The Edward M Kennedy Institute takes shape

It's exciting to see that The Edward M Kennedy Institute is beginning to take shape. Located next to the JFK Library & Museum, the Institute will be an educational center for individuals to learn about the Senate.

The features I am most excited about are the full scale replica of the Senate and the reproduction of the Senator's DC office! The Institute will open in March 2015 - watch a video of Victoria Reggie Kennedy showing how the building is progressing here.

Photos via

The Political Style Gift Guide 2009: Literature Lovers

You have a friend or family member who is an avid fan of literature- which books should you consider purchasing? Read on for Political Style's favourite books of the year (and some timeless additions!)

#1: Mrs.O: The Face of Fashion Democracy by Mary Tomer ($17.15/£11.47)

Released by the owners of the popular Michelle Obama style-site, this book is laden with pictures from both the campaign trail and the first months of the White House. Featuring exclusive interviews with designers such as Maria Pinto, Jason Wu and Isabel Toledo this book is the perfect selection for any fan of the First Lady.

#2: True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy ($18.90/£13.48)

Finished shortly before his death this summer, Senator Kennedy's memoir talks of his childhood in London and the Cape, his experiences on the campaign trail, his accomplishments as Senator and the relationships with Presidents. It is a truly fascinating look into the life of 'Lion of the Senate.'

#3: Michelle Obama: A Portrait of the First Lady by Life ($16.06/£11.34)

I have just recently ordered my copy from Amazon, but going on my experiences of Life's Barack Obama tribute, I am confident that this book will be equally as fantastic!

#4: Chanel: Collections and Creations by Daniele Bott ($26.40)

This lavishly illustrated publication details the hidden side of the premier French fashion house and is ideal for any fashion fan.

#5: Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box by Madeleine Albright ($23.40/£20.60)

I have recently featured this publication on Political Style, and readers will know how much I enjoyed looking at Albright's treasured pin collection. For anyone who wishes to see behind the scenes of diplomacy making (as well as a fair bit of style thrown in!), this book is for you.

#6: Promises to Keep by Joe Biden ($10.20/£8.24)

Although Vice-President Biden's memoir was released in 2008, I like to revisit his tales of both childhood and career to inspire me in my own life. I hope it will do the same for you!

#7 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ($6/£3.95)

Although I have only just began the first novel in the Millennium trilogy, I am confident that I will soon be purchasing the two sequels!

(All prices correct on Amazon US and Amazon UK at time of being published)

Entertainment Picks for the Weekend

A smaller version of picks for the weekend, but specifically from an entertainment angle! I have recently started Teddy Kennedy's autobiography, 'True Compass,' and it is as breathtaking as I expected it to be. To any readers who are thinking of getting a copy, rush to your bookstore now!

Music wise, I have rediscovered Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. The remastered re-release of their Greatest Hits, and Stevie's Soundstage Sessions are the perfect accompaniment to your weekend plans.

Tributes to Sen. Ted Kennedy

The White House released Kennedy's letter last night:

May 12, 2009

Dear Mr. President,

I wanted to write a few final words to you to express my gratitude for your repeated personal kindnesses to me - and one last time, to salute your leadership in giving our country back its future and its truth.

On a personal level, you and Michelle reached out to Vicki, to our family and me in so many different ways. You helped to make these difficult months a happy time in my life.

You also made it a time of hope for me and for our country.

When I thought of all the years, all the battles, and all the memories of my long public life, I felt confident in these closing days that while I will not be there when it happens, you will be the President who at long last signs into law the health care reform that is the great unfinished business of our society. For me, this cause stretched across decades; it has been disappointed, but never finally defeated. It was the cause of my life. And in the past year, the prospect of victory sustained me-and the work of achieving it summoned my energy and determination.

There will be struggles - there always have been - and they are already underway again. But as we moved forward in these months, I learned that you will not yield to calls to retreat - that you will stay with the cause until it is won. I saw your conviction that the time is now and witnessed your unwavering commitment and understanding that health care is a decisive issue for our future prosperity. But you have also reminded all of us that it concerns more than material things; that what we face is above all a moral issue; that at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.

