The modern Kennedy dynasty was founded by Junior's grandfather, Joseph P. Kennedy (1888-1969). By any measure, Joe Kennedy was extremely successful, becoming a bank president at age 25, and a millionaire at 30.

He was chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (1934-35), and ironically outlawed the very speculative practices that he himself had used to build his fortune.

He became chairman of the United States Maritime Commission and, in 1937, the first Irish-American to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. In November 1940 he resigned; he was convinced that Britain was doomed to Nazi conquest and believed America's only hope lay in isolationism--a novel theory, but one that earned him few points with FDR.

In addition, he was a WWI draft dodger, a rum-runner with mob ties, an emotionally repressive father, and a serial adulterer. Supposedly, he paid a young woman to cry rape, so that he could steal the Pantages theater chain from its owner.

Kennedy had nine children. He expected his sons to prepare for public life and his daughters to be ready for marriage to distinguished men who would become "naturalized" Kennedys. The children were encouraged to read The New York Times at an early age, and small talk was not allowed at the dinner table. When Joe Jr. died in WWII, the political mantle fell to JFK, Sr.

Many have suggested that Joe "bought" the presidential election for JFK, but however it occurred, Camelot was upon us in November, 1960.

How to explain the JFK charisma? He was the first president born in this century, and he and his wife were not only photogenic, they both came from the right backgrounds. After all, neither Truman nor Eisenhower hailed from media centers, and most importantly, they weren't young and pretty. What's more, JFK's was effectively the first TV presidency. Thus, a sort of co-dependency between the Kennedys and the media was created, and the permanence of image over substance was forever enshrined.

Then, of course, there was the assassination. If dying was a career move for Abe Lincoln, it was probably a legacy saver for JFK. By any standard other than beauty, his was a failed presidency, and he was a very flawed man.

As for the Kennedy curse, let us peruse the laundry list of "tragedies" that hit this family:

1941--Rosemary Kennedy, daughter of Joseph and Rose, is institutionalized because of retardation and failed lobotomy.

1944-- Joseph Kennedy Jr., one of nine children of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, four of them brothers, killed in aircraft crash during World War II. He was 29.

1948-- Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, Joseph's sister, killed in plane crash in France. She was 28.

1963-- President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas. He was 46.

1963-- Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, son of John and Jacqueline Kennedy, dies of respiratory problems at the age of three months.

1964--Edward Kennedy, brother of John and Robert, is critically injured in a plane crash near Springfield, Mass.. An aide, Edward Moss, is killed.

1968-- Robert F. Kennedy assassinated in Los Angeles during presidential campaign. He was 42.

1969-- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy drives car off bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts. Aide Mary Jo Kopechne is later found dead in a submerged car.

1973-- Robert Kennedy's son Joseph involved in car accident that left a female passenger paralyzed for life.

1973-- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's son Edward Jr. has right leg amputated because of cancer.

1984-- David A. Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, dies of heroin overdose in a hotel near family vacation home in Palm Beach, Fla.

1986-- Patrick Kennedy, son of Sen. Edward Kennedy, then a teenager and now a US congressman, sought treatment for cocaine addiction.

1991-- William Kennedy Smith, a nephew of the Kennedy brothers, accused of raping a woman at the family's Palm Beach estate. He is later acquitted.

1997-- Michael Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, killed in skiing accident. He was 39. Earlier, he was accused of molesting his child's baby-sitter.

1999-- JFK, Jr. plane crash

So, we have 15 incidents covering a period of 59 years. Considering the large size of the family, this is not extraordinary. Moreover, the 1969, 1973 (Joseph), 1984, 1986, 1991, and 1997 incidents were either self-inflicted, or the tragedy really hurt a non-Kennedy. Arguably, since other, more experienced pilots didn't fly the night Junior did, the 1999 incident was self-inflicted AND hurt others.

By this reckoning, we have eight "tragedies" in 59 years--hardly a disproportionate dose. In addition, there is a recurring pattern of recklessness and lack of concern for others--especially women.

JFK, Jr. stood out because he was a direct JFK descendant, was handsome, and managed to keep out of publicly embarrassing situations better than his cousins. His sister Caroline is not as attractive as he was, and lived on Long Island, far enough from the media glare.

In conclusion, we do have the very sad early deaths of three individuals--perhaps at the hands of an over-privileged rich kid, who was finally able to live without the oppressive influence of his mother.

America's crown prince? Hardly, unless America is Camelot.

I wonder if the pundits that created the Camelot metaphor ever realized the irony: Camelot was fiction, and so is the public image of the Kennedys. If a fairy tale must be applied, "The Emperor's New Clothes" is far more appropriate.