Ted Kennedy has been taken to the hospital, the news networks have reported, after he suffered a seizure a short time ago at the inaugural lunch on Capitol Hill.
A few minutes ago, Fox News showed Kennedy being taken away in an ambulance as John Kerry, Chris Dodd, Orrin Hatch and others looked on.
Speaking to reporters just now, Walter Mondale said that Kennedy and others at the table were telling old stories to each other, “and then it just stopped.” Mondale added that he’s heard second-hand that Kennedy is doing better.
Robert Byrd was also seen leaving the event early, being escorted out in his wheelchair, but at this point it does not appear that his symptoms were as serious as Kennedy’s.
Late Update: Byrd’s spokesman told the local NBC affiliate in West Virginia that Byrd was not hospitalized. Instead, Byrd left the room because he was upset over Ted Kennedy’s difficulties.
Late Late Update: The Associated Press reports that officials at Washington Hospital Center say Kennedy is awake and answering questions.