And so because of your vision and resolve, I came to believe that soon, very soon, affordable health coverage will be available to all, in an America where the state of a family's health will never again depend on the amount of a family's wealth. And while I will not see the victory, I was able to look forward and know that we will - yes, we will - fulfill the promise of health care in America as a right and not a privilege.

In closing, let me say again how proud I was to be part of your campaign- and proud as well to play a part in the early months of a new era of high purpose and achievement. I entered public life with a young President who inspired a generation and the world. It gives me great hope that as I leave, another young President inspires another generation and once more on America's behalf inspires the entire world.

So, I wrote this to thank you one last time as a friend- and to stand with you one last time for change and the America we can become.

At the Denver Convention where you were nominated, I said the dream lives on.

And I finished this letter with unshakable faith that the dream will be fulfilled for this generation, and preserved and enlarged for generations to come.

With deep respect and abiding affection,

Ted

Obama's mention of Kennedy's letter in his healthcare address:

Senate Moment of Silence for Ted Kennedy:

Joe Kennedy won't run for Senate

Former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, the eldest son of Robert F. Kennedy, announced Monday he would not run for the U.S. Senate seat held for nearly 50 years by his late uncle, Edward M. Kennedy. The decision was certain to widen the race for the Democratic nomination.

In a statement, the former six-term congressman said he cares about those seeking decent housing, fair wages and health care. But he added, "The best way for me to contribute to those causes is by continuing my work at Citizens Energy Corp."

The nonprofit organization provides free heating oil to the poor, but Kennedy likely would have faced campaign questions about fuel it received from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez – a persistent U.S. critic. He also has settled into a comfortable lifestyle since leaving Congress in 1999, taking home a $545,000 salary as Citizens Energy's president as of 2007, and being spared the barbs he has faced from some local columnists recently for his past temper tantrums and high pay.

Yet Kennedy also may have garnered support from the legions of Massachusetts Democrats who long supported his uncle, to whom he paid tribute in a widely applauded memorial service speech last month. He also had name recognition among national followers of his father, who was a U.S. senator from New York when he was assassinated in June 1968 while seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

"My father called politics an honorable profession, and I have profound respect for those who choose to advance the causes of social and economic justice in elective office," the 56-year-old Kennedy said. Friends said that among those who had been urging him to consider a candidacy were his own sons, 28-year-old twins Matthew and Joseph III.

The decision surrenders a seat the Kennedy family has held for all but two years since 1953, when John F. Kennedy moved from the U.S. House to the Senate, before being elected president in 1960. It became vacant Aug. 25, when Edward Kennedy died of brain cancer at age 77. He was first elected to the Senate in 1962.

It also removes an excuse for three veteran Massachusetts congressmen – Reps. Michael Capuano, Edward J. Markey and John Tierney – who have said they are considering campaigns but would not run against a member of the Kennedy family. The senator's widow, Vicki, had previously ruled out a campaign.

Kennedy Memoir discusses Chappaquiddick, JFK and other Presidents

In a memoir being published posthumously, Senator Edward M. Kennedy talks remorsefully about the car accident that claimed the life of Mary Jo Kopechne – a turn of events many consider a chief reason that he was never able to mount a successful bid for the presidency.

Writing in his book “True Compass,” which is scheduled to be published on Sept. 14, Mr. Kennedy, who died a week ago, described his actions in the 1969 accident as “inexcusable” and said that at the time he was afraid, overwhelmed “and made terrible decisions.”

Mr. Kennedy said he had to live with the guilt of his actions for four decades but that Ms. Kopechne’s family had to endure worse. “Atonement is a process that never ends,” he writes.
In the 532-page book, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Kennedy also said he has always accepted the official findings of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, an event that he said left family members fearing for the emotional health of his brother, Robert F. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy that he often thought of one brother’s deep grief over the loss of another and said it “veered close to being a tragedy within a tragedy.”

Senator Kennedy said he had a full briefing by Earl Warren, the chief justice, on the commission’s investigation into the Nov. 22, 1963, shooting in Dallas. He pronounced himself convinced that the Warren Commission got it right and said he was “satisfied then, and satisfied now.”
Mr. Kennedy’s book provides unique details about life in America’s famous political family and covers the remarkable career that was celebrated last week in a series of memorials before his burial near his two brothers in Arlington National Cemetery. It provides his personal account of being stricken by the brain cancer that took his life and his decision to battle the disease as aggressively as he could. And he talks openly and regretfully about “self-destructive drinking,” especially after his brother Robert’s death.

