US senator Kennedy rushed to hospital

US SENATOR Edward Kennedy was rushed to hospital yesterday after suffering a seizure at his home.

The 76-year-old Massachusetts Democrat did not appear to have had a stroke as initially suspected, but was undergoing tests to determine the cause of the seizure.

"He is undergoing a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the cause of the seizure," his office in Washington said.

A Kennedy aide said later that the senator was joking with family members.

His wife, Victoria, two of his children and his niece Caroline Kennedy were with him at the hospital.

Kennedy, who is known as Ted, went to Cape Cod Hospital yesterday morning after feeling ill at his holiday home. He was later taken by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Kennedy has been in the Senate since election in 1962, filling out the term won by his brother, John F Kennedy.

In October, he had surgery to repair an almost complete blockage in a major neck artery. It was discovered during a routine examination of a decades-old back injury.

The hour-long procedure on his left carotid artery, a main supplier of blood to the face and brain, took place at Massachusetts General. This type of operation is performed on more than 180,000 people a year in the US to prevent a stroke.

The doctor who operated on him said at the time that Kennedy had "a very high-grade blockage".

Kennedy is the lone surviving son of the famed political family. His eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a Second World War plane crash.

President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and his brother Robert was assassinated in 1968.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told reporters he had been in touch with the senator's family. "Ted Kennedy is a giant in American political history," said Obama. "He's done more for healthcare than just about anybody in history.

"We are going to be rooting for him. I insist on being optimistic about how it's going to turn out."

Kennedy gave Obama's presidential campaign a big boost this year with his endorsement and has campaigned actively for the Illinois senator.

Arizona senator John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, said: "Senator Kennedy's role in the US Senate cannot be overstated. He is a legendary lawmaker, and I have the highest respect for him."