Ted Kennedy spends election night at D.C. home

Bay State Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, whose support of Barack Obama gave the Illinois senator a huge boost during the heated Democratic primary, voted by absentee ballot for his friend and spent the night at home in Washington, D.C.
Kennedy, who has undergone surgery and chemotherapy for a deadly brain tumor, was surrounded by friends and family at his Washington home to watch the results of the presidential race pour in last night, an aide said.
Kennedy’s cancer diagnosis rocked the national political scene, but the Massachusetts Democrat still hit the campaign trail for Obama. And in what may prove a defining moment of the campaign, Kennedy shook off his cancer treatments and made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
“Ted Kennedy’s endorsement turned the tide and was a pivotal moment in Barack Obama’s campaign,” said former Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman and longtime Kennedy friend Phil Johnston. “It galvanized the activists within the party across the country and gave great credibility to the Obama campaign.”
The ailing senator returned to Washington last week to work on health-care legislation.
Obama and Kennedy have worked closely on a number of initiatives, including a landmark health-care package. In another surprise move, Kennedy traveled to Washington to cast the deciding vote on the measure.
Said Johnston: “His strength of character was revealed.”

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1130056

Kennedy 'very ill'

BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist

Sneed hears the health of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, whose bravura in the face of a cancerous brain tumor resulted in a surprise appearance and speech at the Democratic National Convention, is sadly going downhill.
• • Backshot: "He gave every ounce of courage to attend that convention, where an attack of kidney stones caused him to be delivered by ambulance," said a source.
• • Update: "And although he still goes sailing every day at 2 p.m., he is getting weaker and weaker. He's a very ill man. It's been said he could have three weeks, three months or three years . . . but I wouldn't bet three years."
• • Upshot: Although Kennedy does not plan to return to the Senate this fall, his family and staff are now pulling together his archives and papers, which will reportedly be housed in a building near the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston.

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http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/1172891,CST-NWS-SNEED19.article#

RFK JR AT THE DNC

Beneath the blazing August sun, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the stage in front of Coors Field's outfield bleachers and said that importing energy "is the principal drag on American capitalism and American prosperity."
The solution to the problem was literally beating down on him. At least that's the message at solar energy's keystone event at the Democratic National Convention. Kennedy, environmental lawyer and son of Robert F. Kennedy Sr., was the keynote speaker at the Solar Energy Industries Association's SunFest 2008.
SEIA's Wednesday afternoon event epitomized just how far and how fast the industry has come. In addition to Kennedy, several congressmen, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., spoke at the event.
(...) In the meantime, the industry is desperate for Congress to extend an investment tax credit that has spurred demand and growth in the industry. (See: "Dying For a Tax Break.") So far this year, lawmakers have failed to pass the extension eight times. But Kennedy says he is optimistic that Democrats will win both houses of Congress in this fall's election, making approval of the tax extension more likely.
(...)

To read the full article go to:

http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/08/28/dnc-solar-power-biz-beltway-cx_jz_bw_0828solar.html

