Kennedy appearance to spark convention

In a moment that could evoke an iconic past and an uncertain future, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is poised to rev up his old flair for dramatic surprises Monday night at his party’s convention. 

Kennedy, 76, who has attended every Democratic convention since 1960, is battling brain cancer this year but has flown to Denver for a last-minute appearance and possibly a short speech.

{mosads}The sole surviving brother of President John F. Kennedy has a well-known flair for dramatic moments, and top Democratic strategists had long ruminated on a surprise convention appearance.

“Sen. Kennedy is in Denver and plans to attend tonight’s tribute to him,” the senator’s office said in a statement Monday. “He’s truly humbled by the outpouring of support, and wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.”

In early August, Kennedy taped a five-minute video at his Hyannisport, Mass., home for a video crew from the Democratic National Committee, leading to speculation that the video would substitute for an actual Kennedy appearance at the convention. The senator has largely stayed out of sight since he had brain surgery in June after being diagnosed in May with a malignant brain tumor.

It is unknown if this will be Kennedy’s last convention. His tumor is considered one of the more aggressive cancers, yet he looked and sounded healthy when he appeared on the Senate floor in July to cast a key vote for a Medicare bill. His vote helped break a logjam over the measure, persuading several Republicans to overcome their initial opposition.

Kennedy is also known for rousing convention speeches that have often provided some of the best footage. Perhaps most notably, he delivered a ringing address at the 1980 Democratic convention that capped his unsuccessful primary campaign against President Jimmy Carter.

Longtime Democratic consultant Bob Shrum, who helped write Kennedy’s 1980 speech and has worked for him for years, linked Kennedy’s appearance this year to his strong sentiment for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill).

“The most immediate and most powerful significance is that it confirms what he did early in the primary — the whole passing-of-the-torch to a younger generation,” Shrum said. “That made a decisive difference in the primaries, and his presence here indicates how strongly he feels about Obama.”

Kennedy is in an ironic position to play peacemaker, since an appearance could do much to unite and energize the Democratic convention after this year’s primary battle between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.). There is also history at play: Kennedy’s 1980 address came after he had split the Democratic Party with his protracted struggle against Carter — much like this year’s contest between Obama and Clinton.

Kennedy actually took the fight all the way to the 1980 convention at New York City’s Madison Square Garden before finally bowing to Carter and delivering his famous address.

“For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end,” Kennedy told the audience. “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”

Shrum said an analogy to 1980 isn’t exactly apt, since Kennedy and Carter had wide differences over healthcare and foreign policy at the time, unlike the few policy differences between Obama and Clinton.

Kennedy’s role in tilting this year’s contest toward Obama came when he endorsed the Illinois senator on Jan. 28 — a week before Super Tuesday. Obama was battling neck and neck with Clinton at the time, and Kennedy’s endorsement was an important touchstone in the tilt of delegates to Obama.

“That’s the biggest reason he’s out here,” said Shrum. “It’s all about the whole feeling he has for Obama, what he stands for, what he represents. He says that with his presence.”