The book, published by Twelve, a division of the Hachette book group, was originally scheduled to be published in 2010 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the election of President Kennedy but was moved up due to his illness. Much of the book, written with a collaborator, was based on contemporaneous notes taken by Mr. Kennedy over the years as well as hours of recordings for an oral history project.

In the memoir, Mr. Kennedy also suggests that his brother the president was growing uneasy about events in Vietnam and was increasingly convinced that the conflict could not be resolved militarily. He said his brother’s “antenna” was up and surmises that the president was on his way to finding that way out. “He just never got the chance.”

Mr. Kennedy tells of a secret meeting in the spring of 1967 between President Lyndon B. Johnson and Robert Kennedy, whose increasingly outspoken criticism of the war in Southeast Asia was becoming a political threat to Mr. Johnson. According to the book, Robert Kennedy proposed that Mr. Johnson gave him authority to personally negotiate a peace treaty in Vietnam. This, implicitly, would have kept Mr. Kennedy out of the 1968 race for the Democratic nomination, a prospect that Mr. Johnson had come to worry greatly about.

“If the president had accepted his offer,” the book says, “Bobby certainly would have been too immersed in the peace process to become involved in presidential primary.” Mr. Johnson could not take the offer at face value, concerned that Robert Kennedy had ulterior motives.
In explaining why he decided to run for the presidency in 1980, Mr. Kennedy explained how he was motivated in part because of his differences with then President Jimmy Carter. Among other things, he was frustrated by Mr. Carter’s incremental approach to providing universal health care coverage, saying the president’s go-slow approach was “squandering a real opportunity to get something done.” He described Mr. Carter as a “difficult man to convince – of anything.” He described their relationship as “unhealthy.” And after Mr. Carter’s famous “malaise speech,” the senator wrote, he concluded that Mr. Carter held an “inherently different view of America from mine.”

Mr. Kennedy recounts attending a dinner with Bill Clinton shortly after he was elected president in 1992 at the Washington home of Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post. According to Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Clinton said at the time that if he did not get national health insurance through Congress, he should not be president.

Mr. Kennedy expressed great disappointment at the ultimate failure of health care to pass during that period, though he did not place the blame for it on Mr. Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who oversaw the effort for Mr. Clinton.
Mr. Kennedy said he called Mr. Clinton immediately after he appeared on television to confess his affair with Monica Lewinsky, reassuring Mr. Clinton he would stand by the president during this difficult period.

In the midst of recounting this anecdote, Mr. Kennedy took a break to offer his views on the scrutinizing of the private lives of public officials, something to which he clearly was quite familiar. Mr. Kennedy said he had no quarrel with such inquiries.

“But do I think it tells the whole story of character? No I truly do not,” he wrote.
Mr. Kennedy notes that he had never dwelled on the reversals of his life, legislative defeats or causes unfilled and discusses how he came to endorse Barack Obama during the presidential primaries despite his close relationships with other candidates. He said he was able to persevere through his own personal faith.

“I have fallen short in my life, but my faith has always brought me home,” he said.

Kerry Kennedy: On Losing a Human Rights Icon and a Beloved Uncle

Senator Edward Kennedy served on the Board of Directors of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights from 1968 until his passing last week. Witnessing the outpouring of love for him over the past week has been deeply moving and a source of strength and inspiration.
It was heartrending seeing those crowds lining the streets from Hyannis Port to Boston, from the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help to Hanscom Field, and from Andrews Air Force Base to Arlington Cemetery -- often ten deep. People held placards, waved American flags, and saluted. I shook hands with several thousand of the 50,000 mourners who came to the viewing at the JFK Library, each with her or his own story of being touched by Teddy's vision, spirit, and love. People came because they appreciated his courageous stances on civil rights, health care, minimum wage, his support in multiple forms for the oppressed and dispossessed, and more. But most didn't know his record on these issues. They came because they knew he loved people -- not the people, but actual, living, human beings.

Teddy called every one of my cousins, each of their spouses, and their kids, 119 of us in all, on every birthday and anniversary. He regularly rented a bus and took us on trips to visit battlefields with the greatest historians in the country. He took us skiing, rafting, and sailing. Every time he won a race and received a trophy, he had a replica of the trophy made and sent to every member of his crew.

