Kennedy leaves hospital today; prognosis looking bleak

BOSTON — Sen. Edward Kennedy has been released from Massachusetts General Hospital and is heading for his home on Cape Cod after being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.

The 76-year-old Kennedy waved to a crowd of well-wishers and gave a thumbs-up as he walked out of the hospital amid heavy security. His dogs greeted him at the hospital door.

Doctors said Wednesday the Massachusetts Democrat "has recovered remarkably quickly" from a brain biopsy conducted Monday. Kennedy will recuperate at his Hyannis Port home while the doctors await further test results and determine his treatment plan.

Kennedy has a malignant glioma in his left parietal lobe. Experts say such tumors are almost always fatal.

The news of Kennedy's diagnosis reverberated Tuesday across the spectrum of U.S. politics.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was visibly shaken after the Republican caucus lunch meeting, when he learned the news.

"I love him like a brother," Hatch said, wiping tears from his eyes. "I just feel terrible about hearing this. It's really terrible news."

Hatch has been e-mailing with Vicki Kennedy, the senator's wife, since Kennedy suffered a seizure over the weekend. Kennedy's staff members, who know how close the two are, also have been keeping him in the loop, Hatch said.

"We've just been very, very close," Hatch said. "We've always respected each other."

President Bush, as well as all three presidential candidates, paused to pay tribute to the Massachusetts Democrat's legislative achievements.

"Ted Kennedy is a man of tremendous courage, remarkable strength and powerful spirit. Our thoughts are with Senator Kennedy and his family during this difficult period. We join our fellow Americans in praying for his full recovery," Bush said.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who received Kennedy's backing for the Democratic presidential nomination, said he might not be a member of the Senate had it not been for Kennedy's work on voting rights and civil rights. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., called him one of the greatest legislators in Senate history.

And Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Kennedy's chief co-sponsor on an unsuccessful overhaul of immigration laws, blinked back tears on his campaign bus as he called Kennedy "the last lion in the Senate."