Kennedy-worship
Caroline Kennedy faced a friendly U.S. Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday on her nomination as President Barack Obama's next ambassador to Japan, amid memories of her father, the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and uncles who served in the chamber.
"This appointment has a special significance as we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of my father's presidency. I am conscious of my responsibility to uphold the ideals he represented - a deep commitment to public service, a more just America and a more peaceful world," Kennedy said.
Active in Democratic politics, the 55-year-old was an early and prominent supporter of Obama in his initial quest for the presidency in 2008.
"Ms. Kennedy, your uncle Ted was a good friend to me here in the Senate and a good friend to many of our colleagues," said Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the panel, referring to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, who held his Senate seat for half a century.
Edward Kennedy's widow Victoria attended, as did first-term U.S. Representative Joseph Kennedy, a cousin of the nominee.
Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat and former congressman elected to her late uncle's Massachusetts Senate seat this year, told Kennedy that her family had inspired him to enter politics.
Kennedy's stature as a close Obama ally and leading member of a storied U.S. political dynasty sends a strong signal.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/19/us-usa-japan-kennedy-idUSBRE98I0QA20130919