He made politics come alive, not with esoteric policy discussions, but by telling wonderfully engaging stories about the senators with whom he worked -- their bravery, their foibles, and, to our great delight, always, their accents.

Sailing on the Mya last summer, he talked about his first days as a senator. He watched in awe as an impassioned colleague from Virginia railed against the evils of a particular bill and then saw that very same senator vote yea at roll call. When Teddy expressed his bewilderment, the senator explained "Well son, it's like this, to those who are for the bill, I send my vote, and to those against, I send my speech." Teddy roared with laughter and shook his head.

One of the most memorable trips I took with Teddy was a family visit to Poland in 1986. Lech Walesa had been organizing strikes in the Gdansk shipyards, martial law had been declared, and tension was high. We had gone to Poland to present the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award to Adam Michnik -- known as the intellectual force behind Solidarity -- and Zbigniew Bujak, the leader of the Warsaw underground. The night we arrived, Teddy hosted a dinner, and it was the first time the Solidarity activists were able to communicate openly and in person. That, in and of itself, was a major victory. Formal greetings led to intense discussions, and those in turn gave way to stories, laughter, and a rousing exchange of Polish and Irish folk songs. The next morning came far too early, and I sat in awe at a conference table as Teddy dueled with General Jaruzelski, pressing him on basic rights -- to form a union, free expression, and democratic elections. Watching Teddy assert moral authority with such a depth of emotion and intellectual might was a breathtaking experience. I learned a lot from him on that trip about advancing the cause of human rights and loving democracy.

My work means spending time urging lawmakers to do the right thing on human rights issues. But Teddy is the person I always called not to seek support but to help formulate our political strategy and to find out what he was already doing. He was my "go to" guy. I'm not alone, and it wasn't just about being family.

For 30 years, Senator Kennedy was the human rights movement's strongest ally and its soul on Capitol Hill.

When Haitian refugees were being detained and deported, Ted Kennedy stood with us and with Haitian activists like Ray Joseph to demand an end to arbitrary detentions and sham legal proceedings. Ray, whose life was literally saved by Teddy, is now Haiti's Ambassador to the United States.

When asylum seekers were denied legal standing, Ted Kennedy authored and engineered the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980, helping to create a legal right to asylum.
When the U.S. government turned a blind eye to South Africa's State of Emergency and torture of young children, Ted Kennedy led the fight to pass the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985, bringing U.S. policy into alignment with our values.

Wherever freedom's sons and daughters have been on the march for liberty -- from the Soviet Gulag to the streets of Central America, from Marcos' Philippines to the killing fields of Cambodia, Uganda, and now Darfur, Senator Ted Kennedy was their drum major for justice.
Here in the United States, he inspired, guided, and most importantly helped us provide protection and relief to some of the most vulnerable people on this planet. There is simply no one else like him.

Throughout my life, strangers have told me how Teddy was there when a child was diagnosed with cancer, when a father lost a job or had a blow to his reputation, when a wedding was to be celebrated. Over the last year, particularly these past few days, everywhere I have gone, people told stories about how Teddy changed their lives.

Heraldo Munoz told me how, as a young dissident in Chile under Pinochet, one night visiting his mother's house he heard sirens.

He looked out the window and saw a military battalion blocking the street. There was no escape. He saw his two best friends having already been captured, in the back of a pick up, blind folded and manacled. He turned to his wife and said, "They are coming to take me. Just be sure to call Ted Kennedy in Washington. He will save my life."

Today, Heraldo Munoz is the Chilean Ambassador to the United Nations.
Last June, I was at a fundraiser at Hickory Hill for major supporters of the Obama campaign. There was a couple with a distinctive accent, and I was not expecting such a dramatic response when I asked what brought them to the event that evening.

They said they'd met in Washington, D.C. as college students at American University. At the time, militants went on a rampage in Ethiopia and slaughtered every member of both of their families.

The I.N.S. denied their asylum claims, saying there was no evidence that this young couple was at risk should they attempt to return home.

