Sen. Kennedy recovering from seizure

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) was conscious and speaking Tuesday afternoon after being rushed to the hospital from a lunch honoring President Obama.

Kennedy suffered what his office called a seizure. He was whisked away by an ambulance to Washington Hospital Center.

{mosads}He will remain in the hospital overnight and is expected to be released Wednesday morning.

“Sen. Edward Kennedy experienced a seizure today while attending a luncheon for President Barack Obama in the U.S. Capitol,” Kennedy’s office said in a statement Tuesday night. “After testing, we believe the incident was brought on by simple fatigue. Sen. Kennedy is awake, talking with family and friends, and feeling well. He will remain at the Washington Hospital Center overnight for observation, and will be released in the morning.”

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) has described his father’s condition favorably, noting that the senator was awake and speaking, according to ABC News.

Kennedy was diagnosed in May with a brain tumor that was discovered after he suffered a seizure at his home.

Some of Kennedy’s friends, who had accompanied him to the ambulance, also said that they spoke with the Massachusetts senator before he was taken away.

“He was very aware and very conscious and resistant to any help,” said Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). “He’s in a good state.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), one of Kennedy’s best friends in the chamber, also walked to the ambulance with the Massachusetts lawmaker and reported that he was talking.

“As he got into the ambulance, he kind of looked over at me and gave that Irish grin, so I feel like he’s going to be all right,” Hatch said. “He’s going to pull through this. But it was scary.”

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the dean of the Senate, was so upset about Kennedy’s health troubles that he also had to be taken out of the lunch, according to a pool report from the lunch.

Kennedy, who was at the same table as Byrd, began having convulsions and his eyes rolled back in his head, according to accounts from congressional staffers and lawmakers present at the event.

Several witnesses said they believed Kennedy suffered a seizure.

Congressmen who were seated at Kennedy’s table said the senator was talking, laughing and sharing jokes when his teeth suddenly clenched and his hands shook. The entire episode lasted about two minutes before medical personnel swooped in and took him to the Rayburn Reception Room.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and his wife Janet witnessed Kennedy’s episode, as did Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), and they were still rattled after the lunch ended.

“It was very disturbing,” Waxman said.

“What immediately came to mind for me was that he was able to see this day take place,” Dreier noted.

“One minute he was sitting there laughing and joking,” said Janet Waxman. Dreier finished her sentence: “The next he’s choking.”

Those attending the lunch held a moment of silence for Kennedy shortly after he was wheeled out by emergency personnel. Reporters were then allowed onto a balcony overlooking the lunch.

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), who was at the table, said that when President Obama heard of the incident, he rushed to the Rayburn room to check on Kennedy. The president also acknowledged the incident in his remarks at the lunch.

“First of all, I know that, while I was out of the room, concern was expressed about Teddy,” Obama said. “He was there when the Voting Rights Act passed; along with John Lewis was a warrior for justice; and so I would be lying to you if I did not say that, right now, a part of me is with him,” Obama said, referring to the Georgia lawmaker and civil rights leader. “And I think that’s true for all of us. This is a joyous time, but it’s also a sobering time. And my prayers are with him and his family and Vicki.”

“President Obama looked very disturbed by it,” Janet Waxman said.

“He was clearly unnerved by it,” added Henry Waxman.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asked for a brief moment of thought or prayer for Kennedy on the Senate floor.

Since being diagnosed with cancer, Kennedy has spent considerable time out of public view. He did show up to cast a decisive vote on Medicare legislation in July, made an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in the fall and also presided over former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle’s (D-S.D.) confirmation hearing earlier this month.

Those close to Kennedy said there was no way he would be kept away from the Inauguration of the nation’s first African-American president. The Massachusetts senator gave Obama a tremendous boost when he endorsed him early in the primary process.

At the time, the backing of Kennedy was hailed by some Obama supporters as the passing of the torch from the Kennedy clan to a new generation of Democrats.