Senator Ted Kennedy will be having surgery today for his malignant brain tumor.
Aides said the senator would be going into surgery around 9 a.m. ET and the surgery would last four to six hours.
Surgery of any kind always carries risks, but no doubt the tragedy of the surgery of his sister Rosemary has crossed the Senator’s mind on more than one occasion during this difficult time.
My prayers are with the Senator and his family as he undergoes this.
UPDATE: The surgery only took 3 1/2 hours and Kennedy says he “feels like a million bucks.”
Dr. Allan Friedman, who performed the surgery at Duke University Medical Center, pronounced the operation a success and said it “accomplished our goals.”
Good news indeed.
I wish him well, but he should stop and reflect on the fact that under the socialized health care systems he has advocated for the rest of us, his care for a tumor of that sort in a man of his age would be limited to sufficient opiates to dull the pain, and not to the best of cutting edge neurosurgery.
Under the plan Hillary proposed in 93, it would have been unlawful for him to even pay for better care from his own pocket.
Something to think about as he gets the best care the world has to offer.
Posted by Don Tabor | Monday, June 2, 2008, 1:08 pmYou know what? You should have stopped after “I wish him well.”
There’s a time for politics. Hint: this ain’t it.
Posted by vjp | Monday, June 2, 2008, 1:14 pmQuick Update from the AP DURHAM, N.C. – Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is out of surgery at Duke University, and his doctor says a procedure to treat his cancerous brain tumor “was successful and accomplished our goals.”
Posted by virginiadem | Monday, June 2, 2008, 2:31 pmI am on the Republican side and I hope Ted Kennedy has a prompt and full recovery. He has been a strong and effective voice for our citizens over his long career.
Political adversaries are not our enemies. If we pause and consider that about eighty-five percent of Americans are apathetic and do not regularly engage in the political process, or add any constructive thought to the debate, we quickly realize that our Democrats and Republicans often have more in common, than with the rest of the population.
We should follow Ted Kennedy’s example and fight like Hell for what we believe in, yet keep open the door for opportunities to work on common ground issues.
I look forward to seeing Ted Kennedy back on the floor of the Senate, using the full force of his humor, passion and experience, as a strong and effective advocate for our citizens.
Posted by J. Tyler Ballance | Monday, June 2, 2008, 2:43 pmI’m glad to hear that the surgery went well.
Posted by Brian | Monday, June 2, 2008, 3:21 pmvirginiadem – thanks for the update.
Posted by vjp | Monday, June 2, 2008, 5:39 pmsenator kennedy,his timehas come and gone new fresh blood is needed, maybe it is time for term limits on congress if it is good to putthe president 8 years maybe congress should follow than we will not have senators who go out of the mainstream of america.
Posted by jack stiles | Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 6:47 pm