Mass. Earmarks Have Familiar Theme: Kennedys

But allies say he was passed over due to Kennedy pressure

(NEWSER) - For a while it looked as if Michael Dukakis would be headed to the Senate to fill Ted Kennedy's seat, but the former Massachusetts governor says he's fine with being passed over. "Hey, after you've run for the presidency of the United States..." the 1988 candidate told the Boston Globe before trailing off. He has nothing but praise for Paul Kirk, the former DNC chairman whom Gov. Deval Patrick selected: "If it had to be somebody else, believe me, this was the guy." More»

(NEWSER) - Ted Kennedy appreciates the sentiment, really. But this recent wave of eulogies might be a tad premature, he tells the New York Times. "Obviously I've been touched and grateful," he says in a phone interview. "Beyond that, I don’t really plan to go away soon." Friends say he remains an active behind-the-scenes player on health care reform, even if his return to Washington has been delayed twice by his treatment for brain cancer. More»

Joseph III exploring a run for Congress

(NEWSER) - Capitol Hill has been without a Kennedy a full year now after a six-decade run, but that has a decent chance of changing in September: Joseph P. Kennedy III is formally "exploring" a run for Barney Frank's House seat. "A hail and hearty 31, JPK3 has got the smile, the jawline, the shoulders," writes Michelle Cottle at the Daily Beast . "(Although, good Lord, could that hair be any brighter orange?)" He's also a decent orator, and has a Harvard Law degree and experience as an assistant DA under his belt. More»

Classified memo describes decadent partying in Chile

(NEWSER) - While John F Kennedy sat in the most powerful office on Earth, little brother Ted was off renting out an entire Chilean brothel during a 1961 tour of Latin America, reports the Boston Globe . A previously redacted FBI memo, which Judicial Watch says it obtained despite a battle from the Obama administration and the FBI, says Kennedy, then a 29-year-old assistant DA, even invited an embassy chauffeur to partake in the festivities. More»

And the first installment is a whopping 3K pages

(NEWSER) - The Kennedy clan will have the chance to pore through what the Boston Globe calls Ted Kennedy's "exhaustive and secret" FBI file before it's released to the public. But never fear, gossipers: While the family has the right to block anything that would violate the privacy of living Kennedys, "the reason [for objecting] can’t simply be that it is embarrassing" to the late senator, notes an FBI spokesman. The first installment of the file, which clocks in at some 3,000 pages, has nearly completed bureau review. More»