No Kennedys In Political Office For First Time In 60+ Years

Patrick Kennedy, the Rhode Island Democrat, will not seek reelection. That means that for the first time in decades, a person with a Kennedy name will not be in elected office somewhere in the country.

The Rhode Island Democrat's term ends early next year but he says in a television message viewed by The Associated Press on Thursday that his life is "taking a new direction" and he will not seek a ninth term. The video was provided to the AP by Kennedy's congressional office.

The 42-year-old son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy does not give a reason for the decision but says it has been a difficult few years for many people and he mentions the death in August of his father.

"Illness took the life of my most cherished mentor and confidante, my ultimate source of spirit and strength," he said, as a black-and-white photo of him as a boy sailing with his father appeared on the screen. "From the countless lives he lifted, to the American promise he helped shape, my father taught me that politics at its very core was about serving others."

The announcement is to air Sunday on Rhode Island television stations.

The decision comes less than a month after a stunning upset by Republican Scott Brown in the race for the Massachusetts Senate seat his father held for almost half a century. Last week, as Brown was sworn into the seat, Patrick Kennedy called Brown's candidacy a "joke" and predicted Brown would betray his union supporters.

Mark Weiner, a major Democratic fundraiser in Rhode Island and one of Kennedy's top financial backers, said he had spoken with Kennedy about his decision, and that his father's death had taken an enormous toll.

"It's tough to get up and go to work every day when your partner is not there," Weiner said. "I think he just had a broken heart after his father passed away."

The death of his father hit him quite hard. The era of Camelot is truly over in US political history as a person named Kennedy will not be serving in a political capacity in Congress or higher elected office following the end of Patrick's term.

I can only hope that he doesn't relapse into an addiction to help deal with the pain of his loss; Patrick has had addiction problems before, and that's led to several problems with law enforcement, including a DUI case where he crashed his car in a late night crash in Washington DC, which was curiously omitted from the AP report noted above. He entered a plea deal and went to the Mayo Clinic for treatment (which AP does mention), and again omits an earlier suspicious crash in Rhode Island.

Native American Tribes Hoping to Thwart Cape Wind Power Project

First, there was former Senator Ted Kennedy who thought that the Cape Wind project would ruin his views and fishing grounds off Cape Code. Now, we've got two Native American tribes lodging protests to prevent the construction of the controversial wind power project.

Known as Cape Wind, the project is the nation’s first planned offshore wind farm and would cover 24 square miles in the sound, an area roughly the size of Manhattan. The park service decision came in response to a request from two Massachusetts Indian tribes, who said the 130 proposed wind turbines would thwart their spiritual ritual of greeting the sunrise, which requires unobstructed views across the sound, and disturb ancestral burial grounds.

The tribes — the Mashpee Wampanoag of Cape Cod and the Aquinnah Wampanoag of Martha’s Vineyard — sought the listing last fall, shortly before a final federal decision on the project was expected. The project has been in the works since 2001 and is strongly supported by Gov. Deval Patrick.

The decision by the National Park Service did not kill the Cape Wind plan, but it erected new hurdles by requiring more negotiations and, possibly, changes to the project, like moving it. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar set a deadline of March 1 for the tribes and the project’s developer, Energy Management Inc., to reach a compromise.

If they do not — a distinct possibility given the acrimony surrounding the project — Mr. Salazar can decide the project’s future himself after seeking suggestions from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, an independent group. But even if Mr. Salazar lets the project move forward, the park service finding could help the tribes and opponents build a legal case against it.

Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, said the decision confirmed “what the Wampanoag people have known for thousands of years: that Nantucket Sound has significant archaeological, historic and cultural values and is sacred to our people.”

Others said the finding was surprising because Nantucket Sound, which encompasses more than 500 square miles, is by far the largest body of water ever found eligible for listing on the national historic register. Other eligible bodies of water have included Walden Pond in Massachusetts, which covers about 60 acres, and Zuni Salt Lake in New Mexico, which is about 6,500 feet across, said Jeffrey Olson, a spokesman for the park service.

“The decision is without precedent in terms of implicating many square miles of what is, legally speaking, the high seas,” said Ian A. Bowles, the Massachusetts secretary of energy and environmental affairs. “But as a procedural matter, it’s a good thing a decision was reached, and the secretary is getting personally involved to get it over the finish line.”

A spokeswoman for Mr. Salazar said he planned to meet next week with representatives of the tribes and the developer in hopes of speeding a resolution.

