If Fox News’ Major Garrett is right, then we already know the identity of the newest senator from Massachusetts, who’ll be replacing the late Sen. Ted Kennedy until a special election is held early next year. That’s if he’s right, of course, and so far the office of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who’s charged with making the choice, isn’t saying — for now, in fact, they’re saying no final decision has been made.

The man Garrett says will get the nod from Patrick is Paul Kirk, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee who was a close friend and aide to Kennedy — he worked for him for years, chairs the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and was the master of ceremonies at one memorial service for the senator. Kirk has gotten the endorsement of Kennedy family members, including the senator’s widow, Victoria, and his two sons.

Even if Patrick has settled on Kirk, there are still some issues left to be resolved. The biggest is a legal one: Laws passed by the Massachusetts Legislature don’t take effect for 90 days. That can be circumvented with an addition to a bill, an “emergency preamble,” but the state House voted the addition down on Wednesday. There’s one out left, though — Patrick himself can sign a letter declaring an emergency, which would make the law effective immediately.

That, too, might be easier said than done, however. Patrick’s up for re-election next year, and he’s lost quite a bit of luster recently. It would have been one thing if the state Legislature had given him the power to make the appointment immediately, as there would have been hundreds of votes to give him political cover. If he signs the letter, though, he’s all but on his own. There are still plenty of votes out there to give him cover — the emergency preamble requires a two-thirds vote, and didn’t pass only for that reason –  but they mean a whole lot less without the official approval of the Legislature as a whole.

Given that issue, if Patrick does sign the letter and make the appointment immediately, it’ll be interesting to see if he sticks with Kirk. The man is qualified, and respected, sure. But there’ve been a whole lot of issues with governors making Senate appointments recently, and in this case support from the Kennedys could actually be a point against Kirk — if Patrick’s nervous about making a choice that looks dynastic, or like he’s putting a Kennedy puppet in, he could look elsewhere. Former Gov. Michael Dukakis, the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988, is the other possibility who’s getting the most buzz.

If Fox News’ Major Garrett is right, then we already know the identity of the newest senator from Massachusetts, who’ll be replacing the late Sen. Ted Kennedy until a special election is held early next year. That’s if he’s right, of course, and so far the office of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who’s charged with making the choice, isn’t saying — for now, in fact, they’re saying no final decision has been made.

The man Garrett says will get the nod from Patrick is Paul Kirk, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee who was a close friend and aide to Kennedy — he worked for him for years, chairs the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and was the master of ceremonies at one memorial service for the senator. Kirk has gotten the endorsement of Kennedy family members, including the senator’s widow, Victoria, and his two sons.

Even if Patrick has settled on Kirk, there are still some issues left to be resolved. The biggest is a legal one: Laws passed by the Massachusetts Legislature don’t take effect for 90 days. That can be circumvented with an addition to a bill, an “emergency preamble,” but the state House voted the addition down on Wednesday. There’s one out left, though — Patrick himself can sign a letter declaring an emergency, which would make the law effective immediately.

That, too, might be easier said than done, however. Patrick’s up for re-election next year, and he’s lost quite a bit of luster recently. It would have been one thing if the state Legislature had given him the power to make the appointment immediately, as there would have been hundreds of votes to give him political cover. If he signs the letter, though, he’s all but on his own. There are still plenty of votes out there to give him cover — the emergency preamble requires a two-thirds vote, and didn’t pass only for that reason –  but they mean a whole lot less without the official approval of the Legislature as a whole.

Given that issue, if Patrick does sign the letter and make the appointment immediately, it’ll be interesting to see if he sticks with Kirk. The man is qualified, and respected, sure. But there’ve been a whole lot of issues with governors making Senate appointments recently, and in this case support from the Kennedys could actually be a point against Kirk — if Patrick’s nervous about making a choice that looks dynastic, or like he’s putting a Kennedy puppet in, he could look elsewhere. Former Gov. Michael Dukakis, the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988, is the other possibility who’s getting the most buzz.

