Family Honors Robert F. Kennedy At Brown Palace

The Democrats are celebrating their historic nomination this week as Barack Obama becomes the first African American candidate from a major party to run for president.

But the party is also celebrating its heritage and the Kennedy family has been the focus of several events.Many of the Kennedys joined other dignitaries to honor the legacy of another member of the family, Robert F. Kennedy, on Wednesday.

There were Kennedys everywhere: Ethel, Patrick, Robert Jr., Kathleen and Max were all at the event.

(...) "The life he lived was based on hope and bringing the people together," Max said. "If you look just at that one photograph of my dad with Cesar Chavez breaking bread together … I think that encapsulates the idea of the United States coming together for the first time."

"He was also one that stepped outside the establishment," Rev. Al Sharpton said. "To oppose the war in Vietnam he showed courage, he showed vision and ultimately it cost him his life."

The event was held by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, an organization that focuses on human rights and social justice.

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http://cbs4denver.com/entertainment/robert.f.kennedy.2.805849.html

Convention Confidential: Kennedy Bob-ing out of the way

Bobby Kennedy Jr. politely dodged questions about his political future now that Hillary Clinton won't be vacating her U.S. Senate seat. But he gave such a rousing speech at a Denver benefit for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial on Wednesday that admirers urged him to run for something soon.
Building on the emotional appearance of Uncle Ted at the Democratic convention two days earlier, Kennedy departed from his usual environmental concerns to connect his father's mission with the state of America today.
"When I was 13, I went on a trip to Europe with my father and mother," he recalled. "We went to Czechoslovakia and Poland and Germany. We were greeted by hundreds of thousands of people, who came to hear an American politician. It wasn't because [President Kennedy] had been martyred three years before. Even when Eisenhower went to Kabul and Teheran, he was met by thousands of Muslims who carried American flags.
"It took 230 years of discipline and restrained leadership by Republican and Democratic Presidents to build up a reservoir of love for the U.S. In the last seven years, through incompetence, we have drained those reservoirs dry."
Kennedy went on to indict the Bush administration for "torture, suspending habeas corpus and eavesdropping on hundreds of thousands of people."
Though Ted Kennedy was back in Massachusetts continuing his cancer treatment, 80-year-old Ethel Kennedy came with a flock of children and grandchildren.

Her daughter Kerry, who's been at the front of the RFK Memorial's human rights crusade, told us she's thought about running, "but I'm divorced with three kids. Right now, I want to be a mother."
What about rumors that her increasingly visible cousin, Caroline Kennedy, might run for office?
"I don't know," said Kerry, "but she'd be so great. She really has the capacity to bring people together." Bobby agreed: "We'd all be delighted to see her [run]."
Meanwhile, Gov. Patterson confirmed that the Triborough Bridge would be officially renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge on Nov. 19.
(...)

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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/29/2008-08-29_convention_confidential_kennedy_bobing_o.html

Kennedy twins Matt and Joe make party twice as nice

Meet the future of the Kennedy Dynasty: twin bros Matt and Joe Kennedy.
The sons of ex-Congressman Joe Kennedy, the handsome 27-year-olds have been front and center for the clan at the DNC in Denver all week long.
On Wednesday, the boys stood with grammy Ethel Kennedy and aunt Kerry Kennedy to welcome the hundreds of guests to the RFK Memorial reception. The twins spent over an hour shaking hands, schmoozing the guests and posing for pics in the receiving line. And despite the massive contingent of pols, fixers, celebs and Kennedys at the event, the buzz was all about Matt and Joe.
“They are really nice kids,” said one Demmie insider. “And they appear to have the Kennedy charm.”
Perhaps the clan’s famous charisma skipped a generation. Because the sons and daughters of JFK, RFK and Ted Kennedy haven’t exactly set the world on fire. But Matt and Joe seem to be off to a fine start if they have any plans to eventually enter the family business.
Joe, a redhead who more resembles the Kennedys, is entering his third year at Harvard Law. He is spending the summer as an intern at the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office.
Matt, the spitting image of mom, Sheila Rauch Kennedy, is a Harvard Business School grad who works full time for Barack Obama’s campaign. (Dad, Joe, BTW, dropped out of Harvard and eventually got his degree from UMass-Boston.)
(...)

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http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1115727

RFK JR AT THE DNC

Beneath the blazing August sun, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the stage in front of Coors Field's outfield bleachers and said that importing energy "is the principal drag on American capitalism and American prosperity."
The solution to the problem was literally beating down on him. At least that's the message at solar energy's keystone event at the Democratic National Convention. Kennedy, environmental lawyer and son of Robert F. Kennedy Sr., was the keynote speaker at the Solar Energy Industries Association's SunFest 2008.
SEIA's Wednesday afternoon event epitomized just how far and how fast the industry has come. In addition to Kennedy, several congressmen, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., spoke at the event.
(...) In the meantime, the industry is desperate for Congress to extend an investment tax credit that has spurred demand and growth in the industry. (See: "Dying For a Tax Break.") So far this year, lawmakers have failed to pass the extension eight times. But Kennedy says he is optimistic that Democrats will win both houses of Congress in this fall's election, making approval of the tax extension more likely.
(...)