The park service decision comes at a time when Mr. Cromwell’s tribe, which won federal recognition in 2007, is hoping to build a casino.

President Obama has championed wind energy during his first year in office, though he has not publicly taken sides in the Cape Wind battle. In addition to the tribes, the project’s opponents include homeowners and boaters on Cape Cod, who say it would hurt wildlife, fishing and tourism and spoil the beauty of Nantucket Sound. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, whose family compound in Hyannis Port looks out on the proposed wind farm site, was the project’s most powerful opponent until his death last August.

Why exactly has the President been silent on the matter? Simple. Kennedy was one of his staunchest supporters, and Obama's victory in 2008 was a personal victory for Kennedy who saw the liberal wing retake control of the Democratic party over the moderate Clintonite wing. There's no way that Obama was going to undermine efforts by Kennedy in Kennedy's backyard.

If the environmentalists are truly serious about doing something about producing alternative energy sources, this wind power project should get built without further delays. Yet, it appears that politics trumps whatever science says on the matter, and that NIMBY still reigns supreme. The efforts to turn the waters off Cape Cod into a protected sanctuary are little different than California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein's efforts to turn vast swaths of the Mojave Desert into a National Monument to thwart the construction of a bunch of large scale wind and solar power energy facilities.

The Passing of Sen. Edward Kennedy

Sen. Edward Kennedy passed away last night at the age of 77 from the brain cancer that was diagnosed last year. He was the last surviving member of the Kennedy clan that shaped the political landscape of the 1960s. He outlived his two brothers, John and Robert, each of whom was assassinated. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends:

In nearly 50 years in the Senate, Kennedy, a liberal Democrat, served alongside 10 presidents — his brother John Fitzgerald Kennedy among them — compiling an impressive list of legislative achievements on health care, civil rights, education, immigration and more.

His only run for the White House ended in defeat in 1980. More than a quarter-century later, he handed then-Sen. Barack Obama an endorsement at a critical point in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, explicitly likening the young contender to President Kennedy.

To the American public, Kennedy was best known as the last surviving son of America's most glamorous political family, father figure and, memorably, eulogist of an Irish-American clan plagued again and again by tragedy.

Kennedy's death triggered an outpouring of superlatives, from Democrats and Republicans as well as foreign leaders.

"An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States senator of our time," Obama said in a written statement.

"For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts," said Obama, vacationing at Martha's Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast.

Kennedy's family announced his death in a brief statement released early Wednesday.

"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," the statement said. "We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all."

Reactions to his death were filled with praise and respect from both sides of the aisle for his tenacity and dedication to his causes.

Democrats have already said that they would press ahead with the health care reform, which was one of the issues near and dear to Kennedy as his lasting legacy. It also raises questions in Massachusetts about who will replace him.

In fact, Sen. Kennedy had raised this issue earlier in the week, in what was perhaps a harbinger of things to come. He urged a quick filling of the seat, realizing that the Democrats needed the seat in order to protect against a filibuster that could thwart passage of the health care bill and other items on the Democrats agenda.

However, it wasn't just a quick filling of his seat he was concerned about. He was worried that the GOP might take the seat in the special election held, and therefore wanted to change the law back to what it was before GOPer Mitt Romney became governor; he wanted the governor to select his replacement. The law was changed when Romney became governor so that Democrats could have a better chance of holding on to the seat. Now that a Democrat is the governor, the Democrats figure they're going to have a better chance of holding the seat than if they leave it up to the public to decide.

UPDATE:
Jammie finds the New York Times writing about the rank hypocrisy that the Democrats face if they attempt to switch the law back in order to give them the ability to push ahead with their agenda when they were behind the effort to push for special elections in just this kind of circumstance. Well, the Times didn't point out the rank hypocrisy; only that they need to get this done to move ahead on Obamacare.

It definitely looks like Democrats are going to try and capitalize on his death to attempt to speed passage of Obamacare (H.R. 3200).

On a more personal level, my only connection to the Senator is that he cited one of my law review articles in a paper on hate speech.

I have very few things in common with Kennedy when it comes to matters of politics, but one cannot deny the impact he and his family have had on US politics. Few people can stay on the political stage as long as he has.

UPDATE:
Don Surber has more to say about Kennedy's passing, and is from where I grabbed the photo of the Kennedy brothers. Memeorandum has much more blog reaction to Kennedy's death.

