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Obama to stand in for Kennedy at Wesleyan

Posted May 21, 2008 11:00 pm

Associated Press

BOSTON -- Sen. Edward Kennedy is pulling out of the commencement address at Wesleyan University after being diagnosed with brain cancer, and Barack Obama will stand in for him.

A spokeswoman for Kennedy said he had planned to speak at the Sunday ceremony in Middletown, Conn., where his stepdaughter will be among the graduates. The commencement exercises also coincide with 25th reunion festivities for his son Edward Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy was diagnosed this week with a malignant brain tumor, which was discovered after he had a seizure last Saturday. He was released Wednesday from Massachusetts General Hospital and has been recovering from a biopsy at the Kennedy family compound on Cape Cod.

Kennedy has endorsed Obama in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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