Update: Rep. Kennedy's press secretary called me, and we had a great, clarifying discussion. See here. I'm not going to edit this post, because I think that would be intellectually dishonest. But I will point out that it was based on very incomplete information, and that Rep. Kennedy's staff took my concerns quite seriously and answered them most effectively.

No response yet from Patrick Kennedy's press secretary to my question about whether his newfound opposition to Iraq signals a repudiation of his vote authorizing Bush's war. He was the only member of the Rhode Island delegation to support the war, I might add — remember that Lincoln Chafee was the sole Republican in the Senate to oppose this madness. Linc: Principles that rise above party. Kennedy: Apparently, not so much.

Since I'm still home sick, I had plenty of time to look for evidence that Kennedy, as he said in his bulk e-mail newsletter, has "long argued" for change in Iraq. Maybe I'm just not a good researcher, or my fever has affected my web skills, but here's all I could find, from Kennedy's own web site at House.gov. At the beginning of the Iraq war:

"I also believe we must support our nation's leaders and the leaders of our military. Now is a time for unity, not divisiveness." — March, 2003

Oh, and here's a good one.
"Like most people around the world, I watched today’s historic events in Baghdad with great interest. I was heartened to see many Iraqi citizens welcoming our troops into their capital city with open arms." — April 9, 2003

"Open arms." Oh, yeah, that has a nostalgic ring to it.

In 2005, as public opinion begins to shift on the war, Congressman Kennedy begins to cautiously stand up for his Democratic colleague Jack Murtha. Why do I say "cautiously?" Look at how Kennedy hedges his bets, just in case Murtha is too far to the left:

"We may not all agree with his conclusions, but we would all benefit from considering his wisdom and asking how we best correct the Bush Administration’s failures." — November, 2005

Last December, with the election confirming a national mandate, and the Iraq Study Group to provide air cover, suddenly the Congressman has grown...uh...a conscience.

"Today’s release of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group Report can be the catalyst for a change of course in Iraq. The Bush Administration’s strategy in Iraq is failing, President Bush needs to acknowledge the reality there, and change strategy.

As I have long believed, the primary mission of U.S. troops in Iraq must transition from combat to training and support, which would pave the way for a draw-down of U.S. forces to begin. " — December, 2006

Wow. This is something he has "long believed," eh?

Which brings us to this week. He quotes his uncle, the great Robert F. Kennedy, slamming Johnson on Vietnam, then says:

"I will not stand by, the American people will not stand by, and allow the President to repeat that mistake." — February, 2007

I guess it was quoting Bobby that got up my nose. He was one of my heroes as a child, and I remember watching his funeral train on a 5" B&W TV, devastated. The awful lost possibilities of 1968 are not something to be cynically deployed by someone with the kind of poll-driven public record illustrated above.

We all make mistakes. All I'm asking from Representative Kennedy is that he square his initial vote authorizing force with his newfound opposition. Heck, even Bobby was ambivalent on Vietnam before he came down against it. But there is just no excuse for a runaround on this -- nobody in either his RI or DC offices can say what his position is. That's just unacceptable.

And I'm going to keep saying that, for the next two years, if necessary.

Sources
Couldn't find any public statement by Kennedy indicating a rethinking of his authorization vote in these sources
Patrick Kennedy newsroom at House.gov
Project Vote Smart
New York Times
Washington Post