Teddy -

If asked to describe Teddy Kennedy, my response would be an out of control, intellectually dishonest leftie, womanizer, and boozer with no sense of personal responsibility. But it turns out, my description would not do the man justice. This from Powerline, summarizing FBI files on the "liberal lion" recently released pursuant to a FOIA request:

The most entertaining documents relate to a trip Kennedy took to Latin America in 1961. He visited a number of countries, accompanied by his "political counselor." In each country, Kennedy met with prominent Communists or other left-wing leaders. The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico was outraged that Kennedy wanted to bring such people to the embassy--this was the heart of the Cold War, after all--and he refused, telling Kennedy to arrange his own interviews somewhere else. A State Department official in Peru described Teddy as "pompous and a spoiled brat."

In Colombia, the first person Kennedy wanted to meet with was Lauchlin Currie, a Russian spy who served as a key aide to Franklin Roosevelt, then moved to Colombia and renounced his American citizenship.

By the time he got to Chile, Kennedy apparently was tired of political work, so he "made arrangements to 'rent' a brothel for an entire night" in Santiago.

Politically, between repeatedly reelecting Teddy and Barney Frank, both of whom have been utterly toxic to our politics and so destructive to our economy, I can't help but wonder if the rest of us ought to be asking Massachusetts to secede for the good of the nation.