The Senator: My Ten Years with Ted Kennedy (Paperback)

~ (Author), William Hoffer (Contributor), Marilyn Hoffer (Contributor)
Key Phrases: advance staff, Secret Service, White House, Steve Smith (more...)

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In 1971 Richard Burke, a freshman at Georgetown University, volunteered his services to the offices of his political idol, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Through ability, hard work, and dedication, Burke rose in the next four years to become one of the Senator's closest staff members. In 1977 he was made Kennedy's personal assistant; after his appointment in 1978 as administrative assistant - the youngest in the Senate - he came to know Edward M. Kennedy perhaps more intimately than anyone outside the closed circle of the Senator's family. He was often the last to see the Senator at night and the first to see him in the morning. This book is the account of what Richard Burke witnessed and experienced during his decade at the Senator's right hand. It is neither a full biography nor an examination of Kennedy's long career in government. Rather, it is the history of a young man who shared the Senator's professional and personal lives during a time marked by exhilarating public achievements and tragic secret misconduct. His story is not only the chronicle of a shattered idol, but of Richard Burke's own fall from grace, and eventual recovery. Burke does not shrink from confronting his own faults, and he agrees with the Senator: It is time for him to confront his.

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Product Details Paperback: 356 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 31, 2003) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312304668 ISBN-13: 978-0312304669 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #970,818 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #22 in  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( W ) > Williams, Ted

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advance staff

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Secret Service, White House, Steve Smith, New York, Paul Kirk, Eddy Martin, President Carter, Hickory Hill, President Kennedy, Capitol Hill, Joe Kennedy, Jackie Onassis, Senator Kennedy, National Airport, Dick Drayne, Judiciary Committee, Hamilton Jordan, United States, Soviet Union, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Squaw Island, Ted Kennedy, Larry Horowitz, Palm Beach

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2 books cite this book:

• Against Long Odds: Citizens Who Challenge Congressional Incumbents by James Merriner in Back Matter
• Freedom Reclaimed: Rediscovering the American Vision by John E. Schwarz in Back Matter

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	55% buy the item featured on this page: The Senator: My Ten Years with Ted Kennedy 3.9 out of 5 stars (15) $21.99
	22% buy True Compass: A Memoir 4.0 out of 5 stars (221) $21.00
	10% buy Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy 3.9 out of 5 stars (48) $18.48
	7% buy Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography 3.9 out of 5 stars (20) $12.23

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars interesting, October 26, 2002 By  Kimberley Wilson (VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    When this book was published it was hot stuff. A decade later it seems rather tame. Why did Burke write it? He seems to have no rancor against Kennedy and admits that everything Teddy did, he tried to outdo so the question is never really answered. The portraits of Joan Kennedy and Rose Kennedy are gentle, almost tender ones. The best part of the book is when Burke gets out of Kennedy's bedroom and starts talking about the political goings on behind the scenes. The chapters on the failed 1980 campaign and Kennedy's relations with the Carters are fascinating. 15 of 18 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A highly personal look into the life of Ted Kennedy., December 17, 2001 By  M. Baker (USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Senator: My Ten Years With Ted Kennedy (Hardcover) Richard Burke provides highly personal look into the life of Ted Kennedy during the years he spent as a staffer for him. He describes what it was like to work for Ted Kennedy in their professional and personal relationship. He also talks about the personal side of Kennedy's 1980 primary race against then President Jimmy Carter. Kennedy was a hero to Burke and although he sees Kennedy for what he really is and at times, at his worse, he still doesn't try discredit the man or put him down for what he's done. Burke sometimes tells about how he tried to save Kennedy from himself in his overindulging in drugs, sex, and drinking. Sometimes you might wonder if its all true though, but Burke admits that during his years with Kennedy, he was no angel either making it more plausible. Its not really a dirty little kiss and tell book. Its more of a personal look at Ted Kennedy by someone that was close to him and knew him well. In the end, as Burke says, Kennedy for all his flaws cannot do a lot of harm as the respected Senator that he is now, so long as he doesn't become President, but his chance has already passed. 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars dirty laundry, August 10, 2006 By  Ian T. Brown (Gladstone, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    The author worked closely with Ted Kennedy through most of the '70s and the very early '80s as a member of his Senate staff and personal go-to guy, and had very personal access to both the Senator and his family. The book is mainly about the Senator's vices and his family's troubles during that period (which the author was deeply involved in). I was hoping for more politics and policy. The author vaguely alludes to legislative accomplishments, but doesn't really discuss any. From reading the book, I would gather that the time between saving democracy during the Watergate crisis and the 1980 presidential election was one big party, with some family drama thrown in. The section on the 1980 presidential election was good. It's clear that Kennedy made bad choices in that period, which was, literally for me, a lifetime ago; some were personal, some were political. What struck me was how many of the unattractive features described by the author reminded me of our current president: the sense of entitlement, a lack of accountability, intense competitiveness, demands for loyalty, and a strange snobbishness (Kennedy thought the Carters were unsophisticated but, according to the author, also thought that the hostage crisis couldn't be helped by President Carter's efforts to understand the situation by *gasp* reading books about Iran). On the plus side, both men have a strong devotion to family. I didn't really like the book; I finished it only because I'd started it, and I didn't have much else handy at the time. If you are interested in Kennedy dirt, though, this book has it in spades. It's not for everyone, but maybe it's for you.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars insight into the Big Lie of the Kennedy family First of all, I had some bias prior to reading this book. I knew of many of the antics of the Kennedy family through acquaintances and visiting the compound once but with the... Read more Published 2 months ago by Galla Curtsy 4.0 out of 5 stars The human side of a great Senator Having been a die hard Kennedy fan all of my life, I've read a lot of books. I know that none of them are perfect and I enjoyed this book. Read more Published 22 months ago by K. Miller 5.0 out of 5 stars A courageous and honest work I am a die hard Kennedy fan and this is one of my favorite Kennedy books to date; however, you will appreciate it more if you have a background in "Kennedy history" which helps... Read more Published on November 9, 2007 by D. Thompson 4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting to a point The first 100 pages is interesting but then it begins to get repetitive and aimless. It's worth what I paid for it -- got it at the dollar store. Read more Published on January 19, 2006 by Roger D. McCook 5.0 out of 5 stars Old history gives me new insight I found this book at a "free read" and am glad I picked it up. I feel that Mr. Burke gives what appears to be honest insight into his observation working first from afar... Read more Published on September 25, 2005 by Patricia H. Fabricius 2.0 out of 5 stars A tabloid disguised as a book Burke, once Ted Kennedy's personal secretary and family friend, writes a tell-all story of the senator's private life during the 1970's. Mr. Read more Published on August 14, 2005 by Frank Shirley 4.0 out of 5 stars A Shocker! Burke tells an exciting story in a book that is hard to put down. I was unaware of Teddy's sexual and otherwise illegal exploits, so if you were like me, this book will prove to... Read more Published on June 4, 2003 by Don Shafer 5.0 out of 5 stars Richard Burke's Idol,who turned out to be a Shattered One I read this book in 1992.I couldn't put it down.Richard Burke gives us an inside look into Ted Kennedy's life for ten years while he was working for the Senator. Read more Published on December 10, 2000 by Bob Waskiewicz 2.0 out of 5 stars Not as "in depth" as it should be... Of the many books I've read on the Kennedy family, this is one of my least favorites. It only spans a ten year time period, and mainly covers Ted Kennedy's extra-marital affairs... Read more Published on June 13, 2000 by lollilop 2.0 out of 5 stars How does the author really benefit from writing this book? The question I felt was never satisfactorily answered by the author is, "Why write the book?" Painful as it must have been for Burke to remove his rose-tinted glasses,... Read more Published on July 26, 1999 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312304668
• ISBN-13: 978-0312304669
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #970,818 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #22 in