Senator Kennedy Gets A Consolation Prize

Sen. Ted Kennedy never achieved the brass ring of winning the Presidency as his brother John did. Yet, he's served 50 years in the US Senate, so he's getting a consolation prize of having the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate.

It will be located next to his brother's Presidential Library in Dorchester.

Jules Crittenden takes this whole situation to task, considering the overall cost for the project and what that money could better be spent on in the great state of Massachusetts. He also notes that John Kerry has pushed for a $22 million earmark for expanding the JFK Presidential library because of cramped space for Kennedy's papers.

UPDATE:
Instapundit notes that one of every five dollars of the federal pork allocated to Massachusetts in the $410 budget package is going to preserve the Kennedy legacy. It's not like the common man needs their legacies preserved - let alone their current pocketbook.

Attacking Rush Limbaugh By Attacking His Audience Size?

First the Obama Administration attacked Rush Limbaugh directly, which shows just how petty and thin-skinned the Administration can be when critics hone in on major problems with the Administration. On the one hand it's the opposite tact to what the Bush Administration did, which was refuse to defend the Administration against all manner of sordid attacks, but the manner in which the Obama Administration is responding borders on the petty. It's also indicative that the Administration will not tolerate criticism. It will attempt to destroy those who oppose its policies and practices.

Now, the media is picking up where the Administration leaves off. They're now trying to undermine Rush by attacking his audience size.

According to what Limbaugh delights in calling "the drive-by media," the number varies wildly. Is it 30 million (Pat Buchanan on MSNBC), 20 million (Time magazine, ABC News), 19 million (Fox News), 14 million (CNN), or "14.2 million to about 25 million" (The Washington Post)?

Answer: Maybe.

Limbaugh is widely acknowledged to be the most popular talk-radio host, as evidenced by the record $400 million, eight-year contract he signed with his syndicator last July. But estimates of Limbaugh's nationwide (and overseas) audience are exercises in guesswork, slippery methodology and suspect data. Limbaugh himself has muddied the water with the claim that he reaches 20 million people a week, although there's no independent support for that figure.

Arbitron, the radio industry's dominant audience-measurement company, has never publicly released a national estimate for Limbaugh, and it says, in effect, that the job is too complicated, expensive and time-consuming to bother with.

The media is attacking Rush - a private citizen who is freely engaging in freedom of speech on his radio show. They're attacking him, they're attacking his audience size. They'll say and do anything to undermine his credibility such as it is.

Never mind that Rush is an entertainer first and foremost. Yes, he's conservative, and reaches deep into the conservative movement, but his show is about entertainment. That's why he's been so successful.

They complain that no one knows his audience size and that it's all guesswork. Some of that is true. You can figure out what the audience size is in major markets. You can then take those figures and combine them to give an approximate reach. Consider that even if you take a figure of 12 million people per week, it's still more than most of the cable television shows like Larry King or Keith Olbermann or even Bill O'Reilly and most prime time television shows other than say American Idol or Lost.

Meanwhile, Democrats are also busy trying to attack Rush today for claiming that he is somehow attacking Sen. Ted Kennedy by naming the looming health care legislation after him. Never mind that the Democrats themselves were contemplating doing just that only back in January. Kennedy has been deeply involved in health care issues, and some in Congress wanted to honor him with naming the legislation after him. However, apparently when Rush says virtually the same thing, it becomes grounds for an empty attack. Classy.

Porktastic! Compromise Reached On Pork Stimulus Package

Even Jimmy Dean would be offended by the offal Congress is ramming through without so much consideration and deliberation as one should expect on a bill that is expected to cost over $1 trillion when all is said and done.

The fact is that no one even knows what the final tally is for the bill. The House version was passed with $819 billion. The Senate version claims to spend $780 billion. The media reports that a "bipartisan group" managed to "cut" more than $100 billion in add-ons to the bill that Senators added, but that group was mostly Republicans who wanted to cut the amount by hundreds of billions below the House level; they failed miserably given that there is so much pork and so little stimulus in this bill.

In fact, all the money being peeled off the bill now will likely be reinserted in the conference version once the Senate passes its version of the porkfest. In other words, the bill will grow from the House version.

Make no doubt, the Democrats have the votes to pass this without the need for a single Republican. They want Republican cover so they can claim bipartisanship, but the 60 votes they claim necessary is only to avoid a filibuster on a vote of cloture to bring the bill up for a vote on the floor. That's the only weapon the GOP has left to stem the tide on this mess, and I don't see them doing it, even though it would be prudent of them to do so if only to go line by line and delete hundreds of billions of pork and unwarranted add-ons that should rightfully belong in standard appropriations bills.

