White House Flag At Half-Staff
In a very unusual move, President Clinton ordered the flag which flies over the White House lowered to half staff Friday morning, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante.
This is something he can do, even when the person being honored is not a public official or has not had public service. It is just one more reminder of the pervasiveness of the Kennedy legend in Washington.
Just across the river in Arlington National Cemetery, the eternal flame at the grave of John F. Kennedy, the fallen president, has drawn well-wishers for his son this past week.
Mr. Clinton himself has been close to the Kennedys and the Kennedy ideals since he was a young boy. He shook hands famously with JFK in the Rose Garden as a member of Boys Nation back in about 1962. Many believe that Mr. Clinton's own ambitions for the presidency were formed way back then.
President Clinton and his family visited with the Kennedys on Martha's Vineyard during his summer vacation. They even sailed with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her two children on many occasions. JFK Jr. and his wife also visited the Clintons at the White House.
Earlier this week, on the floor of the Senate, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch expressed his "heartfelt sympathy" to Sen. Ted Kennedy.
"JFK Jr. was much admired by all Americans, the son of Camelot. He was aware of his own celebrity but didn't flaunt it," Hatch continued.
"No family should have to endure the level of tragedy that has befallen the Kennedys," said Hatch, chairman of the Judiciary Committee on which Sen. Kennedy serves, and one of his closest friends in the Senate. "I say to the senator from Massachusetts, America mourns with you."
Senator Dick Durbin, a Republican from Illinois, called it "a terrible tragedy. Our hearts go out to [Sen. Kennedy] and his entire family."
"We'll have to press on," added Maryland Democrat Paul Sarbanes. "But it's really a sad tragedy."
Earlier in the week, in an interview with WCBS-AM Radio, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, whose son Andrew is married to JFK Jr.'s first cousin, Kerry Kennedy, said he doubted the late president's son would ever have entered politics. "He didn't have a politician's ego," Cuomo said.
Former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush also sent their prayers and sympathy to the Kennedy and Bessette families.
"It's hard to express in words the scope of the tragic death of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette," Mr. Reagan and his wife, Nancy, said in a statement released from the former president's Los Angeles office.
"Despite the fact that his family has endured more than their share of tragedies over the years, the anguish they are experiencing right now must be extraordinary."
Mr. Bush said Monday he and his wife, Barbara, were saddened by news.
"We wish to extend our most sincere and deep condolences to everyone in the Kennedy and Bessette families, especially to John's beloved siser Caroline," Bush said in a statement released from his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
"John was a man of enormous promise and of great character. Like all Americans, Barbara and I, and the entire Bush family, mourn their passing," he added.
Out of respect for the family of John F. Kennedy, Jr., Republican presidential hopeful George W. Bush has cancelled a campaign event Friday in West Des Moines, Iowa, that was scheduled for the same time as the memorial service in New York for the Kennedys.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. This is something he can do, even when the person being honored is not a public official or has not had public service. It is just one more reminder of the pervasiveness of the Kennedy legend in Washington.
Just across the river in Arlington National Cemetery, the eternal flame at the grave of John F. Kennedy, the fallen president, has drawn well-wishers for his son this past week.
Mr. Clinton himself has been close to the Kennedys and the Kennedy ideals since he was a young boy. He shook hands famously with JFK in the Rose Garden as a member of Boys Nation back in about 1962. Many believe that Mr. Clinton's own ambitions for the presidency were formed way back then.
President Clinton and his family visited with the Kennedys on Martha's Vineyard during his summer vacation. They even sailed with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her two children on many occasions. JFK Jr. and his wife also visited the Clintons at the White House.
 | ||
 | John F. Kennedy Jr. L A U N C H &bsp; I N T E R A C T I V EMovie Tribute · Animation · Photo Essay · Timeline | |
 | ||
Earlier this week, on the floor of the Senate, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch expressed his "heartfelt sympathy" to Sen. Ted Kennedy.
"JFK Jr. was much admired by all Americans, the son of Camelot. He was aware of his own celebrity but didn't flaunt it," Hatch continued.
"No family should have to endure the level of tragedy that has befallen the Kennedys," said Hatch, chairman of the Judiciary Committee on which Sen. Kennedy serves, and one of his closest friends in the Senate. "I say to the senator from Massachusetts, America mourns with you."
Senator Dick Durbin, a Republican from Illinois, called it "a terrible tragedy. Our hearts go out to [Sen. Kennedy] and his entire family."
"We'll have to press on," added Maryland Democrat Paul Sarbanes. "But it's really a sad tragedy."
 Full Coverage and Extensive Video From CBS News |
Former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush also sent their prayers and sympathy to the Kennedy and Bessette families.
"It's hard to express in words the scope of the tragic death of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette," Mr. Reagan and his wife, Nancy, said in a statement released from the former president's Los Angeles office.
"Despite the fact that his family has endured more than their share of tragedies over the years, the anguish they are experiencing right now must be extraordinary."
Mr. Bush said Monday he and his wife, Barbara, were saddened by news.
"We wish to extend our most sincere and deep condolences to everyone in the Kennedy and Bessette families, especially to John's beloved siser Caroline," Bush said in a statement released from his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
"John was a man of enormous promise and of great character. Like all Americans, Barbara and I, and the entire Bush family, mourn their passing," he added.
Out of respect for the family of John F. Kennedy, Jr., Republican presidential hopeful George W. Bush has cancelled a campaign event Friday in West Des Moines, Iowa, that was scheduled for the same time as the memorial service in New York for the Kennedys.
