Tim Johnson Goes Home

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota is finally home after a brain hemorrhage last December.

The senator was discharged from the National Rehabilitation Hospital on Friday, his office said Monday, and is now recuperating at his house in suburban Washington.

"It is wonderful to take this next step with family and friends," Johnson said in the office statement. "As I continue with my therapy, I also get more and more work from the office. The doctors tell me to pace myself and prepare for the long road, but I am determined to get back in the saddle."

In callous Washington fashion, Johnson’s sudden illness prompted concern and speculation from Democrats and Republicans alike that his failing health would transfer power in the Senate back to the Republicans, just months after Democrats wrested it from them, because South Dakota’s governor was expected to select a fellow Republican to replace Johnson if he died or was too incapacitated to fulfill his obligations.

And his upcoming reelection campaign in 2008 fueled even more speculation.

But Johnson said he and his wife, Barbara, "talk often of the day that we will be able to head home to South Dakota and thank everyone for their love and support."

Johnson was discharged from George Washington University Hospital in mid-February to focus more on rehabilitation. His doctor says the senator has shown signs of "significant progress", according to the statement, but that the road to recovery remains long.