Yet, that cloture vote is so close that they need to get Ted Kennedy off his sickbed to cast what could be the deciding ballot.

The Congressional Budget Office figures that this bill is a porkfest that will lead to much woe down the road, but it is a stimulus package. It's a government stimulus package, since government will grow by leaps and bounds while the private sector continues to shrink under the weight the government.

Caroline Kennedy Takes Name Out of Senate Bid

Caroline Kennedy, who was spurred to throw her name into the ring to replace Hillary Clinton as Senator from New York because of the service of her uncle Ted and the Obama victory, has had a change of heart.

She's taken her name out of the running.

Ms. Kennedy on Wednesday called Gov. David A. Paterson, who will choose a successor to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, to inform him that she no longer wished to be considered.

The person told of her decision said that Ms. Kennedy’s concerns about the health of her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who suffers from brain cancer and was hospitalized after suffering a seizure Tuesday, prompted her to withdraw.

Ms. Kennedy believed that the job was hers if she would accept it, the person said, but aides to Mr. Paterson would not comment on whether that was true.

The news jolted the state’s political establishment and appeared to throw the Paterson administration into confusion.

Just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Errol Cockfield, Mr. Paterson’s press secretary, said the governor had referred to the assertion that Ms. Kennedy was withdrawing as "just the rumor of the day." More than an hour later, Mr. Cockfield asked that that statement not be published, but neither he nor the governor’s communications director, Risa B. Heller, would respond to questions about Ms. Kennedy.

Ms. Kennedy’s decision comes nearly two months after she, along with several members of Congress and leading political officials, began auditioning to replace Mrs. Clinton in the coveted position. She attracted relentless attention and was viewed by many as the most likely choice for Mr. Paterson, given her national stature and ties to the incoming Obama administration.

Hillary Clinton was confirmed by the her former colleagues in the Senate earlier today as Obama's Secretary of State (94-2 - DeMint (R-SC) and Vitter (R-LA) opposing) and sworn in a short time ago. New York Governor David Paterson has to figure out who to give the plum job to.

Will it be New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo? I don't think so. He and Senior Senator Charles Schumer wouldn't mesh particularly well. I wouldn't want to stand in between either of them and a microphone, and neither would particularly care for the other hogging the spotlight. Then again, we could solve the state debt by paying to see who would win. We could make it a best of 730, just to tide us until the next election.

Other names that are far more likely are three current New York Congresswomen, Nydia Velaquez, Nita Lowey, and Carolyn Maloney. All three had Senate ambitions in the past, but were passed over by the Democrat leadership in favor of Hillary running in the first place.

Sen. Kennedy Released From Hospital After Collapse Scare

Sen. Ted Kennedy was released from Washington Hospital Center after tests revealed that Kennedy suffered a seizure because of fatigue.

Dr. Edward F. Aulisi, the hospital’s chairman of neurosurgery, said Tuesday that the seizure had probably been brought on by “simple fatigue” after a long morning in the cold at the inaugural ceremony. Medical experts said a seizure in a brain cancer patient was not unusual and ordinarily had no serious consequences.

Dr. Aulisi said that Mr. Kennedy was “feeling well.” He was held overnight for observation before his release Wednesday.

Mr. Kennedy, who began serving in the Senate in 1962, disclosed last spring that he was suffering from a brain tumor, later identified as a glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. Less than two weeks later, he flew to Duke University, where he underwent surgery.

Good news for the Kennedy clan.

Breaking: Kennedy and Byrd Suffer Medical Emergencies At Luncheon

This is bad news all the way around on an otherwise happy day for Democrats. Senator Ted Kennedy was rushed to a hospital after suffering from seizures and convulsions, and Sen. Robert Byrd apparently required medical attention after seeing his friend Kennedy stricken:

Kennedy was at a table with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., Vice President Mondale and Mrs. Mondale, and others. While at the table, Kennedy began having seizures that lasted for several minutes. As they were carrying Kennedy out of the room, he was still seizing. President Barack Obama went out of the room with him, but he is back in the luncheon room now.

We are also told that Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., the oldest member of the Senate, was so upset and distraught from what he had witnessed, that he needed to be taken out. Byrd was conscious when he was taken from the room. The two have been friends for a very, very long time.

Developing.

UPDATE:
This report suggests that Byrd was removed prior to Kennedy's health crisis.

