Update On Senator Johnson

How's he doing? The AP checks in-

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson remained in critical condition but was described as recovering and holding his wife's hand Thursday after emergency overnight surgery to repair bleeding inside his brain...

..."He has been appropriately responsive to both word and touch. No further surgical intervention has been required," said the physician, Adm. John Eisold. He had said earlier, "The senator is recovering without complication."...

...It's common to take several days for someone to wake up after AVM surgery, said Dr. Sean Grady, neurosurgery chairman at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Someone who is awake and alert and talking in the first day or two typically has a shorter recovery — in the range of four to eight weeks, he said...

There was lots of speculation after the news broke about how his condition might affect the Senate (some more ghoulishly than others), but having a Senator recovering from health concerns is not new. It's happened a lot and it very rarely ever affects their standing (and even I doubt Republicans want to start the new term throwing a procedural hissy-fit over the status of a Senator's health). More from the AP-

Senate historian Donald Ritchie said senators serve out their terms unless they resign or die. He said there was precedent for senators remaining in the Senate even though illness kept them away from the chamber for long periods.

Just this year, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, missed three months of votes because of back surgery. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del., was away for seven months in 1988 after undergoing surgery for brain aneurysms.

In 1969, another South Dakota senator, Karl Mundt, a Republican, suffered a stroke while in office. Mundt continued to serve until the end of his term in January 1973, although he was unable to attend Senate sessions and was stripped of his committee assignments by fellow Republicans in 1972.

Translation: People may have sounded the political alarms bell too hastily.

Let's all wish the Senator a speedy and comfortable recovery. So far, the news is encouraging. He is up for reelection in 2008, though, and I am willing to bet this scare has him reconsidering whether to try for another term. If I have to guess, I'd say he will serve out his current term and then retire. Sounds like he's earned it.