Joe Kennedy’s rousing talk fuels speculation

Former Congressman Joe Kennedy gave a funny, poignant, stirring speech that brought the Massachusetts delegation to their feet here yesterday and had more than a few in the room wondering if the one-time gubernatorial candidate might be contemplating a political comeback.
“It’s interesting that he’s here,” said one pundit. “What do you think it means?”
Former state party chairman Phil Johnston insisted that Kennedy addressed the DNC delegates only because Johnston asked him. But others raised the possibility that Joe, who was once seen as heir apparent to uncle Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, might be thinking about that scenario again.
The senator, who is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, has vowed to return to Washington and fight alongside Barack Obama when (in Ted’s words) Obama is elected president. But the great unspoken truth is that Kennedy may become too incapacitated to continue his Senate duties as the cancer progresses.
“No one wants to talk about it, but everyone’s talking about it,” said another Demmie insider.
The Dems were a little too cute for their own good back in 2004. Facing the possibility that Sen. John Kerry could be elected president, the party didn’t want GOP governor Mitt Romney to have the chance to appoint a successor. So the Dems engineered a quick change in the rules and now there has to be a special election to fill any open Senate seats.
But if Joe Kennedy is interested in the job, he has one huge obstacle in his way - Ted’s wife, Vicki, has sent strong signals that she would like to succeed her hubby should the sad occasion arise.
Not only that, but most members of the state’s congressional delegation, who have seen little upward mobility in decades, would certainly want to give the race a good close look. And Gov. Deval Patrick, if he is not tapped by Obama, is also considered a candidate for the post.
But the bottom line may simply come down to this: Ted Kennedy will likely anoint his successor, and right now, the smart money is on Vicki.
“It will be whatever Ted wants it to be,” said another plugged-in delegate.
Joe, who hasn’t done much politicking in recent years, arrived at the Massachusetts DNC delegation breakfast with wife, Beth, and twin sons Joe and Matt. He began his speech by thanking the delegates for the “beautiful tribute” to Ted on the opening night of the convention.
“He is fighting the toughest fight of his life,” RFK’s son told the gathering, “and the boost you gave him put a smile on his face that is something that nothing can touch and no one can take away.”
Kennedy, who runs Citizen’s Energy - a low-cost heating oil program for the poor - joked that the big turnout at yesterday’s event was the result of state party people promising that “anyone who wants a free tank of heating oil should just come down to the breakfast.”
He then gave an impassioned pitch for Obama and change that brought delegation members to their feet and left U.S. Rep. Nikki Tsongas (D-Lowell), who followed Kennedy to the podium, with a tough act to follow.
“I’d like to thank Joe for making my life very difficult up here,” she said.
Kennedy left the hotel with a huge grin on his face. Make of that what you will . . .
File Under: Not-So-Average Joe.

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http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1115305

Kidney stones nearly derailed speech, niece says

Senator Edward M. Kennedy suffered a bout of kidney stones Monday, and his niece Caroline Kennedy said yesterday that he was feeling so ill he was nearly unable to deliver his dramatic address that night to the Democratic National Convention.
An aide to the senator said the 76-year-old lawmaker had kidney stones unrelated to the brain tumor that was diagnosed in May. Kennedy was treated at a Denver hospital for the kidney condition during the day Monday after suffering a sleepless night and pain in the morning, said the aide, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But Kennedy was determined to deliver the speech that he had practiced in Cape Cod while he was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments for the cancer, Caroline Kennedy said in an interview with the Globe.
"There was nothing that was going to keep him away," she said. She did not detail her uncle's ailment.

During his speech, an intravenous tube, which would have been used for administering pain medication, could be seen poking out from under an ace bandage wrapping Kennedy's left hand.
Kennedy was better yesterday, aides said, and he was able to host a breakfast for friends and members of the Massachusetts delegation before returning to the Bay State.
The cancer treatment, Caroline Kennedy said, is "going better than anyone expected," and the Democratic stalwart is determined to return to the Senate chamber where he has served for nearly 46 years. "I know he's planning on going back to work," she said.
"He looks great. You could see it [Monday] night," she said, referring to the senator's surprise appearance on behalf of Democratic nominee-to-be Barack Obama.
(...) But by the next day, Kennedy "just wasn't feeling well," and "there was a second round [of discussion] about, 'Is he going to be able to do it?' " Caroline Kennedy said. Another Kennedy associate said it was "touch and go" even shortly before the senator's prime-time speech as to whether he would have the strength to deliver the rousing sort of address that is so characteristic of him.
But Caroline Kennedy said her uncle was determined to follow through despite concerns of his friends and family. "He knew it all along. There was no way he was not going to do it," she said.
(...) "On many levels, it was a very difficult thing to do - logistically, medically, emotionally," his niece said. "It was really inspiring to all of us."
Kennedy is continuing treatment for the cancer, but no longer needs to make the daily trips to Boston for the intense sessions that followed his surgery, Caroline Kennedy said. Patients with a brain tumor like Kennedy's typically receive six weeks of daily radiation therapy, and then continue with an oral form of chemotherapy for up to six months.
At the breakfast, Kennedy thanked friends and colleagues for their love and support. He looked "relaxed," she said, and was "joking around, kidding around."
(...) "I think the only thing that matches [Monday's speech] was the feeling I got when he walked on the Senate floor to cast the deciding vote for Medicare," Kennedy's son, Rhode Island Democratic Representative Patrick Kennedy, said after the address.
(...) Caroline Kennedy - who was on the team that selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as Obama's running mate - said the search was extremely emotional for her, since so many people she talked to during the effort wanted to tell stories about her uncle.
"People wanted to talk about how he was the first one to call them when they lost a family member," or extended another kindness, she said. "It was really on a whole other level for me, of being able to see his effect and his reach, his impact on the Senate."

