***If you're behind on the Pat Kennedy controversy, see my original Thursday post that includes many updates, details, and twists in this matter. So as I give you a quick update and link round-up with brief commentary, know that many things I'm referencing (that you may not be familiar with, from the MSM) can be found in that earlier post, so I won't need to be digging for all those same links again. On with it...

By now I'm sure most of you know that Pat Kennedy celebrated this Cinco De Mayo a little differently than we can assume he usually does. He's announced that he is (again) going to check himself in to the (Cinco De) Mayo Clinic, for addiction to pain pills, after having just been there at Christmas time.

In his statements today (video at Expose the Left), he has once again changed his story, now saying that he doesn't remember anything that happened that night (or morning of Quattro de Mayo):

"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police or being cited for three driving infractions," Kennedy said.

But wait a minute Congressman, didn't you just provide this written statement Thursday:

"Last Tuesday, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress treated me for Gastroenteritis. The Attending Physician prescribed Phenergan, an anti-nausea medication, which in addition to treating Gastroenteritis, I now know can cause drowsiness and sedation.

Following the last series of votes on Wednesday evening, I returned to my home on Capitol Hill and took the prescribed amount of Phenergan and Ambien, which was also prescribed by the Attending Physician some time ago and I occasionally take to fall asleep. Some time around 2:45am, I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote. Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication. At that time, I was involved in a one-car incident in which my car hit the security barrier at the corner of 1st and C St., SE. At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol.

At the time of the accident, I was instructed to park my car and was driven home by the United States Capitol Police. At no time did I ask for any special consideration, I simply complied with what the officers asked me to do.

I have the utmost respect for the United States Capitol Police and the job they do to keep Members of Congress and the Capitol Complex safe. I have contacted the Chief of Capitol Police and offered to meet with police representatives at their earliest convenience as I intend to cooperate fully with any investigation they choose to undertake."

Sounds like you remembered quite a bit, just 24 hours earlier.

The rest of the press conference was whining and begging for sympathy for his "disease", which he claims is an addiction to pain medication, despite the fact that cops smelled alcohol on him, and he was seen at some bars he frequents just a few hours earlier. What's weird is in the intial statement, he says he took two different kinds of pills and immediately shifts to "Some time around 2:45am, I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote." Sounds like someone covering his ass, not wanting to get busted in a lie later on. What happened after you took those pills Patty? Did you lay down to go to sleep? Did you take them at 2:30 and hit the road? When did you take them, and what happened in that time gap?

Again, I think it's very obvious if he was to say "I took the pills and went to bed, then I woke up got in my car and headed for the completely normal 2:45 am vote", he'd be busted, considering the fact that people saw him at the bar. This way his cleverly written statement, while still full of lies, allows him that one "I didn't lie" loophole.

So let's get back to what we know.... First, this Philadelphia Inquirer piece has a paragraph of some underreported details of the actual accident:

In the Capitol Hill accident, police saw Kennedy's car, with no headlights on, swerve into the wrong lane and strike a curb. Kennedy nearly hit a police car, the report said, and did not respond to the officer's efforts to pull over. He continued at a slower speed before hitting a security barrier head-on, the report said.

So he was all over the road, not pulling over for cops, until he slams in to a barrier. Cops arrive, he staggers out smelling like alcohol. The Smoking Gun has the police report, including where the officer checked the box indicating Kennedy was under the influence.

Kennedy tells the police an obvious lie (or a delusion as he would later claim) that he's later for a vote.. AT 2:45 AM! Why? Some speculate he might have had this excuse prepared, because under the constitution (as we've discussed) Congresspeople can't be arrested on the way to work (except for under certain extreme circumstances). Instead of administering field sobriety tests (FSTs) on the obviously impaired (one way or another) Kennedy, the higher ups in the police department clear the scene of low level cops, and two of the higher ups drive the Congressman home! I'm curious why they didn't take him to the all important 2:45 vote though?!

All day Thursday we wait to see a screaming David Gregory from NBC demanding answers outside of Pat Kennedy's office. We're still waiting for that in fact. What we did get was a statement that no alcohol was involved. Later (after the Kennedy people got together to come up with the best possible lie, to stop the bleeding as Pat did even more damage to the family name) another statement was released blaming some pills that can make you drowsy, one that exists only for that purpose. In this statement Kennedy details his day, including taking the pills and then jumps straight in to the car ride (again, no mention of what happened in between, but of course we know this is because the "pills" thing is just a PR lie they came up with). On top of that, we get word that he was at hitting the bars Wednesday night, despite his prior denials.

As the most of America sleeps the Kennedy's come up with a new image for Pat.... Victim of a disease. Friday Pattycakes comes before the camera, a sad a broken man who has an addiction to pain pills and doesn't remember anything about Thursday morning... Blah blah, I have a disease like millions of Americans, I've always been honest (riiiiiight).. Blah blah, poor me, poor me I'm checking back in to rehab (but not steppin' down! I'm a Kennedy damnit!).

So now we have a media who's taken the story to the "poor troubled addict needs help" area, and forgotten all about the real outrage here, which is that this punk got special treatment. Not one of us could do what he did, and have high ranking cops clear out the regular cops, have us park our car and not administer FSTs, and then give us a ride home!!! And where is the left's outrage?! They hammered Limbaugh for months for his pain pill addiction that came after having surgery, and is not that uncommon. Yeah yeah, he was "doctor shopping" supposedly, but the main point is that he's not an elected official!!! He's an entertainer on the radio! You can only vote him out by not listening and giving him poor ratings. Kennedy has had one insane drama and crime after another and he gets away with all of it, why? Because he's a friggin' Kennedy.

I'm sorry, but I just can't believe how he's turned himself in to this victim and sympathetic figure and the media will largely buy it and won't dwell the way they did with Rush. And sense he won't do the honorable thing and step down, he'll go away and come back saying "I'm all better", and we'll all have a party for the sober (chuckle) Kennedy.

I caught the late replay of Hannity & Colmes last night and they discussed many of these things (as much as Alan and the liberal guests didn't want to). Alan went so far as to call him a role model, and praise him for his honesty. What?! He's repeatdly changed his story, and isn't owning up to what actually happened, and is now claiming to be the victim of a disease! All this again after getting special treatment for being a Kennedy, rather than being arrested like a normal person.

Michelle Malkin has much more here and here, including a comment from a KOS kid who is actually in agreement that Kennedy, as well as William Jefferson, should resign. Expose the Left has video of CNN's Dana Bash playing right in to Poor Pat's hands.

Back to the point here. This guy basically got away with a crime, with the police actively assisting him! The cops who did this should be fired. Now, despite the obvious, Kennedy has gotten away with this and in all likelyhood can't be prosecuted because the police essentially disposed of the evidence! Fair?!

More:
Flopping Aces, Flap's Blog, The Pretend Pundit, Donkey Stomp, Assorted Babble, Leaning Straight Up, Stop the ACLU 1, Stop the ACLU 2, Right Voices, Wizbang, Superfun Powerhour, Iowa Voice, The Political Pit Bull, The Sandbox, California Conservative 1, California Conservative 2, Stuck on Stupid, Just Barking Mad, Left Wing = Hate, Maggie's Farm, PunditGuy, All Things Conservative, Sister Toldjah