For the record. My experience with Patrick Kennedy.

[saracat]

Patrick Kennedy, to my personal observation, does NOT drink to excess. I had the privilege of being with Mr. Kennedy at three events on one day in Arizona during the 2004 campaign. All events featured cocktails.And I got Patrick whatever he wanted to drink. His drink of choice was "bottled water' and he drove himself. I believe his story about the medications. My Dad , who was also a government official, was also prescribed medication that caused him to have an accident taking out a row of mailboxes on our street. He was on his way to pick me up and was arrested for "driving under the influence of a narcotic drug". The charges were dropped but he was very lucky not to have killed himself or others. The Doctor never told him NOT to drive and refused to cut his dosage when informed of the accident. I flushed those pills down the toilet.
I believe Kennedy's story to be the truth.But some I am sure will flame away.

[Joanne98]

1. I believe him too.

[graywarrior]

2. No matter what the Kennedy's do, they are in deep shit.

It must suck to have everything you do scrutinized by this particular press filled with whores and greedy ass kissers.

[HereSince1628]

3. Yep, it's a family people love to hate.

[graywarrior]

9. Of course, we hate the Bush's with equal venom.

Well, not equal.....MORE.

[Lindacooks]

24. Yes. And we hate the Bushes for a reason. They're a bunch of

weasly, lying, murdering, treasury-robbing thugs.

Why do people hate the Kennedys? Because they're wealthy and successful in politics. Also because they care about other people and many of them spend their lives in public service.

Which one do you think is a valid reason for hating a family?

[Virginia Dare]

4. I believe the story as well...

I've personally met members of the family in a social situation as well. They are very gracious, classy, down to earth people.

:kick:

[saracat]

6. My high school was a sister school to the prep school

many of the Kennedy's attended, and my Dad was a friend of the older Kennedy boys, Jack and Joe in the thirties. The Kennedy's are NOT a perfect family, and they are not always, "gracious , classy , and down to earth"! But neither are most of us! Many of their so called "crimes" are exaggerated.And as the old joke says"many of the people doing the exaggerating could not themselves pass such a test"!

[Virginia Dare]

10. Point taken, I was just relating my personal experience...

I didn't see the monsters I'd been led to believe that they were. Not to minimize the problems that the family has had and continues to have, but show me a family, especially a very large one that has no dysfunction.

[grace0418]

15. I met Will (Kennedy) Smith many times. He lived around the corner

from the frame shop where I worked at the time and I usually waited on him. He was always patient, gracious, funny and generous. The process of framing people's artwork and keepsakes is very expensive and requires a lot of different decisions. Most people get very testy and impatient during the process, but he never did. He even hired me to illustrate a book he was working on (of excercises for people with various injuries) and had me over at his house for a meal.

If he was the monster so many people thought he was, he certainly never showed that side to me. I suppose you never know but I just wanted to share that.

P.S. He often stopped by the shop while walking his dog to check on a job or just chat and I always loved how sweet he was with his dog. I tend to judge people by the way they treat animals and he passed my test with flying colors. Sweet dog, too.

[Overheated_inAz]

5. Don't know what to believe

No flames here... lol I know I want to believe him! The only report I saw last night said the first cops on the scene were pissed off because they smelled alcohol and were not allowed by their superiors to administer a breath test. At this point all I do know is his biggest mistake was not demanding it if he had not been drinking!

[saracat]

7. But if you are somewhat out of it from percription meds, you wouln't think

fast enough to ask!

[BlueCaliDem]

23. The Capitol Police seem to have some axe to grind--think McKinney.

Now,whether or not she's guilty, it appears that the Capitol Police are especially attuned to Democratic Reps. Now, a beloved Rhode Island Democratic Rep is being hounded by the Capitol Police too.

I dunno, but it smells fishy.

Remember also, that Rep. Kennedy said, that he thought he was on his way to vote; to make a vote he had far earlier that evening, and couple that to the proven scientific results that Ambien has caused people to sleep-eat, walk, and drive (I believe it was 60 minutes that aired a documentary on it not too long ago?), there's adequate evidence that he'd been sleep-driving too.

The only evidence there is that "he smelled of alcohol" comes from the Capitol Police, and at this point; after the McKinney "scandal", I'm not so sure I'd believe them on their word...