The Massachusetts Senate has approved a bill that would allow Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint a temporary successor to the late Sen. Ted Kenendy. The legislation was already approved by the House; after another procedural vote in both chambers, Patrick is expected to sign it and move quickly to name a new senator.

Whoever Patrick picks won’t be in office for long — a special election will be held early next year, and the winner will replace the interim senator. But whoever Patrick picks will likely have a big role to play in healthcare reform, which was Kennedy’s primary focus towards the end of his life and is the reason for the speed with which the majority Democrat state legislature has moved.

The change overturns a law made not long ago, when the governor of Massachusetts was Republican Mitt Romney. At the time, legislators were concerned that if Sen. John Kerry won the presidency, Romney would get to name his replacement. But with Patrick, a Democrat, in office, and with Kennedy’s death depriving Senate Democrats of a potentially pivotal 60th vote, there was a push — led, before his death, by the late senator himself — to rewrite the law again.

Massachusetts could be back to having two senators very soon. Last week, the state House passed a bill that would allow Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, to appoint an interim successor to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy until a special election is held early next year. Now, the state Senate is ready to take up the legislation.

Republicans, who are a small minority in the Massachusetts Senate, had been using a delaying tactic to keep the bill from coming to the floor for a debate. Now, though, they seem ready to concede.

The administration still hasn’t said when it plans to end the Clinton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bars gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, a policy that has forced more than 12,500 people out of service since 1993. The arguments against the ban are pretty plain: it may be hurting the military’s readiness; it’s forced key translators to leave the military; it’s unfair; it’s not even supported by the public.

As I said Wednesday night, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Republicans would hit President Obama for bringing up the late Sen. Ted Kennedy during his address to Congress. But as I also said, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst made it harder for the GOP to get that line of attack to stick — Republicans are already on the defense about being crass, and so they don’t have a lot of room to maneuver.

Not long after President Obama referenced the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and the letter he got from Kennedy after the senator’s death, the White House sent out the full text, which you can read below.

The letter is dated May 12, 2009, which, according to Obama, is “shortly after [Kennedy] was told that his illness was terminal.”

Dear Mr. President,

I wanted to write a few final words to you to express my gratitude for your repeated personal kindnesses to me – and one last time, to salute your leadership in giving our country back its future and its truth.

On a personal level, you and Michelle reached out to Vicki, to our family and me in so many different ways. You helped to make these difficult months a happy time in my life.

You also made it a time of hope for me and for our country.

When I thought of all the years, all the battles, and all the memories of my long public life, I felt confident in these closing days that while I will not be there when it happens, you will be the President who at long last signs into law the health care reform that is the great unfinished business of our society. For me, this cause stretched across decades; it has been disappointed, but never finally defeated. It was the cause of my life. And in the past year, the prospect of victory sustained me-and the work of achieving it summoned my energy and determination.

There will be struggles – there always have been – and they are already underway again. But as we moved forward in these months, I learned that you will not yield to calls to retreat – that you will stay with the cause until it is won. I saw your conviction that the time is now and witnessed your unwavering commitment and understanding that health care is a decisive issue for our future prosperity. But you have also reminded all of us that it concerns more than material things; that what we face is above all a moral issue; that at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.

And so because of your vision and resolve, I came to believe that soon, very soon, affordable health coverage will be available to all, in an America where the state of a family’s health will never again depend on the amount of a family’s wealth. And while I will not see the victory, I was able to look forward and know that we will – yes, we will – fulfill the promise of health care in America as a right and not a privilege.

In closing, let me say again how proud I was to be part of your campaign- and proud as well to play a part in the early months of a new era of high purpose and achievement. I entered public life with a young President who inspired a generation and the world. It gives me great hope that as I leave, another young President inspires another generation and once more on America’s behalf inspires the entire world.

So, I wrote this to thank you one last time as a friend- and to stand with you one last time for change and the America we can become.

At the Denver Convention where you were nominated, I said the dream lives on.

And I finished this letter with unshakable faith that the dream will be fulfilled for this generation, and preserved and enlarged for generations to come.

With deep respect and abiding affection,

[Ted]