I am trying hard not to laugh, because on the surface this just seemed like it had to be a joke. 

Patrick Kennedy-make that Rep Patrick Kennedy, the son of Sen Ted "can’t swim" Kennedy was involved in a car crash and is reputed to have gotten preferential treatment by the Capital Police.  And he may have been drunk.

Police: Kennedy Appeared Intoxicated At Car Crash

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.

Of course. 

Kennedy was reportedly behind the wheel of a green Ford Mustang when it crashed into a security barrier at 1st and "C" streets Southeast.

Observation:  He drives a cooler car then his dad did. (1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88)

No one was hurt, but there are reports that the car nearly struck a Capitol police cruiser and that it had been swerving, as if trying to make a U-turn.

Dad claimed he made a wrong turn too…Like Father Like Son.

So far, Kennedy HAS NOT been charged.

Easily the most shocking aspect.  What a surprise!!    That never happens.

"I was involved in a traffic accident last night at … the U.S. Capitol. I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident and I will fully cooperate with Capitol Police in whatever investigation they choose to undertake," he said.

The Capitol Hill Fraternal Order of Police is calling for higher-ups in the department to allow patrol officers to complete their investigation.

The head of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1, Lou Cannon, told W*USA 9 News Reporter Stacey Cohan that he’s concerned that Kennedy may have received special treatment and this could be a case where “rank has its privilege.”

Capitol police Officer Greg Baird wrote a letter to acting Chief Christopher McGaffin saying how the investigation was handled calls the department’s integrity into question.

According to Rollcall.com, Baird — acting chairman of the Capitol Police Fraternal Order of Police –- said Kennedy’s Mustang had its lights off when it narrowly missed crashing into a police cruiser and smashed into a security barrier at 1st and C streets Southeast about 2:45 a.m.

According to sources, Kennedy told police that he was late for a Congressional vote. But the House had adjourned more than three hours earlier, sources said.

Hmm, apparently he was really running late…Maybe his watch stopped?  The clock at the bar….err I mean the clock was slow in the car.

According to Roll Call, Baird wrote in his letter that the driver got out and “was observed to be staggering.” He told officers he was a congressman late for a vote. Baird wrote that patrol officers at the scene were prohibited from performing field sobriety tests.

Hang on.  Huh?  I mean fun is fun here, but WTF?  Why were they prohibited from doing their job?    Why no field sobriety test?  Someone has some ’splainin to do…

Then two sergeants arrived, conferred with a watch commander and “ordered all of the patrol division units to leave the scene … that they were taking over.”

…Never mind.  I get it now.  We wouldn’t want to discomfort the distinguished gentleman….

Congressman Patrick Kennedy is Ted Kennedy’s son. He is currently serving his sixth term as the Democratic Congressman from Rhode Island. He sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Kennedy spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College. He has been open about mental health issues, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

I will pass on the obvious questions his abilities and qualifications.  Maybe being mentally ill is a good thing in politics. 

I would question why RI keeps him in office, but then I remember how his dad, who was clearly responsible for the negligent death of a woman is still in office, so never mind there too.

But I will say I am damn sick and tired of people getting away with criminal actions simply because they are elected officials.  As our leaders, our roll models and our representatives, they should have a higher standard to live to, not a lower one.  This patronizing attitude of being above the law, like Rep McKinney, is very frustrating to the rest of us who cannot get away will anything we want.

The pandering of our politicians has got to stop.

The Blogsphere is having a field day on this, by the way.  No shock there:

(Links from Stop the ACLU)

• Michelle Malkin has posted copies of the police report from a seperate Pat Kennedy car crash from two weeks ago. You should see the handwriting.
• Iowa Voice: What is it with the Kennedys when they get behind the wheel of a car??
• The Political Pitbull: So there you are folks, proof that history does, in fact, repeat itself.
• Donkey Stomp: Some apples just don’t fall far from the tree.
• GOP and the City: Stop me if you have heard this one before… Kennedy gets drunk. Kennedy crashes car. Kennedy tries to cover up.
• Confederate Yankee: Odds are than any questionable involvement by either Patrick Kennedy or his father Ted—if indeed there was any—can and probably would disappear faster than a bottle of Maker’s Mark down Ted’s fleshy gullet.
• Ace: A sentence containing the words Kennedy, drunk, vehicle mishap, and police cover-up is pure gibberish making no earthly sense whatsoever.
• Allah: I’m woozy from the comic possibilities (at Hotair.com)
• Expose The Left, as always…has video.
• Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller: Thankfully, nobody was drowned this time.
• Point Five: introduces the game of Kennedopoly.
• The Sandbox with Kennedys and Driving, Just Mix and Stir