UPDATE:
The WaPo timeline of events suggests that Byrd was taken from the room just before Kennedy started suffering the seizures. Obama, who was present at the luncheon, was visibly shaken, which makes sense given that Kennedy was one of Obama's biggest backers.

UPDATE:
President Obama's comments immediately following Kennedy and Byrd being rushed from the room for their medical emergencies:



(HT: Jammie, who also notes that some of the unhinged types are busy displaying their inanities over the medical emergencies for both Senators.)

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of both Senators.

UPDATE:
A 3:30 update at the Washington Post notes that Byrd is fine.

Kennedy, who was diagnosed last year with brain cancer, was shaking and convulsing, according to Senate staff who were present at the luncheon. His head was moving back and forth, as a woman held him. His apparent seizure occurred moments after Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), who was sitting at the same table with Kennedy, was taken from the room by staff. There is no word on Kennedy condition, although Capitol security officials said Byrd appears to be fine.

Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) described hearing a cough when the Kennedy episode began, followed by a "cough, a silence throughout the room." Rockefeller said Obama "went over immediately to be helpful." He said the lights in the room were dimmed, as a large crowd gathered around Kennedy.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said he saw Kennedy as the Massachusetts Democrat was wheeled out to an ambulance, and said the senator flashed him "an Irish smile." Hatch told reporters, "I think he's going to be okay, but it's a tough thing."

UPDATE:
Sen. Byrd had left the luncheon after feeling some discomfort, but did not go to the hospital for treatment.

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., also left the luncheon after feeling discomfort. Byrd is the longest-serving senator in history.

A spokesperson for Byrd, Jesse Jacobs, told WSAZ-TV of Huntington, W.Va., that Byrd was fine and was not taken to a hospital.

Byrd, 91, was hospitalized March 5 for tests after a reaction to antibiotics. A week earlier he was hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after a fall at home.

The stress of the grueling schedule, the age of the two men, and their ongoing health issues may have played a role in their respective health emergencies.

Reflections of Day One at the DNC

Day One of the Democratic National Convention is in the books, and we've already seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Well, I should say that bloggers have seen all of the above, since the national media isn't exactly going out of its way to highlight the protesters and rioters who decided to make a stand last night outside convention venues.

The protests and riots have already seen their share of violence. An Albany, NY legislator was among those who got pepper sprayed while police attempted to control the crowds outside one of the delegate hotels, the Sheraton.

It would figure that one of the 1968 protesters, Tom Hayden would be found to give a soundbite claiming that the police overreacted in using pepper spray last night. Police said that they used the pepper spray to break up a crowd of 300 people that were disrupting traffic. About 100 people were arrested last night, including several who were apparently carrying rocks or other objects that could threaten public safety.

Meanwhile, inside the Convention it would appear that the Obamas don't seem to have a problem using their kids as props. Again. Hey, that's their prerogative, but if they use them in the campaign, they become fair game especially when they've said that they wouldn't.


Ted Kennedy looks pretty good and probably was in better shape than he's been in years despite the cancer treatment. Last night was a swan song for him, and given that he's been a part of the DNC for over 40 years, he deserved it. It's also important to keep in mind that Obama was his personal pick and he moved behind the scenes to make sure that Obama got the nomination over Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Hope and change will not come easily to the DNC as the protesters took to the streets and back room deals are already underway to thwart a floor vote. Obama's people want to prevent a floor vote that might prove disastrous and highlight the serious fractures between the two camps.

Meanwhile, Obama is trying to block ads highlighting his ties to Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground terrorists. Never mind that everything in the ads is true, accurate, and verifiable. He doesn't want people to know that he associates with terrorists and considered them mainstream.

Show Stopper

With the Democratic National Convention beginning today and running through Thursday night, all eyes are on Denver. We're passing out the popcorn to see who exactly does what, and whether the Clinton folks will cast aside their differences with the Obama campaign and engage in party unity.

However, for me, I suspect that the lasting image of the Convention will be what is likely to be the swan song and farewell convention appearance for Sen. Ted Kennedy who is suffering from brain cancer. Whether you like or dislike the man, he's been an icon of the Democratic party for more than 40 years and the stunning news of his collapse and diagnosis with cancer sent shock waves through the halls of Congress and Massachusetts.

Kennedy had been a strong backer of the Obama campaign, and to watch Obama gain the nomination would be a lasting mark on Kennedy's record.

So, while others will focus on the other speakers, I think that Kennedy's appearance will overshadow all else.