To read the full article go to:

http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/08/28/dnc-solar-power-biz-beltway-cx_jz_bw_0828solar.html

LA park to stand as tribute to Robert F. Kennedy

With a band of traditional Korean drummers, a Latin dance group and a martial arts exhibition, city officials broke ground Wednesday on a small urban "pocket park" at the site where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated 40 years ago.
Few in the group of more than 200 people who turned out to witness the event seemed to know much about Kennedy, other than that he was shot to death at the site of the old Ambassador Hotel after winning 1968's California presidential primary.
But many said they thought a park would be a fitting tribute to the late senator and a valuable resource to the crowded, multiethnic community where public schools are in short supply and public spaces so hard to find that people breaking for lunch in the area often have to sit on sidewalks or lean against buildings as they eat.
"I'm too young to remember, but I thought the words said about him today were very touching," said Dore Burry, who works at the nearby Koreatown Youth and Community Center.
Most of those words came from Damian Carroll of the political group San Fernando Valley Young Democrats, who said one of the organization's goals was to carry forth Kennedy's commitment to ending poverty, promoting civil rights and rebuilding inner city areas like the one where the park is going up.
Carroll, the last of nearly a dozen speakers at the groundbreaking was also one of the few to actually mention Kennedy by name. He quoted from a 1966 speech the senator gave in South Africa when he was one of the few U.S. politicians of his time to publicly oppose that country's apartheid system of racial segregation.
"Few will have the greatness to bend history but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation," Kennedy said. "Each time a person stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Those words will be etched in stone near the park's entrance.
(...)

Over subsequent years, the hotel, whose visitors once included every president from Herbert Hoover to Richard Nixon, fell on increasingly hard times, as did the neighborhood. When the hotel was demolished in 2006 to make way for schools it had been closed for several years.
As part of a neighborhood overhaul, three new public schools serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade are going up on the site where the hotel once stood. The park will serve as one of the entrances to the schools, with a portrait of Kennedy carved in marble and the words to his speech welcoming visitors.
The park hasn't been formally named yet, but a model put on display at the site Wednesday proclaimed it "Robert F. Kennedy Inspiration Park," and Paul Schrade, a Kennedy family friend, said that is what the family would like.
The park comprises only a third of an acre, not much larger than a moderate-sized residential home lot. That has led to some complaints from nearby residents, including one anonymous blogger who sarcastically thanked officials "for sparing a driveway."
But Carlos Smith, who lives across the street in another L.A. landmark, the venerable Gaylord Apartments, said he was satisfied.
"You don't want it too big," he said. "It's for the neighborhood. Bigger brings in too much traffic and too many drug guys."
Like others in the neighborhood, Smith, 52, said he knew little about Kennedy.
"I know Robert Kennedy got shot there, of course," he said gesturing to the skeleton of a school building going up where the hotel once stood.
"That was a sad thing," he added. "But it's a nice thing that a park has come out of it."

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http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_RFK_Park_355968C.shtml

Joe Kennedy’s rousing talk fuels speculation

Former Congressman Joe Kennedy gave a funny, poignant, stirring speech that brought the Massachusetts delegation to their feet here yesterday and had more than a few in the room wondering if the one-time gubernatorial candidate might be contemplating a political comeback.
“It’s interesting that he’s here,” said one pundit. “What do you think it means?”
Former state party chairman Phil Johnston insisted that Kennedy addressed the DNC delegates only because Johnston asked him. But others raised the possibility that Joe, who was once seen as heir apparent to uncle Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, might be thinking about that scenario again.
The senator, who is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, has vowed to return to Washington and fight alongside Barack Obama when (in Ted’s words) Obama is elected president. But the great unspoken truth is that Kennedy may become too incapacitated to continue his Senate duties as the cancer progresses.
“No one wants to talk about it, but everyone’s talking about it,” said another Demmie insider.
The Dems were a little too cute for their own good back in 2004. Facing the possibility that Sen. John Kerry could be elected president, the party didn’t want GOP governor Mitt Romney to have the chance to appoint a successor. So the Dems engineered a quick change in the rules and now there has to be a special election to fill any open Senate seats.
But if Joe Kennedy is interested in the job, he has one huge obstacle in his way - Ted’s wife, Vicki, has sent strong signals that she would like to succeed her hubby should the sad occasion arise.
Not only that, but most members of the state’s congressional delegation, who have seen little upward mobility in decades, would certainly want to give the race a good close look. And Gov. Deval Patrick, if he is not tapped by Obama, is also considered a candidate for the post.
But the bottom line may simply come down to this: Ted Kennedy will likely anoint his successor, and right now, the smart money is on Vicki.
“It will be whatever Ted wants it to be,” said another plugged-in delegate.
Joe, who hasn’t done much politicking in recent years, arrived at the Massachusetts DNC delegation breakfast with wife, Beth, and twin sons Joe and Matt. He began his speech by thanking the delegates for the “beautiful tribute” to Ted on the opening night of the convention.
“He is fighting the toughest fight of his life,” RFK’s son told the gathering, “and the boost you gave him put a smile on his face that is something that nothing can touch and no one can take away.”
Kennedy, who runs Citizen’s Energy - a low-cost heating oil program for the poor - joked that the big turnout at yesterday’s event was the result of state party people promising that “anyone who wants a free tank of heating oil should just come down to the breakfast.”
He then gave an impassioned pitch for Obama and change that brought delegation members to their feet and left U.S. Rep. Nikki Tsongas (D-Lowell), who followed Kennedy to the podium, with a tough act to follow.
“I’d like to thank Joe for making my life very difficult up here,” she said.
Kennedy left the hotel with a huge grin on his face. Make of that what you will . . .
File Under: Not-So-Average Joe.

