Outpouring of support for Kennedy

There was an outpouring of support and prayers for Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) after it was revealed Tuesday that he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said he planned to pray for the Massachusetts Democrat at a Mass this evening. “I’m having a hard time remembering a day in my 34 years here when I felt this bad,” Leahy said.

{mosads}Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) said in a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sen. Kennedy and his family. We hope and pray his doctors will be able to effectively treat his condition and that he will experience a full recovery.”

McCain was the first of the three presidential candidates to react publicly to the news, showing that members of both parties were deeply affected by it.

“I have described Ted Kennedy as the last lion in the Senate, and I have held that view because he remains the single most effective member of the Senate,” McCain said.

“This is grim news,” Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, said on MSNBC. However, Obama, whom Kennedy has endorsed, noted that the Massachusetts senator is “a fighter.”

Obama said that he might not ever have made it to the Senate if it had not been for Kennedy’s legislative accomplishments.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said, “Kennedy’s courage and resolve are unmatched, and they have made him one of the greatest legislators in Senate history. Our thoughts are with him and Vicki and we are praying for a quick and full recovery.”

President Bush was among the many Republican well-wishers.

“Laura and I are concerned to learn of our friend Sen. Kennedy’s diagnosis,” Bush said. “Ted Kennedy is a man of tremendous courage, remarkable strength, and powerful spirit. Our thoughts are with Sen. Kennedy and his family during this difficult period. We join our fellow Americans in praying for his full recovery.”

Many of the lawmakers who commented on the news noted that Kennedy has always looked out for people needing help and that it was now time to return the favor.

“Ted Kennedy has spent his life caring for those in need,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said in a statement. “Now it’s time for those who love Ted and his family to care for them and join in prayer to give them strength.”

“This is a man, love him or hate him, [who] has been the voice of social consciousness in this country,” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said on MSNBC. “And he is the lion in the Senate for the downtrodden, for the least among us, and this is a time that he needs our prayers.”

“Sen. Kennedy is a giant in the Senate, a wonderful public servant and a great American. At this difficult time, my thoughts and prayers are with him, his wife, Vicki, and all his family and loved ones,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a statement. “Ted Kennedy has faced many challenges during his life, and I know he will meet this one with determination and strength — and I hope to see him back in Congress soon.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Kennedy's condition to the Democratic Conference during lunch Tuesday afternoon.

“We stand as a body, and certainly a Democratic family, with our affection, our love and our prayers, with Sen. Ted Kennedy. We are confident of his recovery,” Reid said after the luncheon.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said the news was met with "stunned silence." Nelson said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) told the group he has spoken with the senator and Kennedy is "quite optimistic" about a recovery.

“Every one of us knows what a big heart this fellow has. He's helped millions and millions of people, in so many ways,” Kerry said after the Democrats’ meeting. “Now, everybody needs to do that on behalf of Ted. Everybody needs to pull for him and his family and remember that this guy is one unbelievable fighter.”

Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) said Republicans learned the news from a GOP senator at their lunch. Warner, whose eyes were moist, said the GOP conference immediately held a group prayer.

After the lunch, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, “Let me just say at the outset that it was a rather somber lunch today of Senate Republicans. We had a prayer for Sen. Kennedy and for his family. … And I know I speak for every Republican in the conference that this was a development of great concern and sadness to all of our members.”

Kennedy has been undergoing tests at a Boston hospital after he suffered a seizure on Saturday.

“Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe,” said a statement from his doctors. “The usual course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy. 

"Decisions regarding the best course of treatment for Sen. Kennedy will be determined after further testing and analysis.”

The statement noted that Kennedy “remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital,” but would remain at Massachusetts General Hospital “for the next couple of days according to routine protocol.”

The National Cancer Institute notes on its website that malignant gliomas are the “most common primary brain tumor.”  According to the site, “surgery is recommended for all operable brain tumors and is usually followed by radiation therapy.”