Byrd Marks Half-Century in the Senate (Updated)

It was 50 years ago Wednesday that Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., joined the U.S. Senate, starting a tenure that has made him history's longest-serving member of that body.

MetroNews is among those reporting on the speeches from colleagues that helped highlight the 91-year-old's latest milestone.

Update: The Associated Press noted that during this week swearing-in of the 111th Congress, Byrd "celebrated with customary eloquence a half-century of service in the Senate":

He said he's loved every minute of serving in a chamber he called the "morning and evening star in the American constitutional constellation."
"I look forward — yes, I look forward — to the next 50 years," he finished. "Amen. Amen!"

A separate article from AP captured the scene more wistfully, describing the Senate as "nearly deserted," and Byrd as speaking "from a wheelchair, his hair white, his voice often faltering."