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http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1115305

Kidney stones nearly derailed speech, niece says

Senator Edward M. Kennedy suffered a bout of kidney stones Monday, and his niece Caroline Kennedy said yesterday that he was feeling so ill he was nearly unable to deliver his dramatic address that night to the Democratic National Convention.
An aide to the senator said the 76-year-old lawmaker had kidney stones unrelated to the brain tumor that was diagnosed in May. Kennedy was treated at a Denver hospital for the kidney condition during the day Monday after suffering a sleepless night and pain in the morning, said the aide, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But Kennedy was determined to deliver the speech that he had practiced in Cape Cod while he was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments for the cancer, Caroline Kennedy said in an interview with the Globe.
"There was nothing that was going to keep him away," she said. She did not detail her uncle's ailment.

During his speech, an intravenous tube, which would have been used for administering pain medication, could be seen poking out from under an ace bandage wrapping Kennedy's left hand.
Kennedy was better yesterday, aides said, and he was able to host a breakfast for friends and members of the Massachusetts delegation before returning to the Bay State.
The cancer treatment, Caroline Kennedy said, is "going better than anyone expected," and the Democratic stalwart is determined to return to the Senate chamber where he has served for nearly 46 years. "I know he's planning on going back to work," she said.
"He looks great. You could see it [Monday] night," she said, referring to the senator's surprise appearance on behalf of Democratic nominee-to-be Barack Obama.
(...) But by the next day, Kennedy "just wasn't feeling well," and "there was a second round [of discussion] about, 'Is he going to be able to do it?' " Caroline Kennedy said. Another Kennedy associate said it was "touch and go" even shortly before the senator's prime-time speech as to whether he would have the strength to deliver the rousing sort of address that is so characteristic of him.
But Caroline Kennedy said her uncle was determined to follow through despite concerns of his friends and family. "He knew it all along. There was no way he was not going to do it," she said.
(...) "On many levels, it was a very difficult thing to do - logistically, medically, emotionally," his niece said. "It was really inspiring to all of us."
Kennedy is continuing treatment for the cancer, but no longer needs to make the daily trips to Boston for the intense sessions that followed his surgery, Caroline Kennedy said. Patients with a brain tumor like Kennedy's typically receive six weeks of daily radiation therapy, and then continue with an oral form of chemotherapy for up to six months.
At the breakfast, Kennedy thanked friends and colleagues for their love and support. He looked "relaxed," she said, and was "joking around, kidding around."
(...) "I think the only thing that matches [Monday's speech] was the feeling I got when he walked on the Senate floor to cast the deciding vote for Medicare," Kennedy's son, Rhode Island Democratic Representative Patrick Kennedy, said after the address.
(...) Caroline Kennedy - who was on the team that selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as Obama's running mate - said the search was extremely emotional for her, since so many people she talked to during the effort wanted to tell stories about her uncle.
"People wanted to talk about how he was the first one to call them when they lost a family member," or extended another kindness, she said. "It was really on a whole other level for me, of being able to see his effect and his reach, his impact on the Senate."

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http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/08/27/kidney_stones_nearly_derailed_speech_niece_says/?page=full

Determined to Give Speech, Kennedy Left Hospital Bed

Senator Edward M. Kennedy had just left a hospital bed here when he delivered his speech to the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, after suffering a debilitating bout of kidney stones Sunday upon arriving in town, aides said.Mr. Kennedy’s aides described a harrowing 48-hour period in which it appeared that Mr. Kennedy would not be able to give the convention speech.

In June, he had told family members when he left the Duke University Medical Center, where he was operated on for brain cancer, that he was intent on giving the speech.And with less than two hours to go before he was supposed to take the stage, Mr. Kennedy — sitting unnoticed in a room at the University of Colorado Hospital — told his wife, Victoria, and doctors that he wanted to go to the Pepsi Center and deliver the speech.He was driven there, accompanied by a doctor and paramedics, perched on a golf cart that took him inside. Mr. Kennedy, with his wife and his niece Caroline at his side, walked gingerly onto the stage, where he delivered a highly acclaimed address.

