When I read that Sen. Ted Kennedy suffered a seizure, I have to admit my first whispered prayer was not for the iconic Democratic leader. Instead, I worried about his closest mate, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch.

Where will Orrin be, I fretted, if Teddy, whom he once described as "one of the all-time great senators," takes that bridge jump to the other side.

But the nation's collective shock receded with word that Kennedy had recovered enough to watch a Red Sox game. With a shudder of relief, Orrin said:

Ted and I have been friends for 30 years.

Besides, working with Teddy on education and healthcare legislation (and gun control, some Utah NRA members complain), Orrin hooked up Teddy with his current wife. On Hatch's Whispers of My Heart CD, the Utah lyricist included a soulful ditty written for Ted and bride Vicki titled, Souls Along the Way.

Republicans told the Boston Globe that Kennedy's "courtly pragmatism" has allowed him to maintain close friendships with conservatives like Hatch. Long-time Kennedy retainer Bill Carrick says:

He's been in the Senate long enough to know you have to build allies and coalitions that transcend party and ideological differences.

Word has it that a distraught Orrin has been at the piano the last few days working on the lyrics for a get-well song for his corpulent Democratic mentor. Orrin's already nailed down the music rights to the The Theme from Shaft, but the words just won't come.