Kennedy returns for vote on stimulus bill
Says it's time to 'take action now'
WASHINGTON - Leaning on his cane but smiling broadly, Senator Edward M. Kennedy returned yesterday to the Capitol to vote for ending debate on the stimulus bill, a key hurdle for its passage.
Expressing deep concern about the economy, he told reporters waiting outside: "It is time that we take action now." With little fanfare, he walked into the Senate chamber alongside his fellow Massachusetts senator, John F. Kerry, and stayed for only two minutes or so, just long enough to cast his vote and greet a couple of his colleagues.
Senator Barbara Boxer of California looked up as he arrived: "Here comes my hero," she said quietly, beaming.
His appearance was low-key enough, but that he felt the need to come at all underscored the importance of the bill and the unexpectedly tortured politics of getting it through Congress. Kennedy is suffering from brain cancer and had a seizure the last time he was in Washington, for President Obama's inauguration.
Just after the Jan. 20 ceremony, Kennedy collapsed at a Senate luncheon; doctors attributed the seizure to fatigue. He had been recuperating in Florida until late last week when, amid a frantic back-and-forth between Democratic leaders and a few Republicans, senators said Kennedy flew back to Washington to support the stimulus package.
Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia said Kennedy called Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Friday and said: "Kennedy, reporting for duty."
But Kennedy did not appear at the Senate until yesterday.
When he did, he seemed to do his best to avoid attracting attention. Venturing barely 20 feet into the chamber, he extended a trembling hand to Senator Max Baucus, the Finance Committee chairman who managed the floor debate. He greeted Reid, who patted his shoulder. Senator Patty Murray of Washington turned from her conversation and smiled.
Kerry tapped him on the arm, and Kennedy signaled his support for the bill to Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who was presiding over the vote. A few moments later, he turned and ambled off the floor with Kerry at his side.
"He is a hero," Boxer said after the vote. "Because the fact is, we needed his vote today."
She said the three Republican senators who are backing the stimulus package wanted to have more than 60 votes - the bare minimum - to end debate. Kennedy's was number 61.
"So it was very selfless of him," she said. "He's a very selfless person. I'm so grateful to him for doing this."
Kennedy, who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor last May, made a dramatic return in July to cast a key vote on a Medicare bill.
After voting yesterday, the Associated Press reported, he walked down a corridor to a parlor where his wife, Vicki, and several aides waited. One helped him on with his coat and a blue scarf, and Kennedy stepped into an elevator.
Asked how he was feeling, Kennedy replied, "Some days are better than others."
"Glad to be back," he said as the elevator doors closed.
Kennedy plans to return to cast a final vote on the stimulus bill today, Kerry said in an interview. An aide said Kennedy planned to travel back and forth between Florida and Washington until the weather gets warmer in the capital.
Kerry said he spoke with Kennedy for about 20 minutes in his office before they went to vote, and Kennedy told him he was frustrated that Congress couldn't have passed a stimulus sooner.
"He's looking forward to continuing to get back, and taking on healthcare," Kerry said.
In a statement, Kennedy said not passing a stimulus package would make the consequences of the economy's "free-fall . . . even more disastrous."
"I returned to the Senate today to do all I can to support our president and his plan to get our country back on track," the statement said. "We face a historic crisis and must act quickly, boldly, and responsibly to enable our economy to begin growing again in Massachusetts and across America."
Sasha Issenberg of the Globe staff contributed to this report. 