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http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/08/27/kidney_stones_nearly_derailed_speech_niece_says/?page=full

Determined to Give Speech, Kennedy Left Hospital Bed

Senator Edward M. Kennedy had just left a hospital bed here when he delivered his speech to the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, after suffering a debilitating bout of kidney stones Sunday upon arriving in town, aides said.Mr. Kennedy’s aides described a harrowing 48-hour period in which it appeared that Mr. Kennedy would not be able to give the convention speech.

In June, he had told family members when he left the Duke University Medical Center, where he was operated on for brain cancer, that he was intent on giving the speech.And with less than two hours to go before he was supposed to take the stage, Mr. Kennedy — sitting unnoticed in a room at the University of Colorado Hospital — told his wife, Victoria, and doctors that he wanted to go to the Pepsi Center and deliver the speech.He was driven there, accompanied by a doctor and paramedics, perched on a golf cart that took him inside. Mr. Kennedy, with his wife and his niece Caroline at his side, walked gingerly onto the stage, where he delivered a highly acclaimed address.

Once done speaking, he returned to the Denver hospital, where he spent the night.

(...) His aides said that after Mr. Kennedy finally decided he was well enough to come to Denver over the weekend, they became alarmed when he arrived on Sunday after a long charter airplane flight, accompanied by family members, aides and doctors, and reported being in excruciating pain.Their first concern was that the pain was somehow related to his cancer, or the chemotherapy and radiology he had undergone, and that it had been complicated by the long flight or the high altitude of the city.

A visit to a local hospital Sunday night revealed it was kidney stones and was unrelated to his cancer. Mr. Kennedy had no previous history of kidney stones, aides said.One close associate, who demanded anonymity to discuss any element of Mr. Kennedy’s medical condition, disclosed that the senator had suffered an unspecified but serious setback in July after he flew to Washington in the midst of treatment to cast a vote on a Medicare bill.Mr. Kennedy’s aides said he did make one concession to the kidney stones: the speech he gave was about 10 minutes, roughly half the length of an earlier draft.Kidney stones are notoriously painful, and typically treated with morphine or other painkillers.

(...) Mr. Kennedy’s longtime associate Bob Shrum said that as soon as the senator became ill, he sent an even shorter three-sentence statement that Mr. Kennedy could read at the Pepsi Center. He said Mr. Kennedy, in informing him that he wanted to speak, had rejected that option.“He said, ‘I’m not getting up to go over there and give a three-sentence speech,’ ” Mr. Shrum said. (...) Mr. Kennedy’s advisers said he had begun working on the speech about three weeks ago and went through rehearsals every day when his health permitted.

They said he made clear that he did not want to be represented at the convention only by a videotape tribute. One of the complications, though, was that Mr. Kennedy now goes to bed generally early, and the speech was scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m.

Go to NYTimes.com to read the whole article!

Caroline Kennedy: Ted was determined to get to DNC

Caroline Kennedy says her uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, went through a lot to get to the Democratic Convention but is "doing unbelievably" well and remains determined to return to the Senate.
The Massachusetts senator on Monday night delivered a ringing summons to fellow Democrats to rally behind Barack Obama's quest for the White House.
"He's so inspiring," Caroline Kennedy said in an interview aired Tuesday morning on CBS' "The Early Show. "To watch him up there was just so great."
The senator, 76, has been battling brain cancer, but his niece said he was "doing unbelievably."
Kennedy flew to Denver on Sunday night, and his first stop was a hospital, where doctors examined him.

