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Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

At Finer Bookstores and Boat Shops

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Michael Ramirez at IBD

Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Ted Kennedy's Autobiography: How Chappaquidick Will be Portrayed Waterloo or Water Under The Bridge?

"Do we operate under a system of equal justice under law? Or is there one system for the average citizen and another for the high and mighty?"
~ Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy, 1973

Senator Ted Kennedy earned an 8.5 million advance on his upcoming autobiography.

The book deal eclipses the $8 million Sen. Hillary Clinton was advanced for "Living History," but falls short of the $10 million former British Prime Minister Tony Blair commanded and the $12 million Bill Clinton snagged for his memoirs. [1]

Hachette Book Group USA won the bidding war held by DC attorney Bob Barnett.

Just what can readers expect from the upcoming Ted tome?

For $8 million, Hachette will expect more from Kennedy than he revealed in his last book. That one enticed readers with a story about a dog with the provocative name of Splash.

Published in 2006, Senator Kennedy's children's book, My Senator and Me, tells about Washington, DC through the eyes of Splash, the Portuguese Water Dog.


From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 1-5–Kennedy's introduction to the political process is clear, informative, and loaded with child appeal, in part due to the choice of narrator: his Portuguese Water Dog, Splash. [3]

Kennedy said in a statement: "I've been fortunate in my life to grow up in an extraordinary family and to have a front-row seat at many key events in our nation's history." [1]

Front row driver's seat.

"Teddy Kennedy was the weak kitten in the litter, never able to measure up to his brothers. The accident at Chappaquiddick displayed his chronic immaturity. One problem Teddy has always had was keeping it in his pants - even when other people are around."
- Cleo O'Donnell - wife of former Kennedy campaign aide. [2]

Chappaquidick

The mysteries of the case (Chappaquidick) continue to haunt Ted Kennedy as well as the authorities who investigated them. Charges of ineptitude and lack of diligence abounded, as did insinuations that the machinery of justice crumbled beneath the power and prestige of the Kennedy family. George Killen, former State Police Detective-Lieutenant, and chief of a never-revealed investigation, lamented that the failure to bring the case to a satisfactory conclusion was "the biggest mistake" of a long and distinguished police career. Senator Kennedy, he said, "killed that girl the same as if he put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger."
~ Senatorial Privilege by Leo Damore [2]

Pundits are weighing in:

Political pundit Dick Morris said, "I don't think they'll make their money back because he won't level about Chappaquiddick, or William Kennedy Smith. They might as well just title it, 'The Collected Speeches of Ted Kennedy.' "

Asked if Kennedy would come clean on what proved to be a political watershed for the Senator, conservative author Ann Coulter quipped: "He'll cross that bridge when he comes to it . . . If he does talk about Chappaquiddick, I believe he'll have to forfeit his advance under the Son of Sam laws." [1]

Mary Jo Kopechne, pre-Chappaquidick

Chappaquidick was Kennedy's 'summer of 69.' It's also one of the dates inscribed on Mary Jo Kopechne's tombstone.

Some might feel it's time to move on, to forgive and forget. Forgiveness only applies to the Kopechne family. Forgetting only applies if Ted had chosen a private instead of public life.

Senators are supposed to ethical, moral, and law-abiding. Kennedy's behavior before, during and after Chappaquidick gave the public the information it needed in order to access Senator Kennedy's character.

Ethical, moral and law-abiding.

Thirty-eight years after Chappaquidick, Kennedy still remains, 0-3.

Source - 1 - NYPost
Source - 2 - YTedK
Source - 3- Amazon

By Little Baby Ginn
Image [Randy McCoy]
Image [Ron Moody]

Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.