Ted Kennedy not the leader Louisiana needsIn Stephen Schmitz’s Aug. 31 article, “Louisiana needs leadership like Ted Kennedy,” the columnist points out some of Ted Kennedy’s positive accomplishments in the national legislation while calling out David Vitter for a matter going on in his personal life. Let’s turn it around.David Vitter led a group of senators that effectively blocked the passing of a bill granting amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants and co-sponsored 10 bills that would bolster immigration enforcement. Vitter, along with the rest of the Louisiana congressional delegation, has worked to get as much relief and support for the victims of hurricanes as possible. Also, Vitter is pro-life, a supporter of gun rights, has pushed for ethics reform and was one of 35 Senators to vote against the Big 3 Bailout. Ted Kennedy was expelled from Harvard for cheating, joined the military and used his family’s connections to make sure he served in Europe while the Korean War was being waged — truly a Fortunate Son.And I can’t leave off the Chappaquiddick incident. In 1969, Kennedy left a party with Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy drove off a bridge into a channel, where he escaped. Kopechne’s body was not found until sometime later. Kennedy reported the incident after the body was discovered. This was the next morning, after he had returned to the party and gotten another ride home.  Once again, the Kennedy family connections helped to delay the investigation and make it as quiet as possible. It is widely suspected that the Senator was intoxicated at the time, which could be the reason he waited so late to report the accident. While the medical examiner determined cause of death to be accidental drowning, bloodstains on Kopechne’s clothes discovered by authorities after the funeral point to other possibilities, which were never investigated.During a 1991 family get-together in Palm Beach, Fla., Kennedy became involved with his nephew’s alleged rape case, involving a woman taken home from a bar to the Kennedy vacation home.  Once again, the investigation was delayed. Time Magazine called him a “Palm Beach boozer, lout and tabloid grotesque” while Newsweek described  him as  ”the living symbol of family flaws”So yes, this state needs someone who will fight for our beloved state. But I hope whoever steps up to this task will not have an out of office reputation comparable to that of Senator Ted Kennedy. Trey Baconfinance junior