Vatican rejects Kennedy diplomat role

ITALIAN MEDIA sources last weekend reported that the Holy See has rejected the possible appointment of Caroline Kennedy as US Ambassador to the Vatican.
Milan-based daily Il Giornale, owned by the family of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, said that the Vatican has rejected three possible choices by the Obama government for the post of US ambassador, including that of Caroline Kennedy, daughter of John F Kennedy.
Il Giornale claims that the appointment of a new US ambassador to succeed Mary Ann Glendon has proved difficult because of the “strained” relations between the White House and the Holy See, which has been less than enamoured of Barack Obama’s public support for both abortion and stem cell research.
US media reports suggested that Ms Kennedy had originally been proposed to Mr Obama for the job by Democratic senator John Kerry by way of reward for her support for the president during last year’s election campaign.
However, one former US ambassador to the Vatican, Ray Flynn, speaking to the Boston Herald last week, argued that Ms Kennedy’s support for abortion made her an unsuitable choice.
“It’s imperative, it’s essential that the person who represents us to the Holy See be a person who has pro-life values,” he said.
“She said she was pro-choice. I don’t assume she’s going to change that, which is problematic.”
The White House has refused to comment, while senior Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi yesterday denied that the Holy See had blocked any potential appointments, saying that no proposals for the job had yet been made to the Vatican.

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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0413/1224244556984.html

Caroline Kennedy-to-Vatican rumor sparks Catholic outrage

Reaction to Caroline Kennedy’s potential appointment as U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican continued to sour yesterday as one conservative Catholic group called the possible nomination “a calculated insult to the Holy See.”
“It’s inappropriate to appoint someone who pretends to be a Catholic but rejects the fundamental teachings of the Church,” said C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Action League.
Buzz continued unabated yesterday that Kennedy was under consideration by President Obama for the post, despite the fact she is pro-choice. U.S. Catholic officials are closely scrutinizing the appointment.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Raymond L. Flynn told the Herald on Wednesday the strong pro-choice stance taken by JFK’s daughter is “problematic,” and giving her the Vatican appointment would be “a mistake.”
Attempts to reach Caroline Kennedy have been unsuccessful, and a spokeswoman from U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s office declined to comment.
According to Italian publications, U.S. Sen. John Kerry has asked Obama to consider Caroline Kennedy for the ambassadorship. Kerry’s office declined to comment.
Kennedy has laid low since her failed bid to win appointment to Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate seat earlier this year.

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view.bg?articleid=1164688

It’s puppy love for the first family

The first family has settled on a first pet - a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog that the Obama girls are naming Bo.
The dog is a gift from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who owns several Portuguese water dogs.
“We couldn’t be happier to see the joy that Bo is bringing to Malia and Sasha,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We love our Portuguese water dogs and know that the girls - and their parents - will love theirs, too.”
The selection was one of the White House’s most tightly kept secrets.
President Barack Obama’s daughters, 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha, picked a black and white pup.
Obama’s daughters chose the name Bo for the pup because first lady Michelle Obama’s father was nicknamed Diddley. The name for the dog was an apparent reference to the singer “Bo” Diddley.
White House aides told the AP that the office of the first lady arranged an exclusive deal on the dog story with the Post. The officials, who demanded anonymity because of the deal with the Post on exclusive details, said the dog was not in the White House as of Saturday evening.
Throughout the day Saturday, celebrity Web sites and bloggers were abuzz with rumors of the first family’s selection of a Portuguese water dog; one site even claimed it had pictures of the future first pet.
The president had embraced the frenzy: “Oh, man, now, that’s top secret,” Obama joked Friday to reporters.
Obama promised his daughters a puppy during the campaign.
“This is Washington. That was a campaign promise,” Obama said when he appeared on Jay Leno’s talk show last month, as the audience roared with laughter. “No, I’m teasing. The dog will be there shortly.”
The president and first lady had said their choice was down to either a Portuguese water dog or a Labradoodle because they were considered good pets for children who have allergies, as Malia does.

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view.bg?articleid=1165222

A pitch-er perfect day for Ted Kennedy

It wasn’t a blistering pitch, but Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s Opening Day toss yesterday reached back generations.
“I remember coming here with my brothers. It brings back a lot of emotion, a lot of feelings,” Kennedy told the Herald moments after he left Fenway’s fabled field.
“It’s a moment I’ll never forget,” the ailing Bay State senior senator said of his first pitch lobbed to Jim Rice, who was voted into the Hall of Fame in the offseason.
The 77-year-old Democrat, who is battling brain cancer, was given a warm welcome by the sellout crowd of 37,057 that braved a chilly day to catch a thrilling 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Yesterday’s Opening Day - part carnival, part communal - had fans sporting baseball gloves and winter gloves. The beer was cold and the coffee hot and nobody complained.

(...)