Desperate, they went to the Senate, found Teddy's office, told him their story, and he went to work. They received asylum, started a business, and raised a son. Their son became the field organizer for Obama in northern Virginia, and they came that night to Hickory Hill, to express their gratitude to Ted Kennedy.

When Teddy saw an injustice happening in Guantanamo, he demanded an investigation.
In the fall of 2003, James Yee was known as the Muslim chaplain who had betrayed America. Accused of espionage, Army Captain James Yee saw his notoriety bloom overnight. According to USA Today, "He was vilified on the airwaves and on the Internet as an operative in a supposed spy ring that aimed to pass secrets to al-Qaeda from suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Yee ministered to them. After his arrest, Yee was blindfolded, placed in manacles and taken to a Navy brig, where he spent 76 days in solitary confinement." Meanwhile, his name was released to the press and became synonymous with traitor.

Eight months later, thanks to Teddy's demands for justice, the criminal charges against the 36-year-old West Point graduate melted away. A subsequent reprimand was removed from his record, and he left the military with an honorable discharge in January 2005.
I love Teddy, and I will miss him with all my heart. He was truly great.

Funeral Mass Speeches

Kennedy Funeral Mass Arrangements.

Funeral Mass

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Senator Kennedy’s funeral mass will take place at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica,1545 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA

Guidance Note: While his daughter, Kara, was battling lung cancer at a nearby Boston hospital, Senator Kennedy attended Our Lady of Perpetual Hope each day and prayed for Kara and her recovery. Over time, the Basilica took on special meaning for him as a place of hope and optimism.

This event is closed to the public and press will be pooled.

Pool: White House traveling pool
Network: ABC
Note: Additional print and photo requests will be accommodated according to space capacity.

Press Logistics:

Press Entrance: Corner of Tremont St. and Carmel St.
Satellite Truck Parking: Pontiac St, between Delle Ave and Tremont St.
Microwave Truck Parking : Carmel St, between Delle Ave and Tremont St.
Live Shot positions (Pre-assigned): Tremont St between Pontiac St. and Carmel St.
Pre Set: 5:00 AM – 5:30 AM
Sweep: 5:30 AM – 6:00 AM
Media Access: 6:00 AM
Service begins: 10:30 AM

Details on the funeral mass and program:

7:00 a.m. - Guests begin arriving at church via bus

9:55 a.m. - CODEL arrives from the JFK Library.

58 Senators
21 former members
Secretary Salazar
6 officers of the Senate

10:00 a.m. - Music begins

MOZART Clarinet Quintet
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Malcolm Lowe, violin
Alexander Velinzon, violin
Cathy Basrak, viola
Mihail Jojatu, cello
William R. Hudgins, clarinet

10:05 a.m. - Extended Kennedy family arrives

10:10 a.m. - Distinguished visitors are seated

10:15 a.m. - The President, Vice President and former Presidents seated

10:20 a.m. - Mrs. Vicki Kennedy and Immediate Family arrive

Motorcade route:

Down Melina Cass Boulevard
Left onto Columbus Avenue
Right onto Tremont Street

Honorary pall bearers greet family outside church:

Melody Barnes
Honorable Justice Stephen Breyer
David Burke
Ranny Cooper
Greg Craig
Senator John C. Culver
Stephanie Cutter
Congressman William Delahunt
Senator Christopher J. Dodd
Ken Feinberg
Lee Fentress
Wyche Fowler
Tim Hanan
Claude Hooton
Dr. Larry Horowitz
Senator John F. Kerry
Paul G. Kirk, Jr.
Kathy Kruse
Nick Littlefield
Congressman Edward Markey
Eric Mogilnicki
Michael Myers
Carey Parker
Honorable Edmund Reggie
Senator Donald W. Riegle
Dr. Larry Ronan
Senator James Sasser
Robert Shrum
Barbara Souliotis

10:30 a.m. - Funeral Procession Begins

Entrance Hymn: “Holy God We Praise Thy Name”

Celebrants:

His Eminence Sean P. Cardinal O’Malley, OFM CAP, Archbishop of Boston.
Fr. J. Donald Monan, S.J., Chancellor, Boston College.

Guidance note: Former President of Boston College and Kennedy family friend. Fr. Monan is the principle celebrant of the funeral mass.

