Caroline Kennedy's critics aren't laughing now

Her critics said she was slow and not that accomplished and used the words "you know" too often in an interview with The New York Times.

And when she made a decision in the night to step away from consideration for the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, her critics laughed at her.

Now, they aren't, with the appointment of an upstate New York representative to the Senate seat who is favored by the NRA and supported anti-immigrant legislation by the infamous Tom Tancredo.

I love the fact that she voted against the TARP Act, which has turned into a failure.

New York's governor really surprised a lot of people. I don't know if she a good appointment or not. When I lived in upstate New York, even the Republican congressmen there would have been considered liberal in Tennessee.

She is a Democrat who won a very heavily Republican district, which shows a lot of political skill and moderate thinking. That kind of touch sure is needed in Washington, D.C.

But I hope the surprise has turned into a lesson that must be learned for Kennedy's critics. Don't always reject someone just because they have a famous name. That name has meant a lot of good to this country, and she raised $65 million for NYC schools.

And no matter the problems that led to her withdrawl, she deserved better from those who savaged her as critics. Now let them criticize the governor's choice, since that seems to be what they do best.