Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a liberal Democratic icon and the patriarch of an American political dynasty, was hospitalized Saturday after becoming ill at his home, his office said. There was no immediate word on his condition, according to AP. A knowledgeable official said Kennedy was in the hospital after suffering stroke-like symptoms. The official declined to be identified by name, citing the sensitivity of the events. Kennedy spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter confirmed in a statement that Kennedy went to Cape Cod Hospital on Saturday morning «after feeling ill at his home.» After discussion with his doctors in Boston, Kennedy was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for further examination. «He is currently under evaluation that information will be released as it becomes available,» she said. Hyannis Fire Lt. Bill Rex told The Associated Press that an emergency call came in from the Kennedy family compound at 8:19 a.m. (1219 GMT). A man was transported to Cape Cod Hospital and transferred by air at 10:10 a.m. (1410 GMT) from Barnstable Municipal Airport to Massachusetts General. David Reilly, a spokesman for Cape Cod Hospital, said that Kennedy was brought to the hospital at about 9 a.m. (1300 GMT) and stayed for about an hour before being flown by helicopter to the Boston hospital. He said he could not comment on Kennedy's condition or treatment because of medical privacy laws. Kennedy, 76, has been in the Senate since election in 1962, filling out the term won by his brother, John F. Kennedy. In October, Kennedy had surgery to repair a nearly complete blockage in a major neck artery. The discovery was made during a routine examination of a decades-old back injury. The hourlong procedure on his left carotid artery _ a main supplier of blood to the face and brain _ was performed at Massachusetts General. This type of operation is performed on more than 180,000 people a year in the U.S. to prevent a stroke.
