Orrin Hatch talks about Ted Kennedy on ABC

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Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) told ABC that he accompanied Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) out to the ambulance with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.).

Hatch said Kennedy appeared to have a seizure.

‘He was starting to do OK by the time he was wheeled into the ambulance,’ Hatch said. ‘He was conscious. He was speaking. I’d rather not characterize it. I’m not a doctor and all I can say is he’s in our prayers.’

Hatch said he told his old friend, ‘Just hang in there, Teddy, you’re going to be all right and we’re praying for you. He knows all those things are important.

‘I personally wished he hadn’t come today,’ he added. ‘But he’s a person who loves history and the history of this place. He’s always there at things that matter and all major events and he wouldn’t have missed this for the world. This is, as you can see by the response out there, one of the most important days in the history of this country. To be able to basically in one fell swoop get rid of the racist past of this country is something we all ought to be very pleased with. And I think that’s one reason Sen. Kennedy was here. He’s fought very hard for civil rights his whole lifetime.’

--Maria Elena Fernandez

(Photo: Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., arrives at the U.S. Capitol)

(Credit: Ron Edmonds / AP)