During the past week, we have heard from Democratic and Republican strategists about whether Caroline Kennedy should be appointed by New York Gov. David Paterson to the U.S. senatorial seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton. Political pundits and vacuum-head newscasters have in a shrill fashion stated that she isn’t qualified for the position. As I recall, all you have to be is 30 years of age and an American citizen. There is a residence requirement also. If I’m correct Caroline Kennedy meets all of the requirements. She has lived in New York for an inordinate period of time and is lucid, savvy and strong willed.
President John F. Kennedy’s daughter also has a quality that seems to be sorely lacking in many of today’s political leaders. She has common sense and is ethical and of good moral standing. The same can’t be said for many congressional leaders, as well as outgoing and incoming cabinet members, who allow their spouses to serve as lobbyists and consultants in the rarified and increasingly corrupt atmosphere called Washington, D. C. This past presidential campaign, as well as the illegal activities of former political leaders appointed to well heeled positions on Wall Street and at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, demonstrated just how far we have strayed from the principles laid down in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
It is quite understandable that there are many politicians who have paid their dues and are in the queue hopefully waiting to be tapped by Gov. Paterson to fill the position. However, in light of what has unfolded in Illinois, where the Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich showed his true colors and tried to sell the Obama senate seat to the highest bidder, this is the time to appoint to public office a person with impeccable credentials.
Caroline Kennedy may not have the political skills of Jesse Ventura, Larry Craig, “Duke” Cunningham, Charlie Rangel, Arnold Schwarzenegger or George W. Bush, but she sure has something going for her that few people do. She is an intelligent trustworthy individual who cares about her fellow Americans no matter what their social standing. She has worked in the field of education for a very long time and engaged in worthwhile philanthropic activities. She is also a lawyer and a mother. Not a bad comparison to Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin! I am sure that readers will howl that I am a left-leaning liberal who is blind to her faults, but in light of where the American people find themselves financially, economically and socially today, I think she will be a breath of fresh air. I must confess though that as a former Peace Corps Volunteer, who had the privilege of meeting with President Kennedy at the White House in 1962, it is hard to be objective. In those days we would have gone over a cliff for him and Camelot!
Her father’s political career was cut short by an assassin’s bullet and her uncle, Robert Kennedy’s term as the United States Senator from New York ended at the hands of a deranged Sirhan Sirhan. She may not have the experience of a congressman or other political leaders, but no one has remotely been subjected to the political and family tragedies she has since her early childhood. She has a great appreciation of the value of public service and the inherent dangers that accompany it.
Shakespeare once penned “Much ado about nothing”. That surely is the case with Caroline Kennedy. She has expressed an interest in becoming the U.S Senator from New York and given her track record, I believe she will serve the citizens of the Empire State in an admirable fashion. Pure and simple. Never forget “Noblesse Oblige.”
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Bill Tilney
