So, in the end, Kennedy decided to appeal directly to the voters of Massachusetts in a nationally televised speech carried on all three major networks at the time. In it, he plaintively explained the events of that night, how he attempted repeatedly to rescue Mary Jo, but that he was in a state of exhaustion and shock. He brilliantly feigns humility, asking the voters themselves to please “help him” figure out what he should do: Should he resign his seat in the U.S. Senate, or should he continue? He would let them have the last word.

I actually watched that speech live in real time. I was 14 years old and very caught up in the Kennedy mystique. I might as well have been a Bostonian in Los Angeles. I was hungry for bringing back the “Camelot” aura of the JFK president.

In retrospect, I know there was nothing rational in my feeling. It was all emotion, and I was anxious to make excuses for Ted. His speech made it easy to do so. And I was heartened to see that most voters of Massachusetts reporters interviewed afterwards felt the same way. Indeed, we had Kennedy in the Senate for another 40 years. Yay.