EXTRA...

Kennedy has malignant brain tumor; Stunned silence in DC; Is Hillary Clinton the new Ted Kennedy? Byrd offers weeping tribute

Kennedy reportedly diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor
Survival rate is grim, can range from less than one to five years.

This recent photo shows a much less vigorous looking person.Senator Edward M. Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. A cancerous brain tumor caused the seizure Sen. Edward M. Kennedy suffered over the weekend, doctors said Tuesday in a grim diagnosis for one of American politics' most enduring figures.

Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat say tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma.

Read more in the Times here. Read  the Boston Globe report here.

Were he to resign or die in office, state law requires a special election for the seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after the vacancy occurs.

Click here to read the statement by Dr. Lee Schwamm, the vice chairman of the Department of Neurology at Mass. General Hospital and Dr. Larry Ronan, Kennedy's primary care physician.

What Ted Kennedy Means To Massachusetts
For millions of Americans and others around the world who grew up admiring the Kennedy brothers and what they stood for, Ted Kennedy is an iconic figure. For thousands and thousands of people who have been affected by the legislation Ted has championed during his 46-year Senate career – low-wage workers making higher minimums, seniors enjoying health benefits, students receiving student loans, minorities protected by civil rights legislation just to name a few – he is a guardian angel... WBZ.
'Stunned silence' in the Nation's Capitol
Senate Democrats and Republicans were in their weekly closed policy lunches in the Capitol when the news broke about Sen. Ted Kennedy. Majority Leader Reid announced the news to his Democratic colleagues. The wind was taken out of the room, said one senator. There was “stunned silence,” said another. 

Kennedy friend Sen. John Kerry, arrived late and entered a back door to the lunch. He looked drained. He declined to comment about the news except to nod yes when asked if he had spoken to Kennedy’s family... CNN.

Wife, other friends and associates make statements

Victoria Reggie Kennedy; "Teddy is leading us all, as usual, with his calm approach to getting the best information possible. He's also making me crazy (and making me laugh) by pushing to race in the Figawi this weekend.'"

Mitt Romney; "If anybody can fight back and win, it's Ted Kennedy. He beats the odds time and again." Romney, who in 1994 became the seventh of nine Republican Senate candidates to lose to Kennedy, added "I quickly learned (as Governor) if you wanted to get something done, you sent it to Ted Kennedy."

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino; "I have faith that my friend will come through this with the same courage he has demonstrated throughout his life."

Rep. Ed Markey; "Ted Kennedy is the greatest senator in American history. I know that he will take on this latest challenge with the same fighting spirit, strength and courage he has always shown."

Byrd offers weeping tribute to Kennedy
"Ted, Ted, my dear friend, I love you, and I miss you"Senator Robert C. Byrd has offered perhaps the most emotional outpouring on the Senate floor in years, offering a weeping tribute to "his dear friend, Ted Kennedy."

His voice cracking, hands trembling, Byrd sat in his wheelchair and slowly read his tribute to Kennedy, who has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

"I want to take a moment to say how distraught and terribly shaken I am over the news of my dear friend, my dear, dear friend, Ted Kennedy," Byrd said. "Ted, Ted, my dear friend, I love you, and I miss you"... Politico.

Is Hillary Clinton the new Ted Kennedy?
Kennedy became effective when he gave up the family burden
After coming up short in his bid for the presidency in 1980, Sen. Edward Kennedy realized he'd never be president, and rededicated his career to the Senate, where he focused on advancing his liberal agenda through legislation. Kennedy may have had a few regrets that he wouldn't make history as half of the only brothers to serve in the White House, but the record shows he became one of the Senate's most influential lawmakers only after he gave up his dream to fulfill the family legacy.

Could Hillary Clinton follow Kennedy's example by giving up her dream of becoming the first woman and first First Lady to be elected president, and become the Senate's liberal champion instead?  Giving up the dream freed Kennedy to look for allies across the aisle...  Market Watch.

Kennedy is a major political figure - NECN, other continuous updates

• Neurologist: Surgery alone will not cure Kennedy tumor
  While Sen. Edward Kennedy's family comes to grips with news he has a brain tumor, a neurologist from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center says the senator will face an uphill fight. "Surgery alone... will not cure this cancer," said Dr. Michael Biber of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center..."
• Neurologist describes possible scenarios for Kennedy tumor
  Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. Preliminary biopsy results showed a malignant glioma in the left parietal-lobe...  NECN.
• Last survivor of Camelot shadowed by dark clouds
  He may be the last surviving champion of Camelot, America's most glittering political dynasty, but along the way Senator Kennedy has rubbed shoulders with fortune and misfortune in equal measure.  He spent much of his early political career trying to escape from the dark shadows of Chappaquiddick, a scandal that would have finished a lesser man.
  
  The fact that he survived to become one of only six men in American history to have served 40 years in the upper house of the US legislature says much about his pedigree.  But there were always those brooding dark clouds over the political landscape. The press never allowed the spectre of those hugely damning events at Cape Cod fade from the memory for long.  Removing the stain of the "Chappaquiddick affair" took all the energy that America's first family of politics could summon...  Irish Independent