Senator Edward Kennedy Rushed to Hospital After Suffering Seizure

Senator Edward Kennedy, a liberal icon and leader of America's most famous political dynasty, was hospitalized yesterday morning after a seizure.

The 76-year-old Massachusetts politician was rushed to hospital in Boston after falling ill at the family compound in nearby Cape Cod. Kennedy spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said early fears he had had a stroke seemed unfounded. 'Senator Kennedy is resting comfortably and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours,' she said.

The news prompted America's cable news channels to abandon normal programming and go to live updates from outside the hospital. Kennedy is one of the most famous political figures in the US and the second-longest-serving senator, having first taken up his seat in 1962. He is the youngest brother of John F Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy. For many Americans, he is a living embodiment of the Sixties golden era of the Kennedy family's political fortunes.

The news of his illness prompted many leading figures in American politics, including presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, to issue statements of sympathy. At a campaign stop in Oregon, Obama said he had high hopes that Kennedy would pull through. 'Ted Kennedy is a giant in American politics ... I insist on being optimistic about how it's going to turn out,' he said.

Kennedy has long strode over the American political landscape but his career has had many personal and political ups and downs. In 1969 he was involved in an infamous car accident in Chappaquiddick in which a young woman, Mary Jo Kopechne, died. The incident is thought to have scuppered a planned presidential run in 1972.