Kennedy comes clean

At least for a while, Patrick Kennedy will be busy after he leaves Congress. The New York Times reported yesterday that Ted Kennedy’s son, who’s not seeking reelection to the House seat he’s held since 1995, is working on a memoir about his struggles with alcoholism, drug addiction, and depression. “Coming Clean,’’ to be published in late 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is being co-written by ex-D.C. gossip columnist Mary Ann Akers, wife of Newsweek writer Michael Isikoff. In a statement, Kennedy said: “I realize that I have an enormous opportunity to turn my biggest liability — my illness, which includes addiction — into an asset to help countless numbers of Americans who quietly suffer and cannot afford treatment or risk telling their employers.’’