Word got out today that Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) crashed his car in the wee hours this morning. Despite suspicions on the part of the responding officer that Kennedy was intoxicated, other officers drove him home without ever conducting a field sobriety test or a Breathalyzer, causing an eruption of criticism about law enforcement in the capital:

Rep. Patrick Kennedy crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had had no alcohol before the accident. ...

Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated when he crashed his car into a barrier on Capitol Hill early Thursday morning, said Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Cannon, who was not there, said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home.

No sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.

A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Kennedy said he was late for a vote, officer Greg Baird said in the letter to McGaffin.

That would have to be one late vote!

This calls into question a number of issues about law enforcement in the nation's capital. Just a few weeks ago, we hailed the Capitol Police when it pursued assault charges against Cynthia McKinney. Now it appears that McKinney may have had a point when she presumed that DC police would give her special treatment due to her position. They certainly appear to have done so with Kennedy, at least above the patrol level. So far no one has taken responsibility for giving the order to skip the routine investigatory practice of checking for alcohol influence when a driver has a single-car accident in the middle of the night -- especially when one of the officers insists that the Congressman appeared intoxicated.

Some will make inevitable comparisons to Rep. Kennedy's uncle and Chappaquiddick. This is not quite the same issue, as Patrick Kennedy did not run from the scene of the accident -- and no one died, although that came from sheer luck. It may not reflect on Rep. Kennedy at all, if he did nothing to initiate the favorable treatment, but may have more to do with an entrenched culture in DC which treats politicians significantly better than they treat the public in general. Questions need to be answered, but by the police department more than the Kennedys.

Michelle Malkin has a report that Kennedy had another accident just three weeks ago, this time in Portsmouth, RI, this one on a Saturday at 10:09 am. It's difficult to imagine alcohol being a factor in that accident, but the report indicates very reckless driving and Kennedy's handwriting looks very strange indeed. Perhaps the Kennedys should hire Patrick a driver for a while, for his safety and that of the public.

UPDATE: Fixed title to read 'Patrick', not Robert. Thanks to Mr. Buddwing in the comments.

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» Rep. Patrick Kennedy Crashes Car On Way To 2:45 AM House Vote? Riiiiiiight... from RightWinged.com
***SCROLL FOR UPDATES*** Well, at least Congressman Pat Kennedy's accident and cover-up didn't result in the death of a woman, like his father Senator Ted Kennedy's incident did over 35 years ago. But poor young Patrick did have to endure... [Read More]

Tracked on May 5, 2006 1:01 AM

» Rep. Patrick Kennedy Crashes Car On Way To 2:45 AM House Vote? Riiiiiiight... from RightWinged.com
***SCROLL FOR UPDATES*** *photoshop added* Well, at least Congressman Pat Kennedy's accident and cover-up didn't result in the death of a woman, like his father Senator Ted Kennedy's incident did over 35 years ago. But poor young Patrick did have... [Read More]

Tracked on May 5, 2006 2:11 AM