'Lion' Kennedy King of the Senate

Mystery seizure sparks reflection on Hill icon
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 18, 2008 5:36 AM CDT
'Lion' Kennedy King of the Senate
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., smiles with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., during a rally at American University in Washington Monday, Jan. 28, 2008. Kennedy endorsed Obama Monday, calling him a "man with extraordinary gifts of leadership and character," a worthy heir to his...   (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Ted Kennedy’s seizure yesterday forced Washington lawmakers to imagine a world without the legendary 76-year-old senator—and how difficult it would be to fill his shoes,Time notes. Willing to work across the aisle to push key legislation, the Democratic kingpin's name has been on nearly all the bipartisan bills of the past seven years. He’s “a legendary lawmaker and I have the highest respect for him,” said John McCain.

Former Sen. Tom Daschle hails Kennedy as a “lion," and Time calls him one of the century's "greatest legislators.” “I always wanted to be in the Senate. I love it,” he told Time. Kennedy is conscious and talking in a Boston hospital, and isn’t “in any immediate danger,” said his doctor, who is working to determine the cause of the seizure. (More Ted Kennedy stories.)

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