Once done speaking, he returned to the Denver hospital, where he spent the night.

(...) His aides said that after Mr. Kennedy finally decided he was well enough to come to Denver over the weekend, they became alarmed when he arrived on Sunday after a long charter airplane flight, accompanied by family members, aides and doctors, and reported being in excruciating pain.Their first concern was that the pain was somehow related to his cancer, or the chemotherapy and radiology he had undergone, and that it had been complicated by the long flight or the high altitude of the city.

A visit to a local hospital Sunday night revealed it was kidney stones and was unrelated to his cancer. Mr. Kennedy had no previous history of kidney stones, aides said.One close associate, who demanded anonymity to discuss any element of Mr. Kennedy’s medical condition, disclosed that the senator had suffered an unspecified but serious setback in July after he flew to Washington in the midst of treatment to cast a vote on a Medicare bill.Mr. Kennedy’s aides said he did make one concession to the kidney stones: the speech he gave was about 10 minutes, roughly half the length of an earlier draft.Kidney stones are notoriously painful, and typically treated with morphine or other painkillers.

(...) Mr. Kennedy’s longtime associate Bob Shrum said that as soon as the senator became ill, he sent an even shorter three-sentence statement that Mr. Kennedy could read at the Pepsi Center. He said Mr. Kennedy, in informing him that he wanted to speak, had rejected that option.“He said, ‘I’m not getting up to go over there and give a three-sentence speech,’ ” Mr. Shrum said. (...) Mr. Kennedy’s advisers said he had begun working on the speech about three weeks ago and went through rehearsals every day when his health permitted.

They said he made clear that he did not want to be represented at the convention only by a videotape tribute. One of the complications, though, was that Mr. Kennedy now goes to bed generally early, and the speech was scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m.

Go to NYTimes.com to read the whole article!

Caroline Kennedy: Ted was determined to get to DNC

Caroline Kennedy says her uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, went through a lot to get to the Democratic Convention but is "doing unbelievably" well and remains determined to return to the Senate.
The Massachusetts senator on Monday night delivered a ringing summons to fellow Democrats to rally behind Barack Obama's quest for the White House.
"He's so inspiring," Caroline Kennedy said in an interview aired Tuesday morning on CBS' "The Early Show. "To watch him up there was just so great."
The senator, 76, has been battling brain cancer, but his niece said he was "doing unbelievably."
Kennedy flew to Denver on Sunday night, and his first stop was a hospital, where doctors examined him.

(...) "What it took for him to get here was something I never thought I'd see in my life," Caroline Kennedy said.
Her uncle plans to return to the Senate and has maintained a work schedule, she said.
"He's been working all summer. He's on the phone all the time," she said.
The senator's son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., told NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday that his father is "enormously resilient" and was "doing really well" with his treatment.

Go to: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h5rsPeIHaapq2lluu1DV-B6o4qQAD92PV6H89

Caroline explains Obama's VP search

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he's not surprised that his uncle made it to Denver

“He seems great…he is lucid, he is sharp, he seems completely unchanged by the surgery, by the illness…all of us are happy; his mind is completely unaffected,” Kennedy told Chris Wallace on Fox News Network.

Kennedy said he believes the country is ready to hear Senator Kennedy's message again.
“The American people have really come around to believe that the things that he’s been fighting for, for the past fourty-four years as a Senator, are things that most Americans want.”

to read the whole article go to: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/08/kennedy_makes_d.html

Ted Kennedy is in Denver

Barack Obama's campaign is hoping for a surprise convention appearance from Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, the ailing party elder whose January endorsement electrified Obama's campaign, and who has sought to pass his family's torch to the young senator from Illinois.

(...) "Things are day to day," said the Kennedy source said, saying Democrats shouldn't count on his presence.

His spokeswoman, Melissa Wagoner, called an appearance "extremely unlikely."

But another two people familiar with the plans said Kennedy was likely to appear, with one saying he has a "better than 50 percent" of making it to the convention.

(...) "My three children are here, lots of cousins are here, obviously many of the Robert Kennedys are here," Caroline Kennedy said on Meet the Press Sunday. "It's the 40th anniversary of [Robert F. Kennedy's presidential] campaign, so I think for all our family, this is incredibly emotional."

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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12777.html

Kennedy will attend DNC tribute

(...) Former Massachusetts Democratic Party chairmanchair Phil Johnston said tonight’s tribute will be “a very important moment for him and for Massachusetts.”
“For the Massachusetts delegates, it will be the most emotionally powerful moment of the week,” Johnston, who is in Denver, said. “We all love him and we’re so happy that he’s being honored.”

