Senator Hospitalized: Balance of Power on the Line
The first thing I thought of when I read this story was Paul Wellstone.
From CNN:
Staff: Senator hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms
Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, was hospitalized Wednesday after he suffered stroke-like symptoms in his Washington office, his staff said.Johnson, who turns 60 on December 28, was taken to George Washington University Hospital by ambulance about 11:30 a.m., sources in his office said.
A statement issued by Johnson's office said he was suffering from a "possible stroke."
"At this stage he is undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by the stroke team," the statement said. Staffers said that Johnson was conscious when he was transported to the hospital.
A lawyer and longtime state lawmaker, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986. He served five terms before he was elected to the Senate in 1996.
He is the senior senator from South Dakota and serves on numerous committees, including appropriations, budget, banking, energy and natural resources, and Indian affairs.
Should Johnson not be able to complete his term, which ends in 2008, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, could appoint his replacement, which could shift the balance of power in the Senate.
Johnson battled prostate cancer in 2004, and after surgery, tests showed he no longer had the disease, according to his Web site.
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Pardon the pun...
This represents an awfully convenient "stroke" of luck for the republicans.
Deja Vu? Sharon fights for life after stroke
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/04/sharon/
<edit> well I am glad the Senator is not incapacitated or anything of that nature....
Senator Who Suffered Stroke
Senator Who Suffered Stroke Supports Anthrax Investigation
Kevin Dobbs
Argus Leader
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Note: The following report was published before it was announced today that Senator Johnson had suffered a stroke.
A cadre of U.S. lawmakers fired off a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales pleading for new information on the five-years-and-running investigation into the 2001 anthrax scare that shocked South Dakota when then-Sen. Tom Daschle's office was caught up in the attacks.
The bipartisan letter, signed by 33 members of Congress this week, extends an effort by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., to persuade the FBI to release an update on the case.
"In one of the most important terrorism investigations ever undertaken by the FBI, it is unbelievable to me that members of Congress, some who were targets of the anthrax attacks, haven't been briefed for years," Grassley said.
The FBI, citing concern about information in the unsolved case being leaked to the public, has refused lawmakers' requests.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/december2006/131206_b_Senator.htm
not to jump to conclusions but..........
Geez, I was already supicious even before you posted that!
!
If a Senator becomes to ill to serve, why does the Governor get
free reign to pick his replacement, including people directly opposed to the ill Senator's beliefs? Sounds like a ridiculous rule to me.
With Russian spies being poisoned with radiation, and our own politicians having airplane accidents or being shot by "crazies", I always supsect foul play now.
Spokesman: Johnson Did Not Have Stroke Or Heart Attack
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2006/12/13/national/w162...
He did have Brain Surgery
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/14/johnson.ill/index.html
It's also relevant to the committees He serves on
It's ironic that He serves on the appropriations, budget, banking, energy and natural resources. This is significant, especially if His possible replacement also gets to fill his duties in these committees.