An Open Letter to Caroline Kennedy–July 13, 2008 (Reposted and Updated 12/11/08)

Editor’s Note: The shenanigans involving the Illinois Senate seat “up for sale” has taken the spotlight off the little dance being played in New York over the seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton. Rumors abound that Teddy Kennedy is pushing hard for niece Caroline Kennedy. For background on the current situation in New York, here is a piece by Steve Markom entitled “Replacing Hillary New York Style>>” (originally published at No Quarter on December 8, 2008) which delves into past relationships and politics that are part of the NY Senate seat game.

The original post conveyed surprise and disappointment over Caroline Kennedy’s decision to support Barack Obama; needless to say, if there is any truth to the story about the attempts to install her as the Senator from New York, I, and many others, will be more disgusted than disappointed at this point. (New comments are appearing after the original comments from July.)~~InsightAnaltytical-GRL

An Open Letter to Caroline Kennedy–July 13, 2008

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

July 13, 2008

Dear Caroline,

I hope you don’t mind if I call you “Caroline,” but I feel like I’ve known you all my life. I’m only a few years older than you are and I remember you when you were riding your little pony–Macaroni. I thought that was such a great name and I loved horses, too, although I never really had much of a chance to ride one except for one time at a little animal park once when I got to sit on a big horse, which was pretty frightening!

Caroline, early on you seemed to have taken after both your father and mother. You interned for your uncle Senator Ted Kennedy, then worked for awhile at the The Daily News in New York (your mother was a roving photo/interviewer for a newspaper once) and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (we all know how culturally-oriented your mother was).

Caroline, I’ve really admired how you’ve grown up and raise a family, and have watched you represent the Kennedy family at events like the funerals of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Lady Bird Johnson, as well as that miserable, rainy day in November 2004 when the Clinton Presidential Center was dedicated.

But until now, the thing I remember the most about your public life is your many appearances when you first book came out in 1990, the one co-authored with Ellen Alderman, called “In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action.” I remember it got rave reviews, as did the next book on civil liberties which you wrote with Alderman in 1995 titled “The Right to Privacy.”

You’ve seemed to gravitate more to the political world as you’ve gotten older, although some of your activities may be less known to the general public than your writing. You’re the current President of the Kennedy Library Foundation, a director of both the Commission on Presidential Debates and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and also an adviser to the Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial your father. A bit of your mother’s love of culture, however, is still evident as you serve as the Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theatre.

And, of course, I remember the sad time during your brother’s death. You know, Caroline, I remember the night JFK, Jr.’s plane went down just as vividly as the day your father was assassinated. I was in 8th grade passing between classes the day your father was killed. And the night your brother’s plane disappeared, I remember going outside and standing on the patio looking up at the stars simply too stunned to do anything other than praying out loud that he and his wife and sister-in-law would be found alive. And I can’t imagine how you endured the aftermath when you had to negotiate a settlement with his wife’s family.

Caroline, when you decided become more publicly active in a presidential campaign than ever before by endorsing Barack Obama I was truly surprised. Surprised at how strong your endorsement was and how actively you began to make appearances on his behalf.

Needless to say, when you wrote your piece that appeared in the New York Times on January 27, 2008 entitled “A President Like My Father,” in which you said that “qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual” this election season and that Obama had “demonstrated” these qualities, I was somewhat bemused. You also wrote that:

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

Caroline, were those your words then, and, if so, do you still think the same things today?