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http://news.bostonherald.com/news/2008/view.bg?articleid=1115022&srvc=2008campaign&position=3

Ted Kennedy appearance at DNC likely

The proud old lion of Democratic party is getting ready to roar again tonight.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who was not expected to make the trip to Denver because he is battling deadly brain cancer, has not just made it to the Democratic Convention - he might appear on the podium.
(...) If Kennedy manages to muster up the strength to speak - as he has done in many Democratic conventions before - it's likely to be a tearjerker for the party faithful and an electrifying moment for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
Kennedy secretly flew to the Mile High City on Sunday, over the objections of some of his doctors who worried that his compromised immune system could expose him to danger.
(...) "The fact that he's the subject of this tribute means a lot, certainly to me," his niece, Caroline Kennedy, said earlier on NBC's "Meet the Press."
(...)

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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/25/2008-08-25_ted_kennedy_appearance_at_dnc_likely.html

Son: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy mulls surprise appearance

(…) Staffers have said it is “very unlikely” Kennedy will make the trip after being hit hard by a high-powered round of chemotherapy.
(…) “Sen. Kennedy is humbled by the tribute planned (tonight), and he looks forward to watching Sen. Obama accept the Democratic nomination for president,” Kennedy’s spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner said.
President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, will introduce an emotional video tribute to her uncle, segments of which were filmed in the Bay State in recent weeks. Sen. John Kerry, who has served with Kennedy for 23 years, said Denver’s Pepsi Center “will feel like the Kennedy Compound” tonight.
“He’s the heart and soul of our party and he’s inseparable from our fighting faith,” Kerry, who will speak at the DNC Wednesday, said. “You have to understand, our party grew up with Ted. We were inspired by the way he carried on for his brothers and built a legacy as the greatest senator of all time.”
“There hasn’t been a single significant policy accomplishment over four decades without Ted’s fingerprints and no one appreciates that more than the party faithful going to Denver,” Kerry added.
A source close to the family said Kennedy’s doctors have told him not to go because his immune system has been depleted by the chemo, leaving him susceptible to illness, especially in large crowds.
But, the source said, “the drama would be such that I wouldn’t be shocked to see him there.”
“I think if he gets up in the morning and feels OK, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came,” the source said.

Go to:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/politics/2008/view.bg?articleid=1114938

Kennedy plans to address DNC

In a development that is sure to bring the house down, US Senator Edward M. Kennedy is expected to attend the Democratic National Convention, most likely to deliver a speech tomorrow night.
Kennedy is battling brain cancer, and his doctors are said to be worried that his treatment has compromised his immune system and that attending the convention could put him at further risk. Still, the senator has recently told people that he has a speech written for the convention and that he badly wants to come, pending a final medical consultation.
Buzz has built among Massachusetts politicos that Kennedy would come, and today a source close to the family confirmed that he had made a decision to come.
``He is definitely planning to be here,'' said the Kennedy family confidant. ``The whole Kennedy family will be in a special section. It should be quite moment.''
Kennedy's family is also convening in Denver, including sister Jean Kennedy Smith, sister-in-law Ethel, nephews Joe and Stephen Smith, and nieces Kathleen Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy, who will also address the convention.A Kennedy speech is usually a convention highlight, and Kennedy revels in an address that elicits a regular response from the crowd.This year's speech should be especially poignant, as it is likely the last time Kennedy will address the Democrats national convention.
The senator was very active in the primary campaign, endorsing Barack Obama and hitting the campaign trail for him.

Go to:

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/08/kennedy_to_addr_1.html

Kennedy may visit convention

Sen. Edward Kennedy could make an unscheduled appearance at this week's Democratic convention if his physicians give him the go-ahead, his son says.
"If anything, it'd be an 11th-hour call," Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., said in a telephone interview Sunday with The Associated Press. "If he's up to it in the 11th hour and can get the green light from doctors, he might be able to pull it off."
(...) Rep. Kennedy visited his father over the weekend in Hyannis Port, Mass. and was traveling to Denver on Sunday.
(...) "He was able to make the Medicare vote, and that was the vote that turned the bill around," Rep. Kennedy said.
"The convention would be a nice thing for him to show up at," his son said. "It's certainly one he'd like to do, if he could. But the Medicare vote was a must-do. This is not a have-to."
He said the treatments have gone well.
"We need him back in the Senate in September," he said. "He's doing well."

Go to:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/24/america/CVN-Kennedy-Convention.php

Senator Kennedy's Decades of Service to Party and Country to be Honored; Caroline Kennedy to Speak

The Democratic National Convention Committee and the Obama for America campaign today announced additional details surrounding Monday evening's tribute to honor Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
His niece, Caroline Kennedy, will speak to his extraordinary work over the last 46 years on behalf of this country, as well as his future plans in the United States Senate. A video tribute, directed by documentary filmmakers Ken Burns and Mark Herzog, will also portray his love of country, family, politics and the sea.
The opening night of the Convention, themed as "One Nation", will highlight Barack Obama's life story, his commitment to change, and the voices of Americans, including Senator Kennedy's, calling for a new direction for this country.
Senator Kennedy's story is told through a combination of original interviews, archival footage and still photographs that chronicle his enormous contributions to this country and his deep dedication to his work on behalf of the American people. The film also describes his hopes for the future including what Barack Obama will do as President to change the course of this country.
The video features Senator and Mrs. Kennedy as well as conversations with Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and Georgia Congressman John Lewis. It also incorporates interviews with individuals who have worked closely with Senator Kennedy and whose lives he has touched. (...)


