Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT): “I’m having a hard time remembering a day in my 34 years here when I felt this bad,”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to him. We hope and pray that they will be able to treat it and that he will experience a full recovery. I have described Ted Kennedy as the last lion in the Senate. And I have held that view because he remains the single most effective member of the Senate.”
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): “I didn’t get any sense that his capacities had been diminished. I do know that he is going to fight, and I also know that he has got one of the most wonderful wives in the world. … She will be fighting by his side every step of the way, and I want to make sure that all the rest of us are there as well.”
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY): “Ted Kennedy’s courage and resolve are unmatched, and they have made him one of the greatest legislators in Senate history. Our thoughts are with him and Vicki, and we are praying for a quick and full recovery.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): “Ted and I have sparred a lot. So I know firsthand what a formidable fighter he is, and I know that he will do all he can to battle this disease. I join my Senate colleagues, Massachusetts residents and a grateful nation in wishing him a full and speedy recovery.”
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): “Ted Kennedy has spent his life caring for those in need. Now it’s time for those who love Ted and his family to care for them and join in prayer to give them strength.”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA): whose wife Maria Shriver is Kennedy’s niece- “While we are still learning the extent of Teddy’s diagnosis and treatment options, what we do know is that Teddy is an incredibly courageous and tenacious man who will tackle this with the same determination with which he approaches everything in life.”
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA): “Kennedy is a real fighter. We all know that. And … I’m betting on it”
President George Bush: “Laura and I are concerned to learn of our friend Sen. Kennedy’s diagnosis. Ted Kennedy is a man of tremendous courage, remarkable strength, and powerful spirit. Our thoughts are with Sen. Kennedy and his family during this difficult period. We join our fellow Americans in praying for his full recovery.”
