Kennedy May Speak at DNC

Sen. Edward Kennedy could make an unscheduled appearance at this week's Democratic convention if his physicians give him the go-ahead, his son says.

"If anything, it'd be an 11th-hour call," Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., said in a telephone interview Sunday with The Associated Press. "If he's up to it in the 11th hour and can get the green light from doctors, he might be able to pull it off."

Sen. Kennedy, diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor after he had a seizure in May, will be honored Monday night at the convention in a video tribute. He has had surgery and a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiation.

A surprise appearance by Kennedy, one of the party's most popular and prominent figures, could provide an emotional moment for Democrats gathered in Denver.

The Massachusetts senator is one of nominee-in-waiting Barack Obama's strongest supporters.

Rep. Kennedy visited his father over the weekend in Hyannis Port, Mass. and was traveling to Denver on Sunday.

The senator has mostly kept a low profile this summer, though he made a surprise visit to the Senate in July to cast a key Medicare vote.

"He was able to make the Medicare vote, and that was the vote that turned the bill around," Rep. Kennedy said.

"The convention would be a nice thing for him to show up at," his son said. "It's certainly one he'd like to do, if he
could. But the Medicare vote was a must-do. This is not a have-to."

He said the treatments have gone well. "We need him back in the Senate in September," he said. "He's doing well."

The Associated Press