Chairman M. S. Punchenko wrote:I'm going to need a bottle of scotch, lubricant and a paperclip. Oh, and I'm going to need a neck brace.

Ivan Betinov wrote:Isn't Pinkie a Kennedy? I seem to remember that happening in between Brad Pitt and her becoming a Hussie

Marshal Pupovich wrote:Chairman, we simply cannot have a Congress without a Kennedy.

Wikipedia wrote:Patrick J. Kennedy became the youngest member of the Kennedy political family to hold elected office in 1988, when he won election to the Rhode Island State Assembly at age 21.

In November 1994, Patrick defeated Republican Kevin Vigilante for the first district in the United States House of Representatives, and continues to hold this office. He was one of four Democrats in the 1994 election to take a congressional seat that had just been held by a Republican, while Republicans gained dozens of seats to take over the House. Kennedy currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and on Science, State, Justice and Commerce. From 1999 to 2001, he served as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Kennedy twice considered running against Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee, in 2000 and 2006. In the 2000 Senate recruiting phase, Dick Gephardt moved Kennedy to the House Appropriations Committee, a high profile assignment that led Kennedy to pass up the Senate opportunity for 2000.

On his House web page, Kennedy denied that he would make a bid for the Senate in the mid-term elections, but on March 28, 2005 it was reported that he was considering running again. The speculation ended March 30 with Kennedy's announcement that he would not run for the US Senate, but would seek reelection to the House.

Should Kennedy be elected to the Senate while his father remains representing Massachusetts, the two would become the second father and son to serve concurrently, after Henry Dodge (Wisconsin) and Augustus C. Dodge (Iowa).

Wikipedia wrote:
Kennedy has acknowledged being treated for cocaine use during his teenage years, and admitted that he abused drugs and alcohol while he was a student at Providence College.

He sought treatment for an OxyContin addiction in 2006.

In 2000, Kennedy was accused of pushing a security guard at LAX. City prosecutors
ultimately decided not to bring criminal charges against him and he paid an undisclosed civil settlement to the alleged victim almost two years later.

In 2000, Atlantic Navigation Company of Mystic, Connecticut claimed that a boat they rented to Kennedy was found abandoned off Martha's Vineyard with $28,000 worth of damage.

The same year, the Coast Guard was dispatched to Kennedy's yacht after he and his date became embroiled in an argument on his yacht off Martha's Vineyard.

In 2003, Kennedy was criticised for saying "I have never worked a fucking day in my life," which his staff later claimed was a satirical reference to repeated charges of never having worked.

In 2007, the Kennedy camp stated that they will retain $6,600 in donations from fugitive Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu. Kennedy is one of the few Democrats not to return or donate these contributions. This is a controversial action because of the allegation that Hsu has been using his personal funds to unfairly influence Washington.

Wikipedia wrote:
On May 4, 2006, Kennedy crashed his 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a barricade on Capitol Hill at 2:45AM. An FOP official said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his car, but Kennedy claimed that he was merely disoriented from prescription medications Ambien and Phenergan.

Anonymous sources are alleged to have seen Kennedy drinking at the nearby Hawk & Dove bar prior to the accident. Kennedy also stated to officers that he was "late for a vote." However, the last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier. The standard field sobriety test was not administered, and Kennedy was driven home by an officer.

On May 5, 2006, Kennedy admitted that he had an addiction to prescription medication and announced he would be re-admitting himself to a drug rehabilitation facility at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he has sought treatment for prior addictions. He has stated that he has no recollection of the car crash. On May 8, 2006, Kennedy got a show of support when he was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party. On June 5, 2006 Kennedy was released from drug rehab.

After being asked if he expected any special treatment from authorities, Kennedy expressed that he hoped they would treat him as if he "were an African-American in Anacostia". On June 13, 2006, Kennedy made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.
<br>He was sentenced to one year probation and a fine of $350. Two of the three charges (reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit) were dismissed. He was also ordered to attend a rehabilitation program that includes weekly urine tests, twice-weekly meetings with a probation officer, near-daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a weekly meeting of recovering addicts.