Fr. Gerry Creedon, Pastor, Saint Charles Borromeo Church, Arlington, Virginia.
Guidance note: Longtime Kennedy family friend and concelebrant of the funeral mass.

Fr. Percival D’ Silva, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Kensington, Maryland.
Guidance note: Kennedy family friend and priest that performed the Blessed Sacraments for Caroline and Curran Raclin while at The Blessed Sacrament church in Northwes Washington, D.C. Fr. D’Silva is a concelebrant of the funeral mass.

Rev. Mark R. Hession, Our Lady of Victory, Centerville, Masssachusetts.
Guidance note: Senator and Mrs. Kennedy’s priest on Cape Cod and close friend. Fr. Hession offered mass for Senator Kennedy nearly every Sunday this year. Fr. Hession is a concelebrant of the funeral mass.

Rev. Donald MacMillian, Chaplain, Boston College.
Guidance note: Family friend, who frequently celebrated mass for Senator Kennedy. Concelebrant of funeral mass.

Very Rev. Raymond Collins, C.SS.R. Pastor, Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Pall bearers:

Kara Kennedy
Edward M. Kennedy, Jr.
Patrick J. Kennedy
G. Curran Raclin, Jr.
Caroline R. Raclin
Caroline Kennedy
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
Christopher Lawford
Ed Michael Reggie
Bobby Shriver
Stephen E. Smith, Jr.

Immediate family:

Mrs. Victoria Kennedy
Ted Kennedy, Jr.
Kiki Kennedy
Teddy Kennedy, II
Kiley Kennedy
Kara Kennedy
Max Kennedy
Grace Kennedy
Patrick Kennedy
Caroline Raclin
Curran Raclin
Edmund and Doris Reggie
Mrs. Jean Kennedy Smith
William Kennedy Smith
Mrs. Ethel Kennedy

Honorary pall bearers (see names above)

First Reading:

Curran Raclin, the Senator’s stepson
Old Testament
The Book of Wisdom 3:1-9

Responsorial Psalm:

Kara Kennedy
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 72

Second Reading:

Caroline Raclin, the Senator’s stepdaughter
New Testament, Letter of Paul to the Romans 8:31b-35, 37-39

Gospel:

Father Hession
Matthew 25:31-32A, 34-40

The Prayers of the Faithful:

(Guidance note: readers will be reading excerpts of the Senator’ own words)

Kiki Kennedy
Kiley Kennedy
Grace Allen
Max Allen
Jack Schlossberg
Robin Lawford
Kym Smith
Anthony Shriver
Rory Kennedy
Teddy M. Kennedy II

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Offertory: The Senator’s grandchildren

At Offertory: J.S. BACH Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 6
Yo-Yo Ma, cello

At Communion: FRANCK “Panis Angelicus”
Placido Domingo, tenor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
James David Christie, organ

BRAHMS “Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee”
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
John Oliver, conductor
James David Christie, organ

SHUBERT “Ave Maria”
Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano
James David Christie, organ

Remembrances: Ted Kennedy, Jr.
Patrick J. Kennedy

Eulogy: President Barack Obama

Final Commendation: His Eminence Sean P. Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston

Recessional: “America the Beautiful”

1:00 p.m. - Departure from church to Hanscom Air Force Base

1:30 p.m. - Departure from Hanscom Air Force Base to Andrews Air Force Base

CLOSED PRESS

Washington, D.C.

Approx. 3:00 p.m. - Arrival of Senator Kennedy at Andrews Air Force Base

CLOSED PRESS

4:00 p.m. - Senator Kennedy departs Andrews Air Force Base

Motorcade route is open to the public

Motorcade Route:

From Andrews Air Force base, Senator Kennedy's motorcade will proceed to the east plaza of the US Capitol building. The motorcade will enter through the Independence Ave entrance and proceed past the Senate Chamber steps. The motorcade will then proceed to Arlington National Cemetery via Constitution Ave.

4:30 p.m. - Senator Kennedy arrives at the U.S. Capitol

The Senator’s motorcade will stop at the Senate steps for a brief prayer so that Senate staff and members of the broader Senate community with whom the Senator worked can bid a final farewell.

Press coverage: Only U.S. Capitol Credentialed media will be allowed on site. For any additional questions, please call the U.S. Senate Press Gallery 202.224.0241.

