The Philippine news site Inquirer.net boldly suggested Ted Kennedy might be “The First Filipino U.S. Senator?”

CALIFORNIA, United States—Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy, who died this week, was both unusual and typical as a “Filipino”… Like most Filipinos, he loved a good drink, great company and, like his older brothers, beautiful women. He was jovial, resilient, and unflinchingly optimistic; friends spoke fondly of his belly laugh, his fondness for singing, and his constancy in reminding others that “the best days are still ahead.”

If the Filipino people were “typical” in sharing Kennedy’s er, legendary appetites for wine, women, and song, that would be a rather disparaging ethnic stereotype, wouldn’t you think?