Free Republic

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

St. Patrick's Day in New York is always something special, but rarely so much so as today, when the march up Fifth Avenue will be led once again by 600 soldiers of the Fighting 69th, celebrating their return from a tour of duty in Iraq. This is the 245th annual celebration of the wearing of the green here, and the Fighting 69th - the Irish-American regiment immortalized in the classic 1940 film starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien - has headed the line of march since it was formed 150 years ago. But this year's parade marks an official homecoming...