Sen. Ted Kennedy Undergoing Surgery At Duke; Update: Successful

Sen. Ted Kennedy, whose presence in the Senate has been a fixture since 1962, is undergoing surgery at Duke University Medical Center this morning for the malignant brain tumor discovered after Kennedy had a seizure at his home in Massachusetts last month.

It is expected that he will recuperate at Duke for about a week, before heading home to Massachusetts for additional treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

In a statement released shortly before 6:30 a.m., Kennedy said he would be operated on by Dr. Allan Friedman at the Duke University Medical Center and expects to recuperate there for about a week.

In the weeks and months after the surgery, Kennedy will begin a regimen of radiation and chemotherapy at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, according to the statement.

Kennedy sailed in Hyannis Port Sunday morning, then flew to North Carolina with his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Sunday afternoon. He was admitted to the hospital after his arrival.

The surgery follows a meeting at Massachusetts General Hospital on Friday, during which cancer experts from around the country discussed his course of treatment. At that meeting, Kennedy's own doctors were joined by doctors from the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, as well as Friedman himself, according to a Kennedy intimate. At the end of the meeting, there was near unanimous agreement that he would have surgery at Duke, the confidant said.

I wish him lots of luck in his course of treatment. It's a very difficult situation he and his family are in as I've lost several relatives to cancer and it can be quite painful watching a loved one succumb to the disease.

UPDATE:
Doctors have reported that the surgery was successful. Kennedy was awake during the entire 3.5 hour operation and should experience no permanent neurological effects from the surgery.

Experts said surgeons would try to remove as much of the tumor as possible while balancing the risk of harming healthy brain tissue that affects movement and speech.

“Almost no malignant gliomas are cured by surgery, but many of us believe that the more you get out, the next treatments, whether they be radiation or chemotherapy, have a better chance of working because there’s less tumor there to fight,” said Dr. Matthew Ewend, neurosurgery chief at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The senator was expected to remain at the North Carolina facility for one week to recuperate and then will begin further treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital and start chemotherapy.

Sen. Ted Kennedy Suffering From Malignant Brain Tumor

This is just coming over the wires. Tests taken at Boston's Mass. General Hospital after Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy suffered at least one seizure over the weekend revealed that he has a brain tumor. It was initially thought that the senior Senator from Massachusetts suffered a stroke, but that was denied by all involved.

The duration of his medical care after the incident suggested that doctors thought something was wrong with various scans, and this news must be devastating to his family and friends.

The senator's office announced that he is not expected to return to Washington this week, and a spokeswoman said the Massachusetts Democrat had not been available to take a call from President Bush earlier in the day.

"Take care of my friend," the president told Vicki Kennedy, who answered the call from the White House to Massachusetts General Hospital, according to Kennedy spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter.

There was no word on how long Kennedy, 76, would remain hospitalized.

Kennedy's father-in-law told CBS station WBZ-TV on Monday that the senator had suffered two seizures before reaching the hospital. Only one has been reported by officials.

WBZ said Kennedy had the second seizure during the helicopter ride to Mass. General, according to father-in-law, Edmund Reggie.

"He had a seizure in the helicopter. You think that would be bad, but it's good the doctors said... By flailing his arms and moving his arms and legs and head, it showed he was not a stroke victim," Reggie said.

While I have next to nothing in common with Kennedy's political ideology, I wish him well. It remains to be seen whether the seizures were due to the tumor's presence, or whether they occurred independent of the existence of the tumor. Those questions will be investigated fully by his medical team as they determine a course of treatment.

UPDATE:
MSNBC reports that it's a malignant brain tumor. Kennedy is in the fight of his life.

UPDATE:
CNN: Sen. Edward Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. The hospital treating Kennedy released a statement today saying that the tumor was found during tests after the senator had a seizure Saturday. The tumor is in his left parietal lobe.

UPDATE:
More tests will be conducted before a course of action is determined.

Clever

I've got to hand it to Greenpeace on this ad. It's clever and gets to the point. Ted Kennedy has stood in opposition to the construction of an offshore wind farm that would generate electricity for Massachusetts even as he complains about the high price of gas and our reliance on Middle East oil supplies.

His basis for opposition? His view offshore would be harmed. Also, it might get in the way of his pleasure cruises in the waters near his home.

HT: Instapundit.

Why the Immigration Bill Died (Again)

The post mortem on the immigration bill continues, and while the pundits are invariably looking at why a bipartisan effort by Congress and the President failed to get the bill passed, they all overlook one basic fact.