  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( W ) > Williams, Ted

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting, October 26, 2002

By	Kimberley Wilson (VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

When this book was published it was hot stuff. A decade later it seems rather tame. Why did Burke write it? He seems to have no rancor against Kennedy and admits that everything Teddy did, he tried to outdo so the question is never really answered. The portraits of Joan Kennedy and Rose Kennedy are gentle, almost tender ones. The best part of the book is when Burke gets out of Kennedy's bedroom and starts talking about the political goings on behind the scenes. The chapters on the failed 1980 campaign and Kennedy's relations with the Carters are fascinating.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly personal look into the life of Ted Kennedy., December 17, 2001

By	M. Baker (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Senator: My Ten Years With Ted Kennedy (Hardcover)

Richard Burke provides highly personal look into the life of Ted Kennedy during the years he spent as a staffer for him. He describes what it was like to work for Ted Kennedy in their professional and personal relationship. He also talks about the personal side of Kennedy's 1980 primary race against then President Jimmy Carter.

Kennedy was a hero to Burke and although he sees Kennedy for what he really is and at times, at his worse, he still doesn't try discredit the man or put him down for what he's done. Burke sometimes tells about how he tried to save Kennedy from himself in his overindulging in drugs, sex, and drinking.

Sometimes you might wonder if its all true though, but Burke admits that during his years with Kennedy, he was no angel either making it more plausible. Its not really a dirty little kiss and tell book. Its more of a personal look at Ted Kennedy by someone that was close to him and knew him well.

In the end, as Burke says, Kennedy for all his flaws cannot do a lot of harm as the respected Senator that he is now, so long as he doesn't become President, but his chance has already passed.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars dirty laundry, August 10, 2006

By	Ian T. Brown (Gladstone, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The author worked closely with Ted Kennedy through most of the '70s and the very early '80s as a member of his Senate staff and personal go-to guy, and had very personal access to both the Senator and his family. The book is mainly about the Senator's vices and his family's troubles during that period (which the author was deeply involved in).

I was hoping for more politics and policy. The author vaguely alludes to legislative accomplishments, but doesn't really discuss any. From reading the book, I would gather that the time between saving democracy during the Watergate crisis and the 1980 presidential election was one big party, with some family drama thrown in. The section on the 1980 presidential election was good.

It's clear that Kennedy made bad choices in that period, which was, literally for me, a lifetime ago; some were personal, some were political. What struck me was how many of the unattractive features described by the author reminded me of our current president: the sense of entitlement, a lack of accountability, intense competitiveness, demands for loyalty, and a strange snobbishness (Kennedy thought the Carters were unsophisticated but, according to the author, also thought that the hostage crisis couldn't be helped by President Carter's efforts to understand the situation by *gasp* reading books about Iran). On the plus side, both men have a strong devotion to family.

I didn't really like the book; I finished it only because I'd started it, and I didn't have much else handy at the time. If you are interested in Kennedy dirt, though, this book has it in spades. It's not for everyone, but maybe it's for you.