WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Edward Kennedy said a new movie about the 1962
                  Cuban missile crisis reminded him of his brothers and thanked President Bush
                  for inviting him to a special screening at the White House.

                  "It's excellent," Kennedy, D-Mass., said of the film "Thirteen Days," which
                  depicts how the Kennedy White House faced down the Soviets over the
                  deployment of missiles in Cuba.

                  "I obviously have a lot of emotions because it reminds me of my brothers. A day
                  doesn't go by when I don't think of them," Kennedy said of John F. Kennedy and
                  Robert F. Kennedy.

                  He said the film sends "a very powerful message" about the decision-making
                  responsibilities of the president. "It reminds us that very often the military figures
                  make recommendations for a military solution and diplomats make
                  recommendations for just a diplomatic solution where the president has to find a
                  way to use his power and influence to meld the two options in a creative way."

                  Kennedy said he agreed it was "President Kennedy's finest hour."

                  He said it was "very gracious" of Bush to invite him and his family to the
                  screening Thursday evening. He was joined by his wife, Victoria; son Rep.
                  Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I.; and niece Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy
                  Townsend and her daughter.

                  Copyright 2001 The Associated Press.