Americans have a soft spot for immigrants who have jumped through all the hoops that we call for in order to become a US citizen. As we approach the Fourth of July, we will be treated to stories from around the country about swearing in ceremonies of legal immigrants who decided to become citizens. We will hear about all the hardships they underwent in their former countries and what they had to do to come to the US.

It will tug at the heartstrings. It will get emotional for some.

And it is in those media spots will you realize why the immigration bill died.

People have no problem with folks coming to the US from around the world to want a better way of life. We just want to see it done legally. Giving illegal aliens a way to short circuit that approach goes beyond distasteful for most Americans (the ones that aren't in the open borders, pro-illegal alien crowd). Why give illegal aliens an easy way out when we demand so much of those seeking to become citizens of the US.

You can argue, like Fred Barnes does, that it took the right wing of the GOP to light a fire that spread to the rest of the electorate, but that was because no one else was looking too closely at what the bill actually said. It was folks like Michelle Malkin and others who ripped the bill apart to find out precisely what was being offered, and came to the conclusion that it was amnesty for illegal aliens. Even the President had a Freudian slip where he said the bill was amnesty only to have the White House later clarify that it wasn't what he meant.

Of course, there will be those who claim that the GOP will pay for the failure to get an immigration bill passed. Just ignore the fact that there were Democrats involved in this debacle - Ted Kennedy was the biggest supporter of the amnesty provisions (just as he was the last go-around) and Harry Reid had promised to get this bill done even as the prior version died after the sponsors tried to ram it through without debate. If the supporters of the immigration bill are so confident that such a plan would work, why were they so unwilling to debate the measures and enforcement provisions?

Could it be that there was little to justify them? Indeed, that's exactly the case. The bill was an amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, and the enforcement provisions were ridiculously lax.

Meanwhile, Sam Brownback's vote continues to cause controversy - most of it sparked by his own tortured logic on why he reversed himself. And this is someone who wants to be President?

UPDATE:
Yet another reason why people did not trust this bill, Congress, or the Administration to secure the border - because now that the bill was killed and the question was raised as to whether we could now proceed with a border security package first, the Administration demurred. Heh. As Allah notes, there never was any intention to secure the border and enforce the law.

Immigration Bill Dies Again

President Bush made the slip of the tongue that confirms what many already thought of the bill.

But in describing the measure Tuesday morning, an apparent slip of the tongue suggested otherwise -- providing fodder for the talk-radio crowd that loathes the bill and wants it defeated in the Senate.

"You know, I've heard all the rhetoric -- you've heard it, too -- about how this is amnesty. Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that," Bush said, according to the official White House transcript.

It's not just the talk radio crowd that hates the bill, but tens of millions of folks out there if you believe that the polling. And the folks who hate the bill aren't just those who think it is nothing more than amnesty. It includes the folks who think the bill doesn't go far enough.

Senators who have been voting on the various measures, amendments, and votes to end debate often have absolutely no idea what they are voting on, as witnessed by the nonsensical ravings of Sen. Voinovich (R-OH). Sen. Voinovich couldn't figure out what he'd already voted on, what the position was, or any other details of the bill, including the guest worker plan.

Mrs. Lawhawk wondered just how he could be so ill-informed about the issues. Where was his staff to present a crib sheet on what he voted on? Good questions, but I think the problem is that none of the proponents of this mess had any idea of all the problems with the bill and simply hoped that action would speak for itself and claiming that opponents were racists, bigots, or idiots would be sufficient.

All of this sets the perfect backdrop for what happened just a short time ago. The immigration bill died yet again. Down in flames might be an apt analogy, but this is the bill of the living dead - it keeps managing to come back to life despite the overwhelming failures and inadequacies to deal with the issues at hand - securing the border and putting in place a methodology of handling the millions of illegal aliens already in the US (whether you call it a guest worker program or amnesty depends on your point of view).

The latest move to end debate (cloture) failed to pass, which means that the bill is once again about to die in the Senate (that is unless Bush, Reid, Kennedy, McCain or others don't try to revive it yet again). Leave it to Sen. Kennedy (D-Chivas) to throw a couple of Nazi references in to those opposing the bill.

Kennedy was the biggest proponent of the last amnesty in 1986, and swore back then that the last amnesty would solve the problems of illegal immigration. He's back this time offering up the same exact rhetoric, and anyone who knows the history should realize that it's the Chivas talking, and not the facts. Browbeating someone into believing that amnesty will solve the immigration problem isn't a solution. It's a recipe for voter backlash in the next election.