(...) "What it took for him to get here was something I never thought I'd see in my life," Caroline Kennedy said.
Her uncle plans to return to the Senate and has maintained a work schedule, she said.
"He's been working all summer. He's on the phone all the time," she said.
The senator's son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., told NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday that his father is "enormously resilient" and was "doing really well" with his treatment.

Go to: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h5rsPeIHaapq2lluu1DV-B6o4qQAD92PV6H89

Caroline explains Obama's VP search

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he's not surprised that his uncle made it to Denver

“He seems great…he is lucid, he is sharp, he seems completely unchanged by the surgery, by the illness…all of us are happy; his mind is completely unaffected,” Kennedy told Chris Wallace on Fox News Network.

Kennedy said he believes the country is ready to hear Senator Kennedy's message again.
“The American people have really come around to believe that the things that he’s been fighting for, for the past fourty-four years as a Senator, are things that most Americans want.”

to read the whole article go to: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/08/kennedy_makes_d.html

Ted Kennedy is in Denver

Barack Obama's campaign is hoping for a surprise convention appearance from Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, the ailing party elder whose January endorsement electrified Obama's campaign, and who has sought to pass his family's torch to the young senator from Illinois.

(...) "Things are day to day," said the Kennedy source said, saying Democrats shouldn't count on his presence.

His spokeswoman, Melissa Wagoner, called an appearance "extremely unlikely."

But another two people familiar with the plans said Kennedy was likely to appear, with one saying he has a "better than 50 percent" of making it to the convention.

(...) "My three children are here, lots of cousins are here, obviously many of the Robert Kennedys are here," Caroline Kennedy said on Meet the Press Sunday. "It's the 40th anniversary of [Robert F. Kennedy's presidential] campaign, so I think for all our family, this is incredibly emotional."

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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12777.html

Kennedy will attend DNC tribute

(...) Former Massachusetts Democratic Party chairmanchair Phil Johnston said tonight’s tribute will be “a very important moment for him and for Massachusetts.”
“For the Massachusetts delegates, it will be the most emotionally powerful moment of the week,” Johnston, who is in Denver, said. “We all love him and we’re so happy that he’s being honored.”

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http://news.bostonherald.com/news/2008/view.bg?articleid=1115022&srvc=2008campaign&position=3

Ted Kennedy appearance at DNC likely

The proud old lion of Democratic party is getting ready to roar again tonight.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who was not expected to make the trip to Denver because he is battling deadly brain cancer, has not just made it to the Democratic Convention - he might appear on the podium.
(...) If Kennedy manages to muster up the strength to speak - as he has done in many Democratic conventions before - it's likely to be a tearjerker for the party faithful and an electrifying moment for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
Kennedy secretly flew to the Mile High City on Sunday, over the objections of some of his doctors who worried that his compromised immune system could expose him to danger.
(...) "The fact that he's the subject of this tribute means a lot, certainly to me," his niece, Caroline Kennedy, said earlier on NBC's "Meet the Press."
(...)

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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/25/2008-08-25_ted_kennedy_appearance_at_dnc_likely.html

Son: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy mulls surprise appearance

(…) Staffers have said it is “very unlikely” Kennedy will make the trip after being hit hard by a high-powered round of chemotherapy.
(…) “Sen. Kennedy is humbled by the tribute planned (tonight), and he looks forward to watching Sen. Obama accept the Democratic nomination for president,” Kennedy’s spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner said.
President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, will introduce an emotional video tribute to her uncle, segments of which were filmed in the Bay State in recent weeks. Sen. John Kerry, who has served with Kennedy for 23 years, said Denver’s Pepsi Center “will feel like the Kennedy Compound” tonight.
“He’s the heart and soul of our party and he’s inseparable from our fighting faith,” Kerry, who will speak at the DNC Wednesday, said. “You have to understand, our party grew up with Ted. We were inspired by the way he carried on for his brothers and built a legacy as the greatest senator of all time.”
“There hasn’t been a single significant policy accomplishment over four decades without Ted’s fingerprints and no one appreciates that more than the party faithful going to Denver,” Kerry added.
A source close to the family said Kennedy’s doctors have told him not to go because his immune system has been depleted by the chemo, leaving him susceptible to illness, especially in large crowds.
But, the source said, “the drama would be such that I wouldn’t be shocked to see him there.”
“I think if he gets up in the morning and feels OK, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came,” the source said.

