Patrick Kennedy: It Was the Pills

UPDATED, scroll down, Kennedy entering rehab.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy says he'd taken prescription anti-nausea and sleep drugs, but consumed no alcohol, before crashing his car near the Capitol.
In a statement, Kennedy, D-R.I., said the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The drug can increase the effects of sleep medicines such as Ambien, which Kennedy said he had also taken...

Kennedy said that after working Wednesday evening he went home and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, which he sometimes takes to fall asleep.

In his statement, Kennedy said he was apparently disoriented from the drugs when he got up a little before 3 a.m. Thursday and drove to the Capitol thinking he needed to be present for a vote.

"At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol," he said.

Kim has a huge round-up.

Ace:

A sentence containing the words Kennedy, drunk, vehicle mishap, and police cover-up is pure gibberish making no earthly sense whatsoever.

Bulldog Pundit thinks the Ambien explanation is believeable, but doesn't change the fact that Kennedy should have been tested.

UPDATE: Kennedy to hold press conference at 3 p.m.

UPDATE 2:51p.m.: Here's the Kennedy police report on The Smoking Gun.

UPDATE 3:22p.m.: Rep. Kennedy will enter rehab for pain medication addiction.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy will enter rehab for addiction to prescription pain medication evening after a highly publicized car crash near the Capitol, sources tell FOX News Friday.
The congressman was announcing his decision during a news conference Friday afternoon, then planned to travel to Minnesota later in the day.

But questions still remain over the treatment of the early Thursday incident.

Although the Rhode Island Democrat says he didn't ask for preferential treatment after he crashed his car into a barrier on Capitol Hill, barely missing a police patrol car, a police union official says that may not be the case.

Jeff Goldstein re-enacts the traffic incident, casting himself in the Kennedy role.

Cam Edwards: "Itâ€™s a Kennedy. Are we shocked by this? Are we even moderately surprised?"

Mark Coffey calls it the "celebrity rehab plan."

PJ Media notes that this is the second time in a year that Kennedy will have entered rehab.

Texas Sparkle takes the high road, wishing him well in his recovery.

Kennedy said he doesn't remember yesterday's Washington DC car accident, nor getting out of bed that in the middle of the night and getting behind the vehicle. Fox News' Major Garrett explained that one of the drugs he was prescribed to, Ambien, a sleep aid, sometimes leads to "sleep driving," which according the Fox reporter, could explain Kennedy's actions.

Here's the text of his statement.

Here's video.