SHAMELESS HILLARY
MAKES THE MOST OF TRAGEDY
By ANDREA PEYSER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOHN KENNEDY Jr. would be disappointed.
The president's son, who founded the magazine George, enjoyed the spectacle of politics, the entertainment value inherent in public life. But he knew the difference between public and private - particularly when it came to grief.
That's why today's St. Thomas More Church memorial, although held in Kennedy's name, bears little resemblance to his beautiful manners and generous spirit.
The young man's body was barely released from the unforgiving Atlantic before the jockeying began in earnest for a coveted seat.
It was intended as a quiet ceremony, close family and cherished friends summoned to the small church where Jackie prayed.
That did not stop President and Mrs. Clinton from requesting seats. They were not refused.
Inevitably, the service turned from a private function to a political circus that threatens to overshadow the remembrance of John and Carolyn.
With Hillary Clinton shooting to the head of the guest list, the major headache became: What to do about Hillary's nemesis, Rudy Giuliani?
Giuliani, who knew John Kennedy and his mother, is not invited.
There are some very sound political reasons for Mrs. Clinton, Senate candidate, to exploit her attendance at this event. An outsider who's taken great pains to make herself part of New York's scenery, Hillary can count on being seen attending the ultra-exclusive Mass for a man considered the emblematic citizen of New York City.
Meanwhile, her rival, the mayor, who is as closely associated with New York as the hot salted pretzel, is left out.
Score one for the Hill.
Giuliani was invited to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' private funeral back in 1994. Neither Clinton attended.
It was Jackie who took pains to introduce John Jr., to prosecutor Rudy years ago, before the young man decided on law school.
The mayor would not comment on his lack of an invitation yesterday. When pressed by a reporter, he said, "You really don't want to make a political issue out of [an invitation] unless you have no decency at all."
Lack of decency is hardly uncommon in the quest for space at the Kennedy Mass.
Someone claiming to be a representative of CBS news anchor Dan Rather made calls to connected citizens around town yesterday, trying to score an invitation.
A CBS spokeswoman said the newsman "is not invited. He is not looking for a seat."
Amid all the backstage jockeying for position, friends of the Kennedy family are busy squabbling with one another. Those who have spoken to the media, however gushingly, are being frozen out and cut off.
The odd thing about all this resentment is that it does not reflect the way John operated. He would never diss a friend, or blow off a stranger.
When he gave parties for his magazine, you could count on John to invite people from every political and social arena - Larry Flynt and Al Sharpton, Al D'Amato and Donald Trump. And, of course, scores of people you've probably never heard of. Colleagues and acquaintances. People he liked.
But when he wanted privacy, John Kennedy knew how to blend into the background.
Now that he's gone, the formula by which he lived, the careful balance of public and private, seems lost forever.
It is shameful that John's final tribute has devolved into an event in which to be seen.
His mother wouldn't have it. He would have detested it.
If John Kennedy were running this show, he might have canceled it altogether.
nypost.com |
