Susan Ferrechio
Democratic convention officials confirmed to The Examiner Monday morning that Sen. Ted Kennedy will appear tonight at the Pepsi Center.
The 76-year-old senior senator from Massachusetts has been battling a malignant brain tumor for three months and is said to be weakened by his illness and the treatment for it.
Still, Kennedy is determined to attend the evening’s events, which will feature a video tribute about his life and 46-year senate tenure by
documentary film maker Ken Burns. Officials do not know yet if Kennedy will speak, but the tribute and the sight of Kennedy in the hall is expected to be an emotional event.
Kennedy arguably helped shape the outcome of the Democratic nomination process by throwing his support behind Obama, much to the surprise and disappointment of longtime ally Hillary Clinton.
Kennedy campaigned for Obama until his cancer diagnosis, and many members of his family, including Caroline Kennedy, continue to stump for the presumptive nominee. Kennedy is suffering from a terminal form of cancer. He sought the Democratic nomination in 1980 but lost his bid to then-President Jimmy Carter, delivering a concession speech at the convention that is considered one of the best of his career.
