Just to clarify my earlier post on Rep. Patrick “Courageous” Kennedy, I understand that addictions are debilitating and difficult things to overcome. I should have been more explicit on two points. First, there’s nothing “courageous” about publicly admitting you’ve relapsed into addiction only after you’ve been caught trying to use your authority to get yourself out of serious trouble. Second, the addiction excuse has steeply diminishing returns, or at least it should. Brian Maloney has taken a look at Kennedy’s past and, well, let’s just say that if James Frey had this rap sheet, he wouldn’t have had to make anything up.