CNN.com is reporting that the seizure suffered by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) over the weekend was caused by a malignant tumor in his left parietal lobe. He remains hospitalized at Boston's Mass. General Hospital and will receive treatment through "various forms of radiation and chemotherapy."
Click here for the developing story on CNN.com.
Sen. Kennedy, 76, was med-flighted to the hospital on Saturday from his family's compound on Cape Cod after suffering what was originally reported as a stroke. He had been resting comfortably before news of his diagnosis.
Kennedy first joined the Senate in 1962 after being elected to finish out the term of his older brother John F. Kennedy, who left the office in 1960 after being elected to the Presidency. He is now the second most senior member of the Senate, according to his Senate website. In 1969, the younger Kennedy infamously drove his car off a bridge into the channel between Chappaquiddick Island and Martha's Vineyard, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy escaped and received two-months suspended sentence for leaving the scene of an accident. He ran unsuccessfully for President in 1980.
During his 43 years in office, Kennedy has supported and spearheaded efforts around health care, immigration and education reform, the minimum wage, and civil rights.
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Comments: 62
Where's Hamlet when we really need him?
Yes, because we all know that anyone who spends their entire political career championing the causes of the downtrodden and the middle class deserve nothing but contempt and hatred from all.
You wingnuts are a disease that needs to be vanquished from the planet. Scum is too fine a word to use to describe anyone who would mock a person's grave illness. I hope you all rot in hell for your twisted, evil, hateful comments against humankind.
"Ted Kennedy has spent his life caring for those in need. Now it's time for those who love Ted and his family to care for them and join in prayer to give them strength," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, a close friend of Kennedy's, said in a statement.
Clark, since I don't believe in a hell; instead, I hope that GeorgeW, JimH, and ChristopherB receive all the compassion and understanding in their times of future illness that they express for an American hero here today.
Wilka
What has she done with the rest of her life to make amends???? Make her hubby cookies???
You mean he left a drowned woman ... and what should he have done?
The facts are that, yes, Kennedy crashed through a bridge late in the night around 11:30pm, and went into the water. Kennedy was able to swim free and tried to go back underwater many times to try to save Kopeckny but was unable to. That is not murder, and it is not leaving a woman to drown.
And despite his past "transgressions," he is facing his own private hell right now.
He is a man staring straight into the face of his own rapidly approaching death and, somewhere in that face, is the guilt and remorse for every mistake he has ever made..........
So, No, Mike, I DON'T get it.
Wilka
God bless Senator Kennedy.
Oh, they are supposed to start chemotherapy on him in the next few days but they do not expect that it will do much good in the advanced state of the tumour.
I'm no fan of Kennedy's politics or even some of his personal acts, but I wouldn't wish what he and his family are going through and are about to be going through over the next couple of years.
This is a terrible cancer that I wouldn't wish any American and I'm very disappointed, but not surprised, that some people would take pleaseure in that or take this opportunity to attack him.
This isn't the time or place. My prayers are with the Senator.
Check the 'News' section, congrats!
Can we agree on that?
Sorry Dan, I cannot agree on that because if it was happening from the other side I would be just as negative on the attackers. You're suggesting or implying that it is OK now to insult someone on bad news like this in public because you think they would insult someone else at another point.
Mike: I looked at some of your comments, "your an ass" ... "you're" being misspelled by the way -- seems to be about the only think you can come up with.
Mike, maybe you are so brainless yourself to think it is OK to lie and call someone a murderer when the issue was resolved over 30 years ago that it was an accident. Maybe you personally do not believe that, but I doubt it, you are just using this opportunity to inject your own ugliness, and this moment is not about you.
Yeah, Kennedy had bad judgement. I'm sure most people are not at their best in a life threatening situation, he was probably in shock. That still is no reason to cheer someone getting a brain tumor ... and if you do not understand that you are a useless American.
I believe firmly that George Bush has done more harm to this country than any two presidents in history. However, were he diagnosed with terminal illness tomorrow, I'd be sympathetic with his plight and want his family know that I could bring myself above politics sufficiently to respond like a responsible citizen.
We are not retrying the case of Mary Jo or any other ills that one might feel Kennedy was in error for. He made his piece with the civil authorities concerning the matter many years ago and to denigrate him for this at this time is weak, petty, childish and small on anyone's part. I have to assume you folks are not Christian or you'd be willing to let God do his job in such matters!
Reporting to the authorities seems to be a problem for a lot of people in high office. Look at Cheney and his shooting his hunting partner. How long before that was taken to authorities? And why did they not notify the authorities where it happened.
Kennedy did not leave a woman to die and you know that full well. He left a dead body after trying repeatedly to dive down and get her out. Your problem seems to be that he didn't die in the same accident. You wish evil on other people without good cause as you don't even know them. Try looking at misfortune for anyone as misfortune and not something to try and make political points with!
That you disagree with Kennedy's politics is very reasonable, and you needn't agree. However, this article had nothing to do with that incident from so long ago. This was about an American citizen who has been condemned to death by brain cancer. It could, but for the grace of God, be you or me. Think about that. I wouldn't wish you evil if you had the disease, and I wouldn't wish anyone else evil with this malignancy.
Let's wish him the very best for a speedy and total recovery.