senators, I should add) and he represented his home state ably and effectively. And, most importantly, in a house of Congress that depends on both sides working cooperatively together, he was extremely good at working out compromises between the Democrats and GOP, so that progress could be made.
Did I like him? No. I don't like drunks and I don't associate with them; I see enough of them in the course of my job. But I respected him for his accomplishments in his job. The mess he repeatedly made of his personal life (and it appears that a strong streak of substance and alcohol abuse runs in the Kennedy family, as well as a strong streak of entitlement) does not invalidate his record in Congress. It does, however, make it harder to admire him- perhaps it makes it impossible. But his accomplishments merit respect, which is not the same thing as admiration. And history seems replete with examples of men who had drinking problems who managed nonetheless to accomplish great things, Winston Churchill being another notable example.
Now then: Andrew Breitbart. He was not a great man, regardless of what you may think, Bob. If you think he was a great man, then by the same reasoning you should include the following as great men: Father Coughlin, Joseph McCarthy, Al Sharpton, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck. People whose occupation is "professional liar and fomenter of hate speech" are not great men. People like Andrew Breitbart ought to thank God for giving them people like Ted Kennedy to aim at: Kennedy was an easy target, full of faults, and with a checkered personal history that made aiming at him like shooting fish in a barrel. He was not a likeable man, really, but he had his accomplishments, which is quite a lot more than you can say for his detractors.
And, for what it's worth, I'll call attention here to another recovering alcoholic who managed to accomplish a few things in his career in public service, and stay sober: George W. Bush. Most of what he did (including letting Dick Cheney run the country) I don't agree with. But during his administration, the US did a great deal for international public health, and it was done at his order, so he gets the credit. Do I like him? No. I don't like drunks and I don't associate with them. I get enough of that at work. But- and this is where I am a lot different from you, Bob- I am at least decent enough, and generous enough, to credit the genuine accomplishments of people I don't like, if they have them.
And I am also intelligent enough to know the difference between original thought (Churchill, Kennedy, Bush) and hate speech. None of those three men ever resorted to the kind of destructive and incendiary rhetoric that your boy Breitbart promoted as his deceitful stock in trade. One of them is worth more than a thousand Breitbarts, who never had an original idea in his short and wasted life.
If a patriot is someone who loves his country while hating 99% of the people in it, then Andrew Breitbart was a patriot, indeed. And he was the kind we need no more of.[/QUOT
Hi Jim... first off Kennedy should have done some jail time for his shameful cowardly act of leaving a poor girl sitting in a car at the bottom of a lake...what a fucking looser, and for a society to sweep that under the carpet because of the $ connected to his name speaks volumes.
2nd point... you say Bush is a recovering alcoholic, and that during his presidency managed to stay sober....on what grounds do you make this empty statement....does Mr.Bush battle with alcohol today? What insight do you have?..
And lastly Andrew Breitbart was a great patriot that had the balls to beat the libs down..thats why you guys are happy he's dead.:lipsrsealed:
