This has to be seen as a hopeful sign -- Senator Tim Johnson is well enough for his staff to begin planning for his return.

Aides to Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) have begun making structural changes to the space in his Hart Senate Office building suites in anticipation of his return to the Capitol following a serious illness. They are widening walkways so that the offices will be accessible by wheel chair.

Julianne Fisher, Johnson's spokeswoman, sent a memo to all Democratic press secretaries today explaining the changes to come, while tamping down expectations of when he will return from his rehabilitation after suffering a brain hemorrhage in a mid-December while on a conference call to South Dakota reporters. Johnson, according to Fisher, is still undergoing in-patient rehabilitation and must shift to out-patient rehab before he can return to work.

But the decision to restructure the office is the clearest sign yet that Johnson is recovering enough to return to the Senate, where his absence has left the Democrats with a razor-thin 50-49 majority. Had he declared he was incapable of returning to work, a Republican governor would have replaced Johnson for the remainder of his term through 2008, creating the potential for the Senate to be 50-50 and flip back to Republican control because of Vice President Cheney's tie-breaking vote.

Let's continue to pray for the Senator's recovery.

Posted by: Greg at 10:40 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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