Roger Fraley’s commentary is spot on. Mary Jo didn’t drown. She suffocated. The undertaker reported finding only about half a teacup of water in her, which rules out drowning.

So here’s the mental picture that should never leave you when you think about Kennedy: a young woman trapped and desperately gasping for breath in a shrinking air bubble in an overturned car for several hours, at the exact moments when Teddy spends his time wallowing in self-pity, calling his lawyers, and pondering the effect on his political career.

It’s all about character. Few people in public life have had such a conclusively damning incident to show their lack of it.