[blm]

8. Weren't there a couple big news stories a month ago about ambien users

getting into their car in the middle of the night, completely unaware of what they were doing? I heard it has been causing enough accidents that people finally took notice.

Now, the news channels are forgetting they ran those stories just last month.

[lynne]

11. No Flames Here -

- but the story is ever-changing and I doubt we'll ever really know the truth. It is now being reported that Kennedy was spotted drinking that night - story below. He has a long history with alcohol and drugs that cannot be ignored.

I'm glad he's going back into rehab but wish he had come forth with the entire truth from the beginning so as to avoid an investigation. Now that one has begun, the story being headline news for weeks on end.
____________

"CBS News reports that Capitol Hill police on Friday were at the Hawk & Dove, a popular Capitol Hill bar as part of their investigation.

One source has told CBS News that an employee at the bar has said he did see Kennedy there.

The Boston Herald reported that a hostess at Hawk & Dove told the newspaper she saw him drinking in the hours before the crash.

"He was drinking a little bit," said the woman, who works at the Hawk & Dove and would not give her name to the paper.

According to the Herald, a bartender at the Tune Inn, which is next to the Hawk & Dove, also said Kennedy was spotted in the Hawk & Dove Wednesday, but Hawk & Dove manager Edgar Gutierrez said he was working Wednesday night and did not see the congressman. The paper says Kennedy refused to say whether he had been at the bar."

http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/topstories_story_124185823.html

[Cooley Hurd]

12. Thank you VERY much, Saracat!

:thumbsup::grouphug:

[Canuckistanian]

13. The special treatment certainly didn't help him

Just ask Dick Cheney.

[DeepModem Mom]

14. Surprisingly, Joe Scarborough on MSNBC had good things to say...

about Patrick Kennedy. He said he handled the situation well, and would probably not be hurt politically because he is a nice guy, never arrogant, works hard for his constituents, and is well-liked by everyone (including Joe himself). He seemed to be saying that a real SOB in the same situation would be in deep trouble.

[robbedvoter]

16. thank you.

[ArkySue]

17. Besides the Ambien

He said he had taken some Phenergan. It's for nausea/vomiting. I'm a retired nurse and I have seen Phenergan knock some people for a loop. That couldn't have helped his alertness, either. He did the right thing and accepted responsibility.

[tavalon]

18. Current nurse here

Ambien and Phenergan together are a whopping combo. He shouldn't have been driving but, with Ambien, if you are one of the unfortunate individuals to suffer this side effect, has a window in which you can still function and appear awake but you're really sleepwalking or in his case sleep driving.

That second part I know from personal experience. I am a night nurse and sometimes I need help sleeping during the day. When Ambien is the medication I choose, I warn my family and they put the keys where I can't find them and if they find me wandering around, they help me back to bed.

[Control-Z]

19. So true.

I'm not a nurse - just a sufferer of SEVERE migraines. I take pain meds and, if I'm vomiting uncontrollably, I use Phenergan. It is the Phenergan that kicks my butt not the pain meds. There is a big difference between taking the two together and just taking pain meds alone. My guess would be that he never experienced this kind of reaction to the Ambien by itself and had no idea what hit him when he took the Phenergan along with it. I believe he was sincere when he said he didn't remember getting into the car and driving and I highly doubt that his prescribing doctor ever warned him about how powerful the drug (Phenergan) really is.

[Chico Man]

20. My gut tells me Patrick Kennedy is telling the truth

The media made him take pills and drive recklessly.

[DELUSIONAL]

21. Thank you for sharing your first hand account

People do react different to medications -- and this is what we should be learning from Kennedy's experience. Some people can tolerate higher doses of meds and some people can't.

I don't believe the FDA has be diligent enough in collecting data on individual difference in tolerances to medications.

[Vadem]

22. My experience with Pat Kennedy: My late husband worked with

him on several issues. Pat Kennedy flew a flag over the Capitol in honor of my late husband and sent the flag to me with a beautiful letter of condolence. So, yes, I support Patrick Kennedy with all my heart and I pray for his health and his recovery!

[rman]

25. It's strange how eagerly certain DU-ers are jumping to conclusions