Go to http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/2008-democratic-national-convention-monday/story.aspx?guid=%7B878F94CE-F4AE-4B51-90DE-1FE7F2F18628%7D&dist=hppr to read more.

Kennedy praises pick of Biden

Senator Edward M. Kennedy statement praising the choice of Joe Biden as Obama´s running mate...

"Barack Obama said he wanted a strong independent leader and a strong advocate for average Americans, and he got one in Joe Biden. He has a deep devotion to his family and his country and an impressive record not only in standing up for American security interests around the world, but for middle class values and safe neighborhoods here at home. An Obama-Biden Administration will bring the real change Americans want and the country needs."

Visit: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/08/kennedy_praises.html

Kennedy Airport north?

U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy makes regular use of Barnstable Municipal Airport in his travels to and from Washington D.C.

In recognition of that, as well as the prominence of the Senator and his family, Bob Howard, Yarmouth's representative to the Barnstable Municipal Airport commission, recommended that the new terminal building bear Kennedy’s name. “I think it would be fine and a nice gesture that you name this terminal the Edward M. Kennedy terminal,” Howard said.

At the same meeting, airport commissioner Michael Dunning read portions of a thank you letter from Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the senator’s wife. She thanked the airport for its professional handling of the Kennedy’s medical flight to Boston in May after a seizure.

Howard wasn’t sure how the recommendation would be met and said it would be fine if he was found out of order or “slapped down.” Neither was the case. Airport commission chairman Daniel Santos said that the committee would consider the recommendation.

Go to:

http://www.barnstablepatriot.com/home2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15832&Itemid=39

Senator Ted Kennedy enjoyed a relaxing day on his yacht, last weekend

Ted Kennedy enjoyed a sunny weekend sailing off of his home at Hyannis Port, on Nantucket Sound.
"It was beautiful out there on the Sound. We had a wonderful time. Very memorable," said the senior Massachusetts senator who is recuperating from brain cancer surgery.
He and some friends enjoyed an afternoon lunch out on his 52-foot yacht, The Mya, and then Kennedy gave them a thrill sailing along the Cape shoreline. They returned late afternoon and returned to his home at the Kennedy Compound.

Go to http://www.rexfeatures.com/search/?kw=kennedy&iso=GBR&viah=Y&lkw=&stk=N&sft=&search_oldest.x=-1 to view and enlarge more photos.

HBO Film Retraces Career Of Helen Thomas; Historic Photography On CPTV

August 18, 2008

When Rory Kennedy was asked by HBO to do a documentary about longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas, she mentioned it to their mother, Ethel Kennedy. "She said, 'Are you sure you want to do that? You know, she's really asked some tough questions and was very difficult with Jack.' And I said, 'Yeah, I know, but I want to explore it a little bit more.'

"As it turns out, most of the interviews Kennedy conducted with Thomas for "Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House" (HBO, 9 p.m.) were done at her mother's house, and the two women got along famously, despite any toughness Thomas had shown Ethel's brother-in-law, JFK.

It was during the Kennedy administration that Thomas began the tradition of ending a press conference with the phrase "Thank you, Mr. President." Soon, she began another tradition, asking the first question — until the current Bush administration, which considered her questions rude.

"One of the great things about Helen," Rory Kennedy told reporters at the TV critics press tour last month, "is that she asks the hard question no matter what, no matter who is president, no matter if they're from the left or the right, Republican or Democrat. She relentlessly, consistently and singularly asks the tough questions."

The film is a brisk overview of the past 50 years in Washington, and the part Thomas played in covering nine presidents from the front row of the White House press room.

Go to:

http://www.courant.com/entertainment/tv/hc-tveyecol-0818,0,7950722.column

New book by RFK Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s American Heroes:The Story of Joshua Chamberlain and the American Civil War
Illustrator: Nikita Andreev
Hyperion Books

Musician, linguist, college professor, farmer, husband, and father -- Joshua Chamberlain was a Renaissance man, living a full and satisfying life in rural Maine when the Civil War broke out. Chamberlain’s passionate belief in keeping our young country together inspired him to join the Union Army. He quickly proved himself to be a brilliant strategist and great leader of men, who never hesitated to fight every battle on the front lines.

go to http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/books.html if you want to read more and/or order the book!

Coakley, Joe Kennedy, Romney top early list of possible successors for Sen. Kennedy By Jeremy P. Jacobs

While many will say it is premature for the question and the results are far from decisive, a recent poll shows that Joe Kennedy, Mitt Romney and Martha Coakley are the early favorites to succeed U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Hyannis Port) when he concludes his career.

The 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll asked respondents who they would like to take Kennedy's place in the U.S. Senate. (...) Kennedy has not made any indication of if or when he intends to vacate his Senate seat.

