Caroline Kennedy for Senator?

Could someone please explain to me exactly what it is that this woman has done to merit being appointed a U.S. Senator?

Take a look at her Wikipedia entry. It says "she is an attorney, writer, editor, and serves on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations."

I don't mean to quibble, but she has never actually worked as an attorney. Her steadiest work came from 2002 to 2004 when she worked three days a week as Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships for the New York City Department of Education, a fundraising job. (Something tells me those weren't ten hour days, either. I can't quite visualize the Schools Chancellor chiding, "Caroline, you're supposed to report for work at nine AM sharp, not come waltzing in here at 9:45. And no more personal calls during work hours!")

She is currently on the board of directors for The Fund for Public Schools, the Commission on Presidential Debates, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

She and her family created the Profiles in Courage Award, given to public officials who best demonstrate leadership in the spirit of her father's book. She is President of the Kennedy Library Foundation. She is an adviser to the Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial to her father. She is also an Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theater.

And she has written two books with Ellen Alderman on the subject of civil liberties. (Take a wild guess as to who did the heavy lifting there.)

In other words, she has spent her adulthood being a Professional Kennedy, and a dilettantish one at that. All of her appointments were obviously given to her because of her name. Her books undoubtedly got published because of her name as well.

Should she now be appointed U.S. Senator for the same reason?

Surely there must be someone who has spent his -- or her -- life in pubic service, at a job they worked at for more than two years, three days a week. How many New Yorkers currently serve in the U.S. House of Representatives? Are none of them suitable?

If you're going to give it to someone on the basis of name recognition and bloodlines, give it to her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who at least has had a cause (environmentalism) he has dedicated his adult life to. Even as a former heroin addict, he deserves it more than her.

Andrew Cuomo, current New York State Attorney General and son of Mario, is more deserving than both of them.

But hasn't the American public had enough of dynasties after eight years of George W. Bush?

And shouldn't a Senatorial position require more than having ridden a pony named Macaroni around on the White House grounds as a young girl?

I smell a pretty strong sense of entitlement here.

Hey, wait a sec. If we appoint her, we'll be channeling Jack and Jackie! She'll be in the same seat her uncle Bobby used to have! She'll be coming in at the same time her uncle Teddy is fading out, maintaining our connection with history! This is the same seat that we all wanted John-John to run for! Didn't you see those adorable old black and white photos of her and her father playing in the Oval Office?!

We'll be bringing back Camelot!!

Oh, okay. In that case give her the seat.

Sorry, I didn't realize I was stepping in the way of history.