None of this is an excuse for the ugly behavior by some opposed to the bill. See here for more.

But for all the work that Congress has managed, they think they deserve a pay raise of $4,400 (which would also bring pay raises to the Vice President and Supreme Court justices). Right. Like they deserve it? The fact is that Congress is overpaid, and should probably be paid to stay away from their jobs instead of writing laws that have the unending capacity to undermine the US Constitution and the rights of US citizens - as witnessed by the immigration bill mess, the ongoing proposals to bring back the fairness doctrine (which is neither fair nor constitutional), or extending civil rights to terrorists.

Others blogging the immigration mess: Ed Morrissey, Michelle Malkin (who has been all over the immigration issue since day 1), and Jammie Wearing Fool.

UPDATE:
For all those who are pissed at the current immigration bill and the inability to build a security fence along the border, Ace has a real interesting post - what it could actually cost to build a real fence, with real technology, and real effectiveness.

Where does he get the numbers and information from? Israel.

The cost comes to about $2 million per mile, or about $6 billion and change for the entire southern border. Throw in some inflation, and you're talking $7 billion or so. Build the fence over a period of three years.

Sit back and wait two years - see how effective it is, and then take up whatever amnesty/guest worker program the usual suspects are pushing. Not only do you get real border control, but you'd be able to see the effectiveness of the program as you go along.

Also, note Sen. DeMint's (R-SC) comments:

“When the U.S. Senate brought the Amnesty bill back up this week, they declared war on the American people. This act created a crisis of confidence in their government. Thankfully, the American people won today,” said Senator DeMint. “This is remarkable because it shows that Americans are engaged and they care deeply about their country. They care enough for their country to get mad and to fight for it, and that’s the most important thing of all. Americans made phone calls and sent letters, and convinced the Senate to stop this bill.”

“The Senate rejected this bill and the heavy-handed tactics used to ram it through. Americans do not want more of the same – amnesty and broken promises on the border. Americans want legislation to be written in public – not in secret – and they want Congress to engage in an open and fair debate.”

“There is a better way forward without this bill. The President has said that the border security measures can be implemented over the next 18 months, and they can be done under current law. Now the Administration needs to prove it and stop holding border security hostage for amnesty.”

“Once we have secured the border and restored trust with the American people, we can begin to take additional steps.”

UPDATE:
The full roll call vote can be found here. Gateway Pundit has more.

UPDATE:
Don Surber (and here), among others, notes that this was never about slamming legal immigrants, but making sure that we hold everyone to the same standards and do not let illegal aliens jump the line.

UPDATE:
Hot Air has interesting analysis of how the votes were actually cast - which Senators waited until the last possible moment or who actually changed their votes when it became clear that the cloture would not pass. Jack M at Ace puts the votes to a map.

UPDATE:
Baldilocks notes that of the hundreds of miles required to be built under last year's Secure Borders Act, only 18 miles has been constructed. You've got to love the foot dragging all over this issue on the implementation of security phase, but the quick time march to get the amnesty portion through. Why? Why indeed.

Sen. Brownback, who's been running for President, may have seen his already weak chances torpedoed by his flip flop vote on the cloture. He initially voted yes to end debate, and once the vote showed that the vote would fail, he switched his vote to No. Meet Senator Switchback. Ouch.

AJ Strata is dismayed at the failure to get an immigration bill done. I'm sorry but this bill was so flawed that it could not be allowed to pass. It would not improve national security one bit over the situation we already have on the books, and would create yet more incentives for illegal aliens to enter the US illegally so as to take advantage of the next amnesty when *that* happens.

Others blogging: Macranger, Michael van der Galien, Webloggin, Iowavoice, Suitably Flip, Cold Fury.

UPDATE:
Instapundit offers up the following sensible advice, which means that Congress will promptly ignore it in favor of their current operating procedure when it comes to this issue:

(1) Make the process open, transparent, and timely, with hearings, drafts on the Internet, and no last-minute bills that no one has read;

(2) Earn people's trust, don't demand it, and treat enforcement like it matters;

(3) Respect people who follow the law, and make legal immigration easier, cheaper, and simpler, rather than the Kafkaesque nightmare it is now;

(4) Don't feel you have to be "comprehensive" -- address the problems you can deal with first. The trust needed to deal with other problems will come later, after you've shown some success and some good faith.

Considering the way that the amnesty proponents called those against this bill racist and worse, I doubt they'll even get past step 2.