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/politics/2008/view.bg?articleid=1114938

Kennedy plans to address DNC

In a development that is sure to bring the house down, US Senator Edward M. Kennedy is expected to attend the Democratic National Convention, most likely to deliver a speech tomorrow night.
Kennedy is battling brain cancer, and his doctors are said to be worried that his treatment has compromised his immune system and that attending the convention could put him at further risk. Still, the senator has recently told people that he has a speech written for the convention and that he badly wants to come, pending a final medical consultation.
Buzz has built among Massachusetts politicos that Kennedy would come, and today a source close to the family confirmed that he had made a decision to come.
``He is definitely planning to be here,'' said the Kennedy family confidant. ``The whole Kennedy family will be in a special section. It should be quite moment.''
Kennedy's family is also convening in Denver, including sister Jean Kennedy Smith, sister-in-law Ethel, nephews Joe and Stephen Smith, and nieces Kathleen Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy, who will also address the convention.A Kennedy speech is usually a convention highlight, and Kennedy revels in an address that elicits a regular response from the crowd.This year's speech should be especially poignant, as it is likely the last time Kennedy will address the Democrats national convention.
The senator was very active in the primary campaign, endorsing Barack Obama and hitting the campaign trail for him.

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http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/08/kennedy_to_addr_1.html

Kennedy may visit convention

Sen. Edward Kennedy could make an unscheduled appearance at this week's Democratic convention if his physicians give him the go-ahead, his son says.
"If anything, it'd be an 11th-hour call," Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., said in a telephone interview Sunday with The Associated Press. "If he's up to it in the 11th hour and can get the green light from doctors, he might be able to pull it off."
(...) Rep. Kennedy visited his father over the weekend in Hyannis Port, Mass. and was traveling to Denver on Sunday.
(...) "He was able to make the Medicare vote, and that was the vote that turned the bill around," Rep. Kennedy said.
"The convention would be a nice thing for him to show up at," his son said. "It's certainly one he'd like to do, if he could. But the Medicare vote was a must-do. This is not a have-to."
He said the treatments have gone well.
"We need him back in the Senate in September," he said. "He's doing well."

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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/24/america/CVN-Kennedy-Convention.php

Senator Kennedy's Decades of Service to Party and Country to be Honored; Caroline Kennedy to Speak

The Democratic National Convention Committee and the Obama for America campaign today announced additional details surrounding Monday evening's tribute to honor Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
His niece, Caroline Kennedy, will speak to his extraordinary work over the last 46 years on behalf of this country, as well as his future plans in the United States Senate. A video tribute, directed by documentary filmmakers Ken Burns and Mark Herzog, will also portray his love of country, family, politics and the sea.
The opening night of the Convention, themed as "One Nation", will highlight Barack Obama's life story, his commitment to change, and the voices of Americans, including Senator Kennedy's, calling for a new direction for this country.
Senator Kennedy's story is told through a combination of original interviews, archival footage and still photographs that chronicle his enormous contributions to this country and his deep dedication to his work on behalf of the American people. The film also describes his hopes for the future including what Barack Obama will do as President to change the course of this country.
The video features Senator and Mrs. Kennedy as well as conversations with Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and Georgia Congressman John Lewis. It also incorporates interviews with individuals who have worked closely with Senator Kennedy and whose lives he has touched. (...)


Go to http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/2008-democratic-national-convention-monday/story.aspx?guid=%7B878F94CE-F4AE-4B51-90DE-1FE7F2F18628%7D&dist=hppr to read more.