Robert Byrd is in the hospital. He's been hospitalized several times over the past few years. But, this time, Byrd's staff is reporting that his condition is "serious."
The Senate being the Senate, any Democratic absence has an impact. And, it sure looks certain that Byrd won't be in the Senate for the vote on Wall Street reform this week:
Sen. Robert Byrd (D., W.Va), currently Congress’s longest-serving member, has been hospitalized in “serious” condition, diminishing the chances of the Senate putting the financial-overhaul bill to a vote this week.Developing "other conditions" doesn't sound good, especially for someone so frail.
Byrd, aged 92 and currently Congress’s longest-serving member, was admitted to a Washington area hospital late last week for what was thought to be severe dehydration and heat exhaustion brought on by this summer’s near triple-digit temperatures. He was expected to spend just a few days in the hospital, but Byrd spokesman Jesse Jacobs said in a statement on Sunday that “other conditions have developed which has resulted in his condition being described as ’serious.’”
Nate Silver explains West Virginia's laws on succession.