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1164235&format=text

Ted Kennedy & Co. throw support behind Red Sox

It was a Kennedy family affair yesterday at Fenway Park [map], where a smiling Sen. Ted Kennedy braved the blustery Red Sox [team stats] opener in a luxury box over home plate with a pack of his nearest and dearest.
The senior senator, who earlier tossed out the ceremonial first pitch to Sox legend Jim Rice, was bundled up in his red team jacket as he took in the Olde Towne Team’s 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays with his wife, Vicki, son U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, niece Caroline Kennedy and grandkids Ted Kennedy III, 11, Grace Allen, 14, and Max Allen, 12.
Vicki told us that Ted Jr. and his wife, Kiki, would have made the trip, too, if they weren’t in Colorado with their daughter, Kiley, 14, who is competing in the USASA Nationals snowboard competition on Copper Mountain . (Kiley rides for Vermont’s Mount Mansfield Snowboard Club .)
“She won a first and a third,” gushed Kiley’s step-gran, who also took in the game with Mayor Tom Menino .
During the fourth inning, team owners John Henry and Tom Werner appeared in Ted’s box to present him with a framed photo of his Opening Day pitch. Wow, those boys work fast!
Sadly - for the Track - the team took a pass on throwing an Opening Day pregame sushi-and-hot dog ’do in the Jordan’s Third Base Deck for austerity reasons this year. So scrounging up Boston notables was a helluva task! Many, we hear, did all their season opener, ahem, celebrating on Monday and couldn’t take another day off. (Et tu, Greg Hill?)
So with the exception of the Kennedy clan, the Boston boldfacers we saw at the old ballyard were the same ol, same ol’ crowd.

(...)

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http://news.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view/2009_04_08_main_track_story/srvc=home&position=also

Red Sox Call On Kennedy For 1st Pitch

Plans are in the works for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to throw out the ceremonial first pitch when the Red Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays Monday afternoon at Fenway Park for the season-opener, The Boston Herald reported.
Kennedy has been battling brain cancer for the past year, but returned to Washington last week after spending much of the winter in Florida.
However, the weather forecast for Monday is for a cold, rainy day and it's not known if that might prevent Kennedy from appearing.
Kennedy’s day-to-day schedule is sometimes uncertain because of his health. When the senator addressed the Democratic National Convention last August, his appearance was not definite until he actually took the stage.
He now walks slowly, often using a cane and his voice is sometimes not as strong as in the past.

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http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/19098403/detail.html

Kennedy pushes Sebelius nomination

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, citing his own battle with brain cancer, came out forcefully yesterday for Kathleen Sebelius's nomination as health and human services secretary.
"Few debates in Congress touch our lives as profoundly and personally as healthcare. Over the past 10 months, I've seen our healthcare system up close," Kennedy said, his hands shaking slightly.
"I've benefited from the best of medicine," he said, presiding at a hearing for Sebelius, who he said had the "vision, the skill, and the knowledge" to shepherd the healthcare overhaul. "But we have too many uninsured Americans. We have sickness care and not healthcare. . . . Costs are out of control. But today we have an opportunity like never before to reform our healthcare."
Toward the end of the hearing, Kennedy asked Sebelius to affirm support for cancer research. She did.
Sebelius, the Kansas governor and early supporter of President Obama, said she backs his call for giving Americans the option of government-run health insurance as an alternative to private coverage.
The proposal for a public plan that would compete with private insurers has emerged as the most divisive issue as Obama seeks to overhaul the health system to reduce costs and shrink the ranks of 48 million uninsured. Republicans fear that the competing plan would drive some private insurers out of business.
"If the question is, 'Do I support a public option side by side with private insurers?' " Sebelius said, "Yes, I do."
The exchange with Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, was perhaps the most heated in a low-key hearing. Sebelius pledged that if confirmed, "health reform would be my mission."
"Inaction is not an option. The status quo is unacceptable, and unsustainable," said Sebelius, citing high healthcare costs that she said were hurting families and crippling the economy.
Saying she would be a tough enforcer, Sebelius also called for a crackdown on medical fraud as part of any healthcare overhaul. "Having a few strike operations may be the most effective way to send the signal that there's a new sheriff in town, and I intend to take this very, very seriously," she told the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
While Obama has pushed for healthcare overhaul, lawmakers have questioned how the administration would pay for the plan. Sebelius didn't offer a specific solution, but said the approach must be comprehensive.
Sebelius did cite Kennedy's home state of Massachusetts, where a pioneering 2006 law requires nearly everyone to carry insurance or face fines. Policy makers there decided to extend coverage first, and deal with costs later. Now costs are ballooning. The lesson, Sebelius said, is costs and coverage must be dealt with in concert.
Sebelius is Obama's second pick to head the department. Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle withdrew from consideration while apologizing for failing to pay $140,000 in taxes and interest.
Sebelius alerted senators in a letter yesterday that she has corrected three years worth of tax returns after finding "unintentional errors" involving charitable contributions, the sale of a home, and business expenses.
In the letter obtained by the Associated Press, she says she and her husband paid a total of $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest for 2005 to 2007.
Obama also wanted Daschle to head the White House Office for Health Reform, but when he dropped out, a separate White House health czar was named.
Sebelius's background on healthcare includes blocking an insurance company merger in Kansas while insurance commissioner in 2001. She has faced opposition from conservatives over her support for abortion rights, but senators didn't raise that issue yesterday.
The health committee won't actually vote on sending Sebelius's nomination to the full Senate. That job falls to the Senate Finance Committee, which will hold her confirmation hearing tomorrow.

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http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/04/01/kennedy_pushes_sebelius_nomination/