The distance between the Malus sylvestris fruit and the tall perennial woody plant from which it was liberated by gravity is insignificant.

Another day, another Kennedy substance-abuse problem.

Kennedy said in a statement he had taken a sleeping pill and another drug that can cause drowsiness, but had not been drinking alcohol before the accident. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication," Kennedy said. He scheduled a news conference for 3 p.m. EDT Friday in Washington.

The police report described Kennedy as "ability impaired," and listed alcohol influence as a contributing circumstance in the crash.

Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his car. The officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home and no sobriety tests were conducted at the scene, Cannon said.

Now, suppose he's telling the truth and it was pills and not booze. Does that somehow make it not DUI? Hell no.

If you or I did it, we'd be sitting in the pokey right about now.

But just like Pops got away with killing Mary Jo, little Patty will get away with this.

India ain't the only place with a caste system, folks. Right here in America, we've got the people-with-connection caste and the rest of us. And if you don't think the connected caste gets better treatment from the government, you're just naiive.

[Update: This just popped up on CNN's site. No details yet.]

Now, let's see if the Left goes after him the way they did Rush.

[Update 2 via Drudge: Patty goes to 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.

As in blackout don't-remember or as in the Gipper's I-don't-recall don't-remember? The choice of the word "don't" over the word "can't" is telling.

And does anyone know if this is the same Lou Cannon who wrote the Reagan biographies?