Sen. Edward M. Kennedy remained in the hospital Sunday, awaiting test results that could explain why he had a seizure a day earlier. Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital said tests would not be complete before Monday, and the hospital and Kennedy’s office released no new information about his condition on Sunday. A top aide said the Massachusetts Democrat, 76, was resting, eating and watching the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics games on television Sunday afternoon…
In October, Kennedy had surgery to remove a blockage in his left carotid artery, which supplies blood to the face and brain. After the surgery, he resumed his busy schedule on Capitol Hill and across Massachusetts. Kennedy is the second-longest-serving member of the Senate and is a dominant figure in national Democratic Party politics. He was elected in 1962, filling out the term won by his brother John F. Kennedy, who was elected president in 1960.
Joseph Kennedy Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy were hard acts to follow. All three died in the service of the U.S. [Navy Pilot, President, Presidential Candidate respectively]. Ted was the youngest brother, an open rounder – thrown out of Harvard for cheating, party-goer, drinker, philanderer, married to an alcoholic, responsible for the death of a campaign worker. His early days weren’t pretty. But he rallied to become a strong Liberal Senator in the Senate now for forty-six years. He’s the symbol of Liberal America and the target for the right for much of his tenure. Was he born with a silver spoon in his mouth, or under a family curse? Were I Ted Kennedy, I think I would see it as something of a curse. Most of us get to work out the kinks in private. He never had that luxury. His brothers died at ages 29, 43, and 46. He’s at least gotten to live out a full life, and has been a powerful force for good in this country for the second half of it. We owe he and his brothers an immeasurable debt of gratitude. I hope his seizures turn out the be simply a late complication of his carotid surgery, and that he sticks with us for a while. He’s our elder statesman and our link with a tragic but hopeful past…
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