I’m sitting in the back pew of Boston’s Mission Hill church where guests have already half filled the space two hours before the program is slated to start. The church is going through sound checks as mourners shake off their umbrellas and flick raindrops from their black and blue blazers: Tropical Storm Danny hit Boston in force during last night’s wake. Speaking of last night’s wake, here’s a story from me on the festivities — yes, festivities, it was, after all, an Irish wake.
Many of the same faces have gathered here this morning, though more of Kennedy’s legendary current and former staff are folded in since this church fits twice the capacity of last night’s wake: 1,450 people. Thus far familiar faces include a bevvy of Kennedy cousins, Bloomberg’s Al Hunt, Carl Hulse and Mark Leibovich of the New York Times and Meet the Press host David Gregory. Seems Kennedy was fond of quite a few journos — or maybe I’m just more adept at recognizing them amongst the sea of black.
Last night’s program was slated for two hours and went 90 minutes over. Odds are good for a repeat performance — though, perhaps, the White House might be tighter with the President’s schedule than they are with the Vice President’s. I plan a follow up post after the event, though keep an eye on twitter for more immediate updates.
