We'll keep providing the latest news on Senator Johnson's condition throughout the day. Amazing how quickly this turned in to a purely political story. The GOP sharks are circling Tim Johnson. CNN has Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a brain surgeon, covering this story and he's been quite informative. Meanwhile, MSNBC's painful Norah O'Donnell, fresh off a scintillating interview with Laura Bush about Christmas, is just weirdly giddy. The latest news from the Associated Press sounds hopeful:
Johnson suffered from bleeding in the brain caused by a congenital malformation, the U.S. Capitol physician said, describing the surgery as successful. The condition, present at birth, causes tangled blood vessels.The GOP needs to be careful here. There have been many Senators who had to recuperate from serious medical conditions. Remember Arlen Specter's brain tumor? They all need to back off.
"The senator is recovering without complication," the physician, Adm. John Eisold, said. "It is premature to determine whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long-term prognosis."
Eisold said doctors had to drain the blood that had accumulated in Johnson's brain and stop continued bleeding.
Democrats hold a fragile 51-49 margin in the new Senate that convenes Jan. 4. If Johnson leaves the Senate, the Republican governor of South Dakota could appoint a Republican - keeping the Senate in GOP hands with Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking power.
Johnson's condition, also known as AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large and become tangled.
The senator's wife, Barbara Johnson, said the family "is encouraged and optimistic."
In a statement from Johnson's office Thursday, she said her family was "grateful for the prayers and good wishes of friends, supporters and South Dakotans."