Network Pool: CBS

Press Logistics:

Press Entrance: East Capitol Plaza via Constitution Ave.
Satellite Truck Parking: Not available. Please coordinate through Press Galleries.
Live Shot positions have been pre-assigned by the U.S. Press Galleries.
Media Access: Anytime before 3:00PM
Sweep: 3:00-3:30PM
Program begins: 4:30 PM

Arlington National Cemetery

5:30 p.m. - A burial service for Senator Kennedy will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.

Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C. will perform the burial service.

The burial service is closed to the public and pooled press.

Network Pool: Fox
Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP, Boston Globe, Washington Post, NY Times
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Print: Boston Globe, New York Times, Washington Post
Radio: NPR

Guidance Note: Senator Kennedy will be laid to rest next to President Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. Senator Kennedy spent more days than most at Arlington, the resting place for our nation’s heroes, visiting the graves of his beloved brothers and paying tribute to the fallen men and women of Massachusetts who gave their lives for our country.

Arrangements for Sen. Kennedy's Funeral

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Departure to Boston

12:00 p.m. - Private family Mass will take place in the Senator’s home in Hyannis Port.

This event is closed to the public and press.

1:00 p.m. - Senator Kennedy and his family will depart Hyannis Port by motorcade en route to Boston.

This event is pool press and closed to the public.

Motorcade Route to Boston

A map is attached.

Senator Kennedy will travel Route 3 North to Route 93 North into Boston. (Approximately 3:00 PM)

Senator Kennedy will exit at Government Center, and travel down Hanover Street into the North End, past St. Stephen’s Church, where his mother Rose was baptized and her funeral mass celebrated.

Continuing down Hanover and crossing over the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, the park Senator Kennedy joined community leaders in creating that gives mothers and their children green space in the heart of the city. The park sits on the same land young Rose Fitzgerald enjoyed as a child.

Senator Kennedy will pass Faneuil Hall where Mayor Menino will ring the bell 47 times.

Continuing to Bowdoin Street, Senator Kennedy will pass 122 Bowdoin, where he opened his first office as an Assistant District Attorney and President Kennedy lived while running for Congress in 1946.

He’ll pass the JFK Federal Building where his Boston office has stood for decades, and and then travel to Dorchester Street into South Boston and to the JFK Presidential Library.

People who wish to honor Senator Kennedy are urged to line the motorcade route at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, City Hall Plaza and the Boston Common, in front of the Statehouse on Park Street

Arrival at John F. Kennedy Library and Museum

Approx. 4 p.m. - The motorcade will arrive at the JFK Library.

The arrival is open to the press and to the public.

Guidance note: Senator Kennedy spent decades building the Library built for his beloved brother, President John Kennedy, into a national treasure as a place of debate on the issues important to the American people, and source of inspiration for future generations of public servants.

Lie in Repose at John F. Kennedy Library and Museum

6 p.m.-11 p.m. - The Senator will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

The Senator will be joined throughout the day and night by a civilian honor guard of family, friends, and current and former staff.

He will also be joined by a military honor guard.

This is event is pool press and open to the public.

Friday, August 28th, 2009

Lie in Repose at John F. Kennedy Library and Museum

8 a.m.-3 p.m. - Senator Kennedy will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

This event is pool press and open to the public.

Celebration of Life Memorial Service

7 p.m.-9 p.m. - There will be a Celebration of Life Memorial Service at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library.

This event is closed to the public and press will be pooled.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Funeral Mass

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. - Senator Kennedy’s funeral mass will take place at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston, Massachusetts.

1545 Tremont Street

This event is closed to the public and press will be pooled.

Guidance Note: While his daughter, Kara, was battling lung cancer at a nearby Boston hospital, Senator Kennedy attended Our Lady of Perpetual Hope each day and prayed for Kara and her recovery. Over time, the Basilica took on special meaning for him as a place of hope and optimism.

Arlington National Cemetery

5:30 p.m. - A burial service for Senator Kennedy will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.

It is closed to the public and pooled press.

Guidance Note: Senator Kennedy will be laid to rest next to President Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. The nation’s resting place for its heroes, Senator Kennedy spent more days than most at Arlington visiting the graves of his beloved brothers and paying tribute to the fallen men and women of Massachusetts who gave their lives for our country.