'''Paul Grattan Kirk, Jr.''' (born January 18, 1938) is a lawyer and [[Democratic Party]] politician who is the junior United States Senator from [[Massachusetts]] after being appointed by Governor [[Deval Patrick]] to replace the late [[Ted Kennedy]]. He will temporally hold the seat until a special election scheduled for January 2010. His appointment caused controversy, after the Democratic super-majority in the state legislature had originally blocked the right of [[Republican]] Governor [[Mitt Romney]] to appoint an interim senator had [[John Kerry]] been elected President in the 2004 election. His appointment was all the more significant because Senator Kirk could be the crucial 60th vote for government-run [[health care]] legislation that the [[Obama administration]] is proposing. Senator Kirk serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. | '''Paul Grattan Kirk, Jr.''' (born January 18, 1938) is a lawyer and [[Democratic Party]] politician who is the junior United States Senator from [[Massachusetts]] after being appointed by Governor [[Deval Patrick]] to replace the late [[Ted Kennedy]]. He will temporally hold the seat until a special election scheduled for January 2010. His appointment caused controversy, after the Democratic super-majority in the state legislature had originally blocked the right of [[Republican]] Governor [[Mitt Romney]] to appoint an interim senator had [[John Kerry]] been elected President in the 2004 election. His appointment was all the more significant because Senator Kirk could be the crucial 60th vote for government-run [[health care]] legislation that the [[Obama administration]] is proposing. Senator Kirk serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. |