President Barack Obama will speak to the American public tonight via an address to a joint session of Congress.

This critical address comes as financial markets are tumbling while the American public continues to express high levels of confidence about Obama as president and his agenda addressing the economic crises.

Obama needs to call forth a collective effort from the American people. Politically, he is at the apex of his administration's ability to summon the excitement of community and sacrifice that Americans have always given at moments of peril.

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Senator Hillary Clinton now has a choice. Either she accepts a possible appointment as Secretary of State of the United States or she goes back to the Senate and Chair the Insurance Coverage Working Group established by Senator Kennedy.

Today Kennedy named three Senators to Chair three working groups that would work on Health Care reform.

Prevention and Public Health: Chair Senator Tom Harkin
Healthcare Quality: Chair Senator Barbara Mikulski
Insurance Coverage: Chair Senator Hillary Clinton

As we all know, Clinton asked Kennedy to create a Subcommittee on Healthcare, which she could chair. That request was denied. Kennedy Chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Here is a statement from Kennedy.

"Our committee is fortunate to have the services of major leaders who are committed to improving health care for the American people. Senator Harkin, Senator Mikulski, and Senator Clinton have generously offered to step forward and assume an expanded role on critical aspects of health reform. I commend them for their leadership, and I look forward very much to working with them, with all our colleagues on the committee and throughout Congress, and with the Obama Administration to achieve the goal at long last of quality, affordable health care for all Americans."

Clinton can now either help bring peace to the world or help bring affordable, quality Health Care to millions of Americans.

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According to Kennedy's aides, the Senator from Massachusetts will be back at his second home in Washington this afternoon in "a sign that his treatments have been progressing well." It's also a positive sign that Senator Kennedy intends to keep the promise he made to the country in Denver two months ago.

His spokesperson, Melissa Wagoner, announced that "His doctors are very pleased with his progress..." We are very pleased as well. Barack Obama has his work cut out for him cleaning up after Bush, but his load just got a little lighter with this news.

Senator Kennedy's treatments will continue in DC. This will be the first time he's been in the Senate since July, when he cast a tiebreaking vote on Medicare legislation.

Youtube video courtesy of TPM:

Video from Boston.com:

Click here for the Huffington Post video of his return.

His historic promise in Denver follows.

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Crossposted by by Ekaterin at Dailykos
Tue Sep 23, 2008 at 08:30:27 PM PDT

Today was his first public appearance since the DNC. I was so glad to see how strong he looks, and thought you might enjoy seeing this encouraging look at the Senate's Liberal Lion.

The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, visited Senator Kennedy at his home in Hyannis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcKoiNjJC 80

(anyone know how to embed videos?)

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Last November, Michael Mukasey stood in the Justice Department's Great Hall as he was sworn in as the new US Attorney General. Having been given the first opportunity to speak publicly to his staff, Mukasey said:

"We do law, but the result is justice. And that is why our ultimate client - the people of this country - can and do rest secure in the knowledge that our unswerving allegiance is to the law and the Constitution, and that the result of faithful performance of our duty is justice."

My, how times reveal the true nature of people; we've now all come to recognize Mukasey as the disappointment who refused to come out against waterboarding, squelching our hopes for a firm protector of the Constitution.

And it seems he's on a roll.

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