September 05, 2007
Senate Lunch Chatter: Johnson Back At Work
UPDATED.
Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., returned to work this morning after spending nine months recovering from a life-threatening condition affecting his brain that put him in the hospital in December. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, D-S.D., ceremoniously held open the doors to his office in the Hart Senate Office Building at 10:30 this morning as he arrived by motorized scooter with his wife, Barbara.
In an emotional address on the Senate floor, Johnson thanked his colleagues for their support and concern while he was away, and he said he felt a renewed appreciation for the office.
"I return to work today to this great body with a renewed spirit and a sharper focus," Johnson said, his speech slightly slowed by his condition. "I believe I have been given a second chance at life."
Later, his voice nearly overcome with emotion, he concluded, "It has been the greatest honor in my life to stand for and by the people of South Dakota. I cannot thank them as well as members of this chamber enough for their patience and support.
"Today my work begins anew. I relish this task," he said, as senators rose from their seats in applause.
Johnson's return eases the difficulty Senate Democrats have had in reaching majorities on key votes, given the thin 51-49 advantage they enjoy over Republicans in the chamber. Johnson will ease back into work, his spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said. As the Senate Ethics Committee he chairs considers a request for an investigation of Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., will continue as acting chair.
Fisher said the senator will receive speech therapy three times a week. Democrats cheered him loudly when he entered the halls shortly after noon.
Among those pleased to welcome Johnson back was Sen. Joseph Biden, who nearly died after suffering two brain aneurysms in 1988. "I know personally how long and difficult the recovery process can be, and that Tim’s incredible progress over the last eight and a half months has been a hard-fought battle," Biden said in a statement. "His daily perseverance and eagerness to return to his work in the Senate is a testament to his lifelong commitment to serving South Dakota and our nation."
After Johnson's address, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., went to the mikes and said that he had spoken with Craig this morning. McConnell said Craig told him that he would be seeking the dismissal of the case in which he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct over the summer at a Minnesota airport.
If he does not succeed by the end of September, McConnell said Craig would resign. If he was successful, Craig told McConnell he would return to the Senate and serve out his term. McConnell said he continued to believe that the best course of action would be Craig's resignation. Craig faces a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into the matter if he does return.
Earlier today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Republican senators faced a pack of reporters on Capitol Hill as they went to this week's party policy lunches. Reporters were corralled on one side of the Ohio Clock Corridor on the Senate side of the Capitol at the 12:30 p.m. start of the lunches, as Capitol police blocked some of the halls on reports of a suspicious package. Reid and the other senators passed through the pack avoiding comment on the Craig scandal. After 10 or 15 minutes, police gave the all-clear signal.
Iraq was clearly a hot topic today:
• Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Democrats were committed to finding a way to garner more Republican support for a plan to begin bringing U.S. troops home and changing the mission in Iraq.
• Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., echoed those comments but declined specifics.
• Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., said nothing short of ending the mission in Iraq would suffice.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said Republicans want to see a drawdown of troops "sooner rather than later" but are reluctant to force the military's hand.
• Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Congress should await Gen. David Petraeus' report next week on the war's progress before deciding on a course of action.
-BRIAN FRIEL, with additional reporting from NationalJournal.com staff
