DENVER - Bay State Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, despite courageously fighting malignant brain cancer, will attend what is sure to be a touching tribute to him tonight at the Democratic National Convention.
“He’s truly humbled by the outpouring of support, and wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world,” Kennedy’s office said in a statement this morning.
Last night, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, his son, said Kennedy wanted to make a surprise appearance at the Pepsi Center but it would depend on his health. Kennedy is recovering from aggressive chemotherapy to treat malignant brain cancer.
After landing in Denver last night, Kennedy was taken from the airport to a hospital for a precautionary medical examination, a Democratic official told the Associated Press.
The news comes as the DNC prepares to pay a stirring, heartwarming tribute to the 76-year-old tonight.
Kennedy - a stalwart supporter of Barack Obama who he compared to his slain activist brother Robert F. Kennedy - was already set to the star of tonight’s DNC opening, even if he didn’t appear.
President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, will introduce an emotional video tribute to her uncle, segments of which were filmed in the Bay State in recent weeks.
Sen. John Kerry, who has served with Kennedy for 23 years, said Denver’s Pepsi Center “will feel like the Kennedy Compound” tonight.
“He’s the heart and soul of our party and he’s inseparable from our fighting faith,” Kerry, who will speak at the DNC Wednesday, said. “You have to understand, our party grew up with Ted. We were inspired by the way he carried on for his brothers and built a legacy as the greatest senator of all time.”
“There hasn’t been a single significant policy accomplishment over four decades without Ted’s fingerprints and no one appreciates that more than the party faithful going to Denver,” Kerry added.
A source close to the family said Kennedy’s doctors had told him not to go because his immune system was depleted by the chemo, leaving him susceptible to illness, especially in large crowds.
But, the source said, “the drama would be such that I wouldn’t be shocked to see him there.”
“I think if he gets up in the morning and feels OK, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came,” the source said.
Kennedy has continued to sail regularly in Hyannis Harbor but has otherwise been out of the public eye in recent weeks. He made a surprise appearance in the Senate two months ago to help pass landmark health care legislation, just as he began undergoing his cancer treatments.
Former Massachusetts Democratic Party chairmanchair Phil Johnston said tonight’s tribute will be “a very important moment for him and for Massachusetts.”
“For the Massachusetts delegates, it will be the most emotionally powerful moment of the week,” Johnston, who is in Denver, said. “We all love him and we’re so happy that he’s being honored.”
Michelle Obama’s Past: “No Silver Spoons”
CNN
The candidate’s wife talks about her middle-class origins with CNN’s Roland Martin– potentially previewing a theme of Monday’s headliner convention speech.
Click above to watch.
“No silver spoons, no magic. Just parents who tried their best….”
“Go at It Biden”
Late night comedyman Jon Stewart tells mega-wattage assemblage of reporters in Denver that the Democratic veep candidate is good for business.
Stewart: Biden is “an exercise in emotion… He is emotion plus.”
Asked who is funnier and makes him laugh, McCain or Obama, Stewart says: “Neither.”
August 25, 2008Stewart: Love for Fox, Biden
At a breakfast with reporters in Denver this morning, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart trashed the "gerbil wheel" of cable news, but said he thought Fox News was the best of the 24-hour cable networks.
"I think Fox does the best probably because they have an idea of what thye’re doing. Because they have an editorial perspective they’re able to focus it more. It’s more cohesive and it makes more sense," he said. He chided the television networks for pandering to their viewers.
"I think my audience would like to see a naked women smoke crack," he said.
He also expressed some delight in the Biden nomination.
"It’s like an exercise in emotion," he said. "His anger is actually hotter than other anger, when he’s being smug he’s smugger. He’s emotion-plus. That’s always great."
He also expressed a some admiration for both candidates.
"I think actually that they would both be decent presidents. I think they’re both decent men," he said, adding that they have "public honor that this last administration does not have."
Party Crashing AT&T and the Blue Dogs: The Best Government Money Can Buy
By: Jane Hamsher Monday August 25, 2008 7:30 am
Last night I was at a party with Matt Stoller when he found a notice in the paper announcing a party that AT&T was having that night for the Blue Dogs.
Glenn Greenwald instantly became a man with a mission: he wanted to go interview the guests and see how they felt about their telecom hosts and the retroactive immunity delivered to them by the Blue Dogs, at bargain basement prices.
We had no invitation, but nobody really cared.
So Christy, Pach, John Amato, Egregious, Ian Welsh, Dave Neiwert and Stoller headed for the party. Using my HarrietCam flip video, I was Glenn's videographer as he asked one guest after another why they were there and what their connection to AT&T and the Blue Dogs was.
It was remarkable. I've never seen anything like it, really. Glenn would announce that he was from Salon.com, ask them if they would be interviewed about the party, and nobody wanted to say who they were or even acknowledge that they knew what the party was about.
Almost every single person we talked with had the good sense to be ashamed of being there, but that didn't stop them from going in.
We'll try to have the video up soon and try to identify as many guests as we can. If they're eating AT&T's cocktail weenies, they shouldn't be afraid to let their telecom flag fly.
The following is a joint statement from Maggie Williams, Senior Advisor to Senator Clinton and David Axelrod, Senior Strategist to Senator Obama in response to the false story that appeared last night online on politico.com. “We understand that some in the news media are more interested in reporting the rumor of controversy than the fact of unity. The fact is that our teams are working closely to ensure a successful convention and will continue to do so. Senator and President Clinton fully support the Obama/Biden ticket and look forward to addressing the convention and the nation on the urgency of victory this Fall. Anyone saying anything else doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Period.”
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