Senate welcomes back Tim Johnson

For the first time since he suffered a life-threatening brain injury last year, South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday and received a warm welcome in a rare moment of bipartisanship.

Johnson, who rose from his motorized wheelchair to give a brief speech, said his return marked a “long and humble” journey that took longer than he would have liked. He noted that while his speaking voice was not 100 percent, his “thoughts are clear” and his “mind is sharp.”

{mosads}“With patience, persistence and faith, I have fought back, and my will to keep fighting for South Dakota is strong,” Johnson said to a chamber filled with nearly every one of his colleagues — an unusual sight. “My ability to think is paramount, so I hope that now as I return to my office, people focus on my work more than how quickly I walk these days.”

Senators on both sides gave repeated standing ovations to Johnson for making it back to Capitol Hill after he suffered a brain hemorrhage in December that kept him away from the Senate for the first eight months of the 110th Congress. The chamber unanimously approved a resolution welcoming Johnson back to the Senate. His return gives Democrats a 51-49 seat advantage in the chamber.

The junior senator from South Dakota, John Thune (R), said it was no surprise that Johnson returned to the chamber. Thune added that he was familiar with Johnson’s toughness, noting that he lost to him in a 2002 Senate race.

Johnson is up for reelection next year, but has not said whether he will seek a third term. In what appears to be an otherwise tough reelection year, Republicans believe they may be able to win Johnson’s seat in 2008.

But Republicans have shied away from attacking Johnson during his recovery. And that brought praise from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

“That was never done on one occasion even though there were opportunities to do that,” Reid said. “Republicans never once took advantage of his illness.”

Reid’s remarks prompted applause from Democrats.