At Roll Call, an Uneasy Silence

Johnson's family and staff members say they hope he will recover enough to do some work within "several months." But in the statements released by the office, predictions of his recovery time have never been attributed to his doctors.

"Senator Johnson is showing evidence of more functional, spontaneous speech and is indicating preferences. He is answering questions and following commands appropriately," Philip Marion, medical director for GW's Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, says in the most recent statement, released Thursday.

Johnson's wife, Barbara, spends much of every day with her husband. Several times a day, she taps out updates on her BlackBerry and sends them to staff and family members.

Amusing anecdotes from the hospital, hot off the BlackBerry, are savored and laughed about around the office: Watching football playoffs, the senator groaned in mock dismay when his wife kept referring to the Chicago Bears as the Chicago Cubs. He rolled his eyes when she asked why he wasn't rooting for the Patriots over the Colts, since South Dakota native Adam Vinatieri is the place kicker. Did she not know that Vinatieri had signed with the Colts!?

Staff and family say the senator's wife, an education consultant and a two-time breast-cancer survivor, has been a powerful presence during this period of absence. (She declined to be interviewed for this story.)

"It probably shouldn't be this way, but she's been the source of strength for her kids rather than vice versa," Brendan Johnson says. Tim and Barbara Johnson have been married for 37 years.

The senator wasn't in the House chamber Tuesday evening, but he let his wife know he wanted to watch the State of the Union address. He heard President Bush say, "We pray for the recovery and speedy return of Sen. Tim Johnson."

Barbara Johnson tapped out this bulletin: "Tim was very touched by the President's recognition. It was obvious that he wanted to be there and I reminded him that next year he would be."

From such glimpses, friends and colleagues glean that the old Tim Johnson is present, albeit in a hospital bed.

Senate Precedents

When a senator is absent for an extended period, two seemingly contradictory sides of Washington come into focus.

There is an inevitable, almost ruthless, forward momentum that tarries for no senator. The people of South Dakota must be served, partisan interests must be advanced.

Yet, there is also a human side, an instinct for decency, an acknowledgement that life can't fully go on as usual.