Spokane7
50°
June 28, 2010 in Nation/World
West Virginia Democrat Byrd in hospital
Byrd
(Full-size photo)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who holds the record as the longest-serving member of Congress, is seriously ill in a Washington, D.C.-area hospital, his office said Sunday.
The 92-year-old West Virginia Democrat has been in the hospital since late last week, his office said in a statement. At first Byrd was believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration, the statement said, but other medical conditions have developed. His condition was described as serious.
The statement did not name the hospital.
In November, Byrd broke the record for congressional service that had been set by Democrat Carl Hayden of Arizona, who served in the House and Senate from 1912 to 1969.
Byrd began his career in Washington in 1952 with his election to the House. His elevation to the Senate came six years later.
Byrd has been in frail health in recent years and was hospitalized three times in 2009. He has been confined to a wheelchair, but was present and voted “yes” for final Senate passage of the health care reform bill in March.
“He’s our champion,” West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said Sunday. “Our prayers are with him.”
During previous health problems, “he’s always rallied, and I’m depending on him to rally again,” Manchin said.
West Virginia’s other senator, Democrat Jay Rockefeller, said: “He has been ill before, but he’s a fighter. Senator Byrd continues to be a powerful force and does so much for the state, and I am hopeful that he will get well very soon.”
Byrd has been the longest-serving senator since June 2006 and was elected to an unprecedented ninth term in November 2006. His colleagues have elected him to more leadership positions than any senator in history. He has cast more than 18,000 votes and has a nearly 98 percent attendance record over the course of his career.
His wife, Erma, died in 2006.
© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Stocks plummet as outlook in Europe dims 
misjustice on June 28 at 9:40 p.m.
RIP, Senator. I will never forget your stirring speech from the floor of the Senate prior to the invasion of Iraq. You were eloquent, and correct when you stated “this chamber is dreadfully silent!”
Some will chose to remember that as a young man you were a member of the KKK. I chose to remember that you denounced your misguided membership, and that you went on to serve your state and the nation in ways that attempted to atone for your misguided allegiance with that group.
I watched your floor speeches with rapt attention and was always moved by your stirring rhetoric and rousing prose.
Today, America lost a true statesman with your passing.