AN HEIR TO A LEGACY OF POLITICS -- AND ALSO MISFORTUNE

For Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.), the early-morning crash of his
Mustang convertible near the Capitol while in what he described as a
prescription-drug-induced daze was the latest in a series of
troubling incidents dating to his youth.

Kennedy, boyish-looking at 38 with his mop of red hair, has battled
drug dependency and other health problems throughout his life. He
suffers from chronic asthma, and while in his twenties he endured a
12-hour surgery to remove a tumor from his spinal column, requiring
months of recovery time.

But the most persistent malady has been manic depression, which
fostered addiction problems that trace to cocaine abuse during his
teenage years. Over the last Christmas break, Kennedy spent three
weeks at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., the same treatment
center he returned to yesterday.

"He is an addictive personality," said one family friend, who spoke
on the condition of anonymity. Kennedy quit drinking during his
winter stay at the clinic, according to the friend.

Kennedy, the son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), grew up in
McLean and had a somewhat troubled youth, including time spent in
drug rehabilitation in 1986, the year before he enrolled at
Providence College. Blessed with a famous family name, the young
Kennedy entered Rhode Island politics when he was 21 and won election
to the U.S. House in 1994.

Although he seemed on course to a promising political career in the
footsteps of his liberal Democratic father and his uncles, President
John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.), the young
Kennedy was dogged by addictions, depression and self-doubts. His
family has wealth to match its renown. Kennedy once assured a
Democratic audience that he did not need Republican tax cuts because
"I have never worked a . . . day in my life."

Kennedy had a particularly bad year in 2000. In March, the same month
he admitted he was being treated for depression, he had a run-in with
a security guard at Los Angeles International Airport who informed
Kennedy he would have to check a large carry-on bag. The security
guard filed a battery suit, and Kennedy paid an undisclosed sum to
settle the case.

That July, a girlfriend who was aboard a yacht with Kennedy called
the Coast Guard asking to be picked up, after a heated argument
between the couple. And in November, Kennedy was accused by a charter
company of inflicting $28,000 in damage on a boat he had rented.

In Rhode Island, rumors flew this spring that something was amiss
with Kennedy, who had been keeping a particularly low profile in
recent months. He did attract attention three weeks ago, when he was
attending an economic development meeting in Pawtucket. Wisconsin
entrepreneur Matt Kriesel was demonstrating the shock absorption of a
brand of gel when the hammer he was using flew apart and the head hit
Kennedy in the mouth. Concerned about his addiction, Kennedy refused
to take any pain medication when he received six stitches to his
lower lip, according to a friend.

Around 2:45 a.m. Thursday, Kennedy crashed his car into a security
barrier near the Capitol, and officers at the scene suspected he may
have been intoxicated, according to a police union official. The
congressman's office later said Kennedy was disoriented behind the
wheel because he was taking prescription medications to calm stomach
inflammation and to help him sleep. No one was injured, but Kennedy
almost hit a Capitol Police car head-on before striking the security
barrier, authorities said.

Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), who spoke with Kennedy about the
crash, said his friend is "concerned no one is going to give him the
benefit of the doubt."

"He's had his struggle with a life he didn't ask for but he has to
accept," Moran said. "I think he wants more than anything to earn his
father's respect and prove to his constituents in Rhode Island he's
much more than someone who's getting by on the Kennedy name."

Sen. Kennedy issued a statement calling his son "a courageous man who
has admitted a problem and taken bold action to correct it."

Recently, Rep. Kennedy has become a more active legislator, using his
seat on the Appropriations Committee to funnel dollars back home. He
is popular in his Rhode Island district, particularly with older
voters, and political observers said they doubt that his House seat
is in jeopardy, although potential opponents have until the end of
June to jump into the race.

"I don't see negative ramifications," said Darrell West, a Brown
University professor of political science who wrote a book on
Kennedy. "People appreciate that he's worked very hard for the state."

Kennedy came to prominence in 1999 and 2000 as chairman of the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The handpicked choice of
then-House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.), Kennedy worked
tirelessly to raise money for his party and recruit candidates for
Congress. Democrats did not win control of the House, but Kennedy won
praise for mounting a serious campaign to raise funds and mobilize
party activists.

"He was in every way a great chairman," recalled Erik Smith, who
served as the DCCC spokesman during Kennedy's tenure.

But the effort left Kennedy exhausted, according to several who know
him, and less enthusiastic about the idea of seeking a House
leadership post or a Senate seat. He decided to take a low-key
approach to legislating, focusing on Rhode Island and mental health issues.

Staff writer David Fahrenthold in Rhode Island and researcher Madonna
Lebling in Washington contributed to this report.