In the poll, 12 percent of respondents said would like former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Brighton) to take his uncle's place in the Senate. Eleven percent of respondents said they would prefer former governor and recent presidential contender Mitt Romney (R) for the seat. The same percentage opted for Attorney General Martha Coakley (D-Medford).

It should be noted that a plurality of respondents, 47 percent, said they didn't know who they would want to succeed Kennedy. The poll was conducted between July 31 and Aug. 3 and interviewed 400 respondents. There was a 4.9 percent margin of error on the poll.

If you want to read more, please visit http://www.politickerma.com/jeremyjacobs/705/coakley-joe-kennedy-romney-top-early-list-possible-successors-sen-kennedy

Convention to salute Ted Kennedy

A tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, will be among the highlights of the first night of the Democratic National Convention, organizers announced yesterday.

Kennedy taped a five-minute video earlier this month at the family compound to air as part of the tribute.

(...)

The opening night on Aug. 25 will be around the theme "One Nation," (...)

Go to:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/13/convention_to_salute_ted_kennedy/

Kennedy steps up plans for institute at UMass

Senator Edward M. Kennedy and several of his closest friends have accelerated plans to build an institute near the John F. Kennedy Library that will be dedicated to research and education about the US Senate and that will use Kennedy's lengthy political career as a case study.

The group has formed a nonprofit organization, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, and is planning an aggressive fund-raising campaign that aims to raise at least $50 million and will be spearheaded by prominent Boston businessman Jack Connors.

"We're getting together a mission statement and brochure and letter and materials appropriate for captains to ask their natural constituents to help," Connors said. "I hate to lead with my chin, but I have to say it's one of the easiest sells I've been involved in."

Designs are still being drafted, but planners hope the institute will include classroom space, research rooms, exhibits, and, most prominently, an exact replica of the US Senate chambers.

The center will be a shrine to the Senate, with homage to Kennedy, just as the building next door is a showcase for the presidency, with the focus on his brother John.

Plans for the institute have been in the works for several years, but kicked into a more aggressive phase recently, in part because of Kennedy's brain cancer diagnosis in May. Kennedy has been in Hyannis Port as he undergoes cancer treatment and is hoping to return to the Senate in the fall.

"It is the single most important thing, other than family and health, that Senator Kennedy is focused on," said Paul Kirk, a former Kennedy aide and chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. "He will be gratified if things go forward as a salute to him and an institution he loves, at a place he loves."

Planners hope the institute will include a training program for incoming US senators to learn about parliamentary procedures used in their chamber, how to organize their staff, and ways to preserve their paperwork.

The institute will also have museum and exhibit space that will showcase excerpts from great US Senate speeches, videos of historic hearings, and a broadcast of the US Senate floor in real time.

Actual designs have not been drawn, but officials envision a 40,000-square-foot building, with construction beginning as early as spring 2009.

"The United States Senate is one of our forefathers' most brilliant democratic inventions," Kennedy said in a statement provided to the Globe. "To preserve our vibrant democracy for future generations, I believe it is critical to have a place where citizens can go to learn first-hand about the Senate's important role in our system of government. . . . I'm looking forward to getting the institute up and running soon."

Planning for the institute is being coordinated with the Kennedy Library and the University of Massachusetts. It will be housed on a 4-acre plot on Columbia Point that is owned by UMass.

Kennedy, who has spent 45 years in the Senate, wanted to house the center at UMass-Boston because its students are mostly from working class backgrounds, advisers said. He ruled out other interested universities, including Harvard, where he was an undergraduate and where his family has close ties.

The center, expected to have closer links to UMass-Boston than the presidential library, will help boost the stature of a campus that has long sought to establish a distinct identity, apart from its reputation as a commuter school.

(...) Kennedy is planning to give his papers to the Kennedy Library, but some of them will be on display at the institute. He is currently participating in an oral history of his life that is being conducted at the University of Virginia, where he went to law school. The results from that project will be housed in Virginia, as well as the institute in Boston.

Connors said that in the spring, about two weeks before the senator's cancer diagnosis, Kennedy called and asked him to head up a fund-raising effort. Connors has held several meetings to identify about two dozen "precinct captains" who will raise money. (...)

Connors said the group is also considering tapping Kennedy's colleagues in the US Senate, asking them to call key political donors in their home state to raise money for the institute.

(...)

"Everybody wants to see this go forward," Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. "It really is a model about government, the presidency of John F. Kennedy, and the Senate career of Edward M. Kennedy. This will be a model in perpetuity that will remember the short time we had President Kennedy and the many years we've had with Senator Kennedy."

Go to:

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/08/12/kennedy_steps_up_plans_for_institute_at_umass/?page=full

Mass. Maritime ship may fly Kennedy name

Officials at Massachusetts Maritime Academy are expected to announce plans today to change the name of the school's cadet training ship to honor the Kennedy family.

"We've got five Kennedys here who have truly been inspiring public leaders and public servants to the people of Cape Cod," said Admiral Rick Gurnon, president of the school in Buzzards Bay.

