I'd take him very seriously if he was ordering another round, or two dozen Krispy Kremes, but other than that no.

Thats meant to be a joke. When he was healthy, or what passed for healthy in a Kennedy, he was a damned powerful Senator, with influence in both houses and on both sides of the aisle.

Think he was a joke? The GOP sure didn't think so.

Agree with him or not, taking him seriously as a politician would have been wise.

Morally bankrupt individual. Legendary for boozing, womanizing and totally without redeeming qualities, but then from what I've heard, he takes after almost all the Kennedy men starting with the old man, and the women just sit back and put up with it. I guess money does talk. I've never understood why women keep voting for the Kennedy men when they show such contempt for them.

His relevance has perhaps faded in recent years, but I'll take him more seriously than some of the other clowns on this list...

Laura Bush accidentally killed someone, Bush Jr. did drugs, but at least they owned up to it. Teddy fled the scene of the crime, leaving poor Mary Jo (can't spell her last name) to die alone. I don't know if he's owned up to it or not.

The man should have gone to prison for manslaughter. What is scary is the man is STILL, after all these years, sitting in the senate, and they have the nerve to put him on things like ethics committees. Unfortunately, we have to take him somewhat seriously.

Sen. Kennedy has an impact on legislation which affects the lives of many individuals. He has to be taken seriously.

How someone can be called a hero who sneaks off like a coward in the night and leaves a young woman alone who had already died or is dying without notifying the proper authorities, is beyond me. His punishment, a mere slap on the wrist. Only a few will probably ever know the true story, but I will always remember as a child seeing her pretty face on the covers of newspapers and magazines. Their family dynasty was built on a legacy of lies, sex and greed. Tragically they are becoming victims of their own demise. Most of the clan I cannot in good faith take seriously.

A drunk bastard whose only redeeming quality is that he stands up to another ex-junkie retarded bastard (Bush).

yet another thread filled with tired, right-wing talking points. Laura Bush killed a man and got away with it, George Bush was a drunk and a cocaine addict. Where's the moral outrage over that, hmm? Hypocrites. And yes, I AM from Massachusetts. You hate Kennedy that much, why don't you all move up here and vote him out?

I take him seriously because he's done a lot of good things for the people of Massachussetts. His compassion for the poor and voiceless is genuine. He's a hero.

This man should be tarred and feathered and run out of town for what he did to the Kennedy name. I wouldn't know where to begin with him. Pretty hard to take him serious.

Mudering people is serious business!

An almost total hypocrite who manages to get away with what he does because of his family name and connections. He has no moral fiber that is apparent to me. Got thrown out of Georgetown U. for cheating. Got off with the homicide of Mary Jo Kopechne (what a farce of a story, and more of a farce of an investigation); frolics around in the altogether down in Florida and encourages a nephew to abuse some young woman (I don't rightly recall all of the details on that one, but it's another one he got away with); claims to be a Catholic, but flouts church teaching on abortion, got remarried, and is still buddy buddy with high-ranking clergy in Boston who cover his sorry backside (a challenging job, given its rather impressive dimensions). Pontificates on moral issues, but is no moral example himself.

Should still be in prison for murder of Mary Jo Kopeckne

Come on, who really takes this guy seriously? He's in the Senate because his last name is Kennedy. The guy has no credibility on the issues, especially women's rights issues which he constantly harks on and on about. What happened in Chappaquidick? He tries to emulate Bobby Kennedy's social activism but he just can't pull it off. At least he quit drinking.

Ted Bozo Kennedy - the tubby, aging clown prince of the Kennedy clan. Especially amusing when he's on any type of committee dealing with a moral issue.