I suppose everything I'm about to say is entirely subjective but I am truly befuddled by sentiments like "he could have been a great young leader in the senate." He has no particular charisma or charm to speak of! If his last name wasn't Kennedy he would just be a completely obscure congressman and never would have been given the SOTU response in the first place.
Let's be honest, if his last name wasn't Kennedy, chances are he never would have gone to Harvard or Stanford, let alone become a Congressman.
