Ted Kennedy Collapses At Obama Inauguration Lunch

by Jon Azpiri | January 20, 2009 at 11:52 am

4474 views | 34 Recommendations | 12 comments

Democratic senators Ted Kennedy collapsed during the Inauguration Lunch for President Barack Obama. Initial reports varied as to who collapsed: some say it was 91-year-old Robert Byrd, the oldest-serving member of the Senate. Other reports suggest that Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy collapsed during the lunch. CNN is reporting that both Senators collapsed during the celebratory lunch.

During President Obama's opening remarks, he confirmed that Senator Kennedy collapsed during the luncheon.

"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. And, 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. And I think that is 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."

CNN later reported that Kennedy suffered a seizure and was still seizing as he was carried out on a stretcher.

Senator Kennedy has been fighting a malignant brain tumor. In June of last year, Kennedy underwent brain surgery and returned to the Senate in November. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch told reporters that he was with Kennedy immediately after the collapse and that Kennedy smiled at him prior to being put into an ambulance. Reuters is reporting that Kennedy was conscious while in the ambulance. Kennedy is reportedly in stable condition and is being assessed at Washington Hospital Center. He will held overnight at the hospital for observation. He is expected to be released in the morning.

According to CNN, it is believed that the seizure was brought on by simple fatigue.

Moments before Kennedy's collapse, Senator Byrd reportedly also needed medical attention. According to ABC news, Byrd was so distraught by the Kennedy seizure that he needed medical attention.

CNN is reporting that Byrd is now fine. Byrd's office is now saying that the Senator had no medical issue at all.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Uwe Paschen

at 12:07 on January 20th, 2009

Well, I hope Kennedy does stick around for some time yet, he is one of the few that still remains sober and clear headed.

eastvanray

at 16:32 on January 20th, 2009

Ted Kennedy "sober"? When did that happen? His reputation is of the biggest lush, alcoholic in Washington (and that is no small accomplishment). Your comments were in jest, right?

Floor Tom (not verified)

at 01:37 on January 21st, 2009

Zing! You are right on, genius! He's totally like the town drunk, and stuff. I mean, even the regular winos around DC ain't got shit on this clown. He's always yuckin it up in the Senate, coming up with craaaazy riders to bills and such. And who will forget that time on the Simpsons ...

eastvanray

at 17:18 on January 24th, 2009

He is a drunk. Period.

158

at 12:35 on January 20th, 2009

I hope both recover and continue to serve.

158

at 12:38 on January 20th, 2009

Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was stricken Tuesday at an inauguration luncheon for President Barack Obama and wheeled away on a stretcher.

A Capitol police officer stood up at the luncheon and said medical attention was needed.

Kennedy collapsed and was wheeled out from the Capitol luncheon following the inauguration of the 44th president. Kennedy reportedly suffered convulsions.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a close friend of Kennedy’s, said the senator had a seizure that was “very upsetting” to onlookers.

Gerard Harbison (not verified)

at 13:05 on January 20th, 2009

Word has it Grand Kleagle Byrd passed out when someone finally found the nerve to break it to him that we now have a black president.

CJaye

at 13:32 on January 20th, 2009

The last word on Sen. Kennedy was he was doing fine, these seizures happen with the type of brain tumor he has.

Karenke4

at 15:30 on January 20th, 2009

“After testing, we believe the incident was brought on by simple fatigue,” the doctor said in a statement. “Senator Kennedy is awake, talking with family and friends, and feeling well.”Shortly before 3 p.m., CNN reported that Mr. Kennedy, 76, had suffered a seizure and been taken from Statuary Hall in the Capitol in a wheelchair. The senator’s brain tumor was discovered last spring after he suffered a seizure.

Ajlouny (not verified)

at 20:00 on January 20th, 2009

I thought that Teddy Kennedy was a big lush for a long time. Not sure where that comment came from. I hope that he's okay.

Roy C

at 22:04 on January 20th, 2009

Did any of you know that a higher percentage of Republicans voted for the major civil rights bills than Democrats, due to the fact that so-called "Dixiecrats", Democratic segregationists, whose "Taliban" wing was the KKK, voted against those bills?

Ted is the big lush who let his woman passenger die at Chappaquidick bridge when he crashed and ran away, and then ran for prez anyway.

Ted is no Robert Kennedy nor is he a JFK.

What business did he have annulling his marriage to his wife, twisting arms at the Vatican, getting the "Catholic divorce" and, in effect, making his first marriage a meaningless event and rendering his children "bastards", the product of a situation that was not a marriage due to what?

Ted and Bush tried to pull off all that immigration "reform" that excluded taking care of the border, and then saddled us with buying drugs for older people, regardless if they were rich enough to pay for the drugs themselves, and letting the drug companies get away with murder by making us, the taxpayer, pay for the drugs at current market prices.

If we subsidize the purchase of a drug on a mass scale, we should have the option to negotiate the price as is done in Canada and in Europe.

Sorry, I want Ted to go and the faster, the better. Yes, I am sorry to see him suffer, but he is just the scion of a powerful Irish-American father who bankrolled the gangsters during Prohibition, who milked the stock market through manipulation and who purchased the presidency for JFK.

JFK lost that election. The "dead" voting in Chicago and the friends of Sicily threw Illinois to JFK and let JFK beat Nixon.

The irony was not lost on me when I saw Mayor Daley Jr in Florida complaining about hanging chads and all that when his father had thrown the election to Kennedy.

The Kennedys have done some very good things, notably Robert Kennedy's fight against the Mafia, which probably got his brother, the Prez, killed.

As I said above, Ted ain't on the level of the other brothers.