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Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) returned to work in the Senate Monday after spending the past six months battling brain cancer back home. A smiling, upbeat Kennedy made his second public appearance on Capitol Hill since he was diagnosed with a brain turmor. He was accompanied by his wife and two dogs, and attended a meeting in the same Russell Office Building room where two of his brothers declared their presidential candidacies. “I feel fine,” said the 76-year-old senator whose only other appearance came on July 9, when he cast the decisive vote on Medicare legislation.Through video conferences from his Massachussetts home and a series of discussions with other senators, Kennedy has been laying the groundwork for a healthcare push early next year with the incoming Obama administration. On Monday, he wasted little time addressing the topic, the signature issue of his 45-year legislative career. “I’m looking forward to the session,” Kennedy said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’m looking forward particularly to working with Barack Obama on healthcare,” he said. Kennedy said he anticipates Congress will pass a universal healthcare program next year and that Obama has told him he will sign it into law. “I’m very hopeful that this will be a prime item on the agenda,” he said. “Barack has indicated that this would be a prime issue, and I believe it will be. There are some major issues, obviously — the economy and environmental issues — but the president-elect has indicated this will be a priority and I certainly hope it will.” Kennedy walked with a cane that belonged to his father, Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, but otherwise showed little sign of ill health and displayed a full head of his trademark white hair despite ongoing chemotherapy. After speaking with reporters, Kennedy entered the third-floor Russell caucus to a loud ovation from an audience of about 100 staff members from his personal and committee offices. A large sign reading “Welcome Back, Senator!” was stretched across the room’s back wall and a seafood lunch had been prepared. The room was the same location where John F. Kennedy first declared his intention to seek the presidency in 1960 and where Robert F. Kennedy declared his candidacy in 1968. Kennedy’s staff said he hopes to attend Tuesday’s Democratic conference meeting and participate in a vote on possible punishment against Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). He also hopes to attend multiple meetings of this week’s lame-duck congressional session, including a floor appearance, although his staff said there are no guarantees.
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