He said that US Representative William D. Delahunt proposed the idea to him about a month ago, partly to honor Senator Edward M. Kennedy. "In light of the senator's many accomplishments and in recognition of the public service contributions of the entire Kennedy family to the people of our country and especially our neighbors on Cape Cod, I propose we honor the family by renaming the ship," Delahunt wrote in a letter to Gurnon last month.

In a telephone interview Friday, Gurnon called the proposal a great idea. He plans to bring it to Mass. Maritime's board of trustees later this month. If the plan is approved, the school will have to ask Governor Deval Patrick to submit a letter to the US Maritime Commission requesting the name change. Gurnon said he hopes it will be official by early fall. "Response has been overwhelmingly positive," he said, adding that the Kennedy family has a nautical connection going back two generations.

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. worked in the Quincy shipyard during World War I, and in 1938 he was named the first chairman of the US Maritime Commission. It was there that he is believed to have said, "You can have a merchant marine with first-class men even if they sail second-class ships, but second-class men cannot be trusted with the finest ships afloat."

The phrase is immortalized on a bronze plaque that now hangs on the engineering building at Mass. Maritime, and incoming freshmen are required to memorize it, Gurnon said.

The maritime tradition was passed on to Kennedy's sons: Joseph Kennedy Jr. was a decorated Navy pilot, as was his younger brother John F. Kennedy. Their brother Robert F. Kennedy was a member of the US Naval Reserve, and Senator Kennedy received an honorary degree from Mass. Maritime two years ago.

"Senator Kennedy has been close to the school," Gurnon said. "He lives nearby and our cadets frequently serve as boat boys aboard his yacht."

(...) In a written statement yesterday, Kennedy's spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner said he was "touched by the gesture." "Senator Kennedy has always been inspired by the exceptional students of Mass. Maritime and their service on the sea," she said. "He looks forward to continuing his strong relationship with the Academy, its faculty, and students."

Go to:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/11/mass_maritime_ship_may_fly_kennedy_name/

Shriver to Run for Second Term

Ending weeks of speculation, Council member Bobby Shriver has decided to run for reelection, saying he has unfinished business to complete on the council. Shriver, who was elected four years ago with one of the largest vote counts in modern Santa Monica history, pulled papers shortly before City Hall closed on Thursday.

“It’s gonna be hell. It’s gonna be fun,” Shriver told The Lookout. “I just felt there were a couple of things I had to complete, or I would have felt I hadn’t done them,” Shriver said.

He cited his effort to convert three vacant buildings on the Veterans Administration grounds in Westwood into housing and services for mentally ill homeless veterans and said he also wants to continue to help clean up Santa Monica Bay.

Shriver became the final incumbent to pull papers to run for reelection, making next Friday the final deadline for potential candidates to submit the 100 signatures of local voters needed to make the ballot.

Go to: http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2008/August-2008/08_02_08_Shriver_to_Run_for_Second_Term.htm

DNC video crews prep for Ted K tribute

Camera crews descended on the ailing Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s Hyannis compound this weekend to film an emotional tribute scheduled to air at the Democratic National Convention in August.

One source close to the senior senator said the roughly 15-minute film could be a sign that Kennedy, who is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, won’t make the convention.
“The bulk of his treatment is completed, but he still gets chemo once a week. His immune system is still repressed, so right now his staff believes he won’t go,” said the source. “You never know with him, though. He might get up one day and decide he has to be there.”

The tribute will include clips of the Kennedy family throughout the years and feature the statesman and his wife, Vicki, said the source. It will be similar to the heart-wrenching 1968 convention tribute Charles Guggenheim compiled after Sen. Robert Kennedy was assassinated. After that footage was aired, the convention hall in Chicago came to a standstill for 20 minutes.

“I think he’ll talk a little bit about how much this election means to him, and I think it will have a message about (Barack) Obama and about health care,” said the source, who hasn’t seen the film.

The tribute is expected to be aired during the four-day convention in Denver starting on Aug. 25, but sources were unsure exactly which day it would run.

(...) Kennedy is also girding up to return to work in September, according to two sources. It would be his first time back on the job at his Capitol Hill office since his surprise appearance to cast the deciding vote on a controversial Medicaid bill last month.

(...) Supporters, noting the Bay State senator’s mischievous love of surprise, cautioned that Kennedy may still show up at the Colorado convention - the 76-year-old was able to sail a leg of the famed Fugawi race off Cape Cod after he originally had called it off.

Go to: http://news.bostonherald.com/news/2008/view.bg?articleid=1110872

At Home With The Kennedys

The East Hampton estate of Courtney Sale Ross was the setting of a party to celebrate the inaugural event of the 40th annivesary of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial (founded the year of Senator Kennedy’s assassination). His widow Ethel was there along with some of his children. The foundation It is a nonprofit organization that works to realize Robert Kennedy’s dream of a peaceful and just world.

Go to: http://hamptons.guestofaguest.com/hamptons-parties/at-home-with-the-kennedys/

Welcome to The Kennedys of Massachusetts blog where you will find news and recent pictures of this family.