Oh, no.
Earlier today, Senator Kennedy was was rushed to the hospital with stroke symptoms. Later reports say that the Senator may have has some kind of severe seizure.
First from CNN:
Sen. Edward Kennedy was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital in Massachusetts Saturday morning, a well-informed, prominent Democratic source in that state told CNN.
The source said the 76-year-old senator had “symptoms of a stroke.”
Kennedy was taken to the hospital around 8 or 9 a.m. from the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis, according to the source. The source said the senator would be transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
That hospital said it had no information on Kennedy.
Later, from the Boston Globe:
Senator Edward M. Kennedy was rushed from his Hyannisport home to Massachusetts General Hospital this morning after an apparent seizure. One government official said the 76-year-old senator suffered a second seizure aboard a helicopter transport flight from the Cape to Boston.
Kennedy’s Senate office released a written statement just after 2 p.m. today offering the first official confirmation, saying, “It appears that Senator Kennedy experienced a seizure this morning. He is undergoing a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the cause of the seizure. Senator Kennedy is resting comfortably, and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours.”
I don’t mean to doom and gloom here, but, if Kennedy stays sick for very long, how long do you think it’ll take Hatch to derail the Murray Energy investigation? Hatch is no friend to miners, unless he’s rushing off for a photo op.
Not to nitpick, but “Hospital” is missing an “s” in the headline of this article.
More importantly, the news of Senator Kennedy’s tumor has me feeling down this morning. I’m hopeful that treatment can be provided to perhaps extend the Senator’s life and give him more time with his family, if not in service to the country. I think he certainly deserves it.
On a personal note, when I married my wife, I knew that she wasn’t party-affiliated, but that she was raised with the belief that for some reason, the Republican party represented her and the values she held so dear. Then, one morning while we were on vacation, Face the Nation was on TV and Ted Kennedy was the guest. After watching Senator Kennedy speak, my wife turned to me and asked, “He’s a democrat?” And I said, “yes, why?”. Her response, which I don’t think I’ll ever forget is, “then I must be a democrat, too”. It may sound trite, but I attribute my wife’s support of the Democratic party–and my flaming liberal positions–to that morning and Senator Kennedy’s clear, conscionable voice.