KENNEDY WILL ENTER REHAB

Congressman Says He Can't Recall Auto Accident

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Friday he was entering
treatment for addiction to prescription pain medication, a decision
made after a highly publicized car crash near the Capitol that the
congressman said he cannot recall.

Kennedy, D-R.I., said he would seek immediate treatment at the Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

He announced his decision to reporters at a Capitol Hill news
conference. He walked in alone, gripped the lectern, cleared his
throat and began haltingly.

Kennedy, who has struggled with addiction and depression, said he had
checked into the Mayo Clinic over the Christmas holidays and returned
to Congress "reinvigorated and healthy."

"Of course, in every recovery, each day has its ups and downs, but I
have been strong, focused and productive since my return," Kennedy said.

The congressman said he again became concerned about his condition
after the Thursday morning car accident.

"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by
the police, or being cited for three driving infractions," Kennedy
said. "That's not how I want to live my life. And that's not how I
want to represent the people of Rhode Island."

As he was leaving the room, Kennedy was asked whether he might
resign, and he shook his head no. "I need to stay in the fight," he
said. He did not take other questions.

Kennedy - nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy - was elected
to Congress in 1994.

The congressman's father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., issued a
statement saying he was proud of his son for admitting his problem
and taking steps to correct it.

"He has taken full responsibility for events that occurred ... and he
will continue to cooperate fully with any investigation," the elder
Kennedy said.

The younger Kennedy said he hoped that his "openness today and in the
past, and my acknowledgment that I need help, will give others the
courage to get help if they need it."

Kennedy was cited for three traffic violations after his early
morning car crash Thursday near the Capitol, according to a police report.

The report by a U.S. Capitol Police officer said Kennedy drove his
green 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a security barrier near the
Capitol shortly before 3 a.m. Thursday, and that Kennedy had red,
watery eyes, slurred speech and unsteady balance.

Kennedy had said in a statement Thursday that 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.

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.

"I never asked for any preferential treatment," Kennedy said to
reporters as he left his congressional office Thursday night.

It was Kennedy's second auto crash in three weeks. His car struck the
passenger rear door of a second car while Kennedy was making a left
turn from a roadway into a CVS pharmacy, according to a police report
on the April 15 accident. No injuries were reported in the accident
in Portsmouth, R.I., and Kennedy was not cited.

In Washington, D.C., Kennedy, 38, told the police officer he was
"headed to the Capitol to make a vote," the report said. He was cited
for failure to keep in the proper lane, traveling at "unreasonable
speed" and failing to "give full time and attention" to operating his vehicle.

At about 2:47 a.m., police observed Kennedy's car, with no headlights
on, swerve into the wrong lane and strike a curb. Kennedy nearly hit
a police car, the report said, and the officer in the cruiser was
forced to use evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

The cruiser put on its emergency flashers and tried to pull Kennedy
over, but the congressman did not respond. He continued at a slower
speed before colliding head-on with a security barrier, according to
the report.

Capitol Police had no comment Friday beyond a statement posted on
their Web site, said spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider. That
statement said, "The United States Capitol Police are continuing to
investigate."

He said that he'd gone home Wednesday evening after work and taken
"the prescribed amount" of Phenergan, a prescription anti-nausea drug
that can cause drowsiness, and Ambien, a sleep medication. But he
said he consumed no alcohol before the crash.

The attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan to
treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and
intestines. According to the drug's label, Phenergan can increase the
effects of sleep medicines such as Ambien.

Ambien comes with a warning to patients that it can cause confusion,
strange behavior and hallucinations. Also, it is to be taken only
when patients have time for a full eight hours of sleep, allowing its
effects to wear off, according to its Food and Drug
Administration-approved label.

The congressman was treated at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he
went to Providence College and has been praised in the past for his openness.

of The Associated Press Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.