Key Sen. Johnson in critical condition

By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was in critical condition on Thursday after brain surgery, the U.S. Capitol physician said, an illness that could deprive Democrats of their precarious hold on the incoming Senate.
The party narrowly wrested control from President George W. Bush's Republicans in the U.S. Congress in last month's elections, gaining just a 51-49 majority in the Senate when it convenes in three weeks.
However, if Johnson, 59, were to leave office, Republicans could gain control of the Senate, leaving Vice President Dick Cheney in the key position of breaking tie votes."We're all praying for a full recovery, we're confident that will be the case," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid told reporters.
Adm. John Eisold, attending physician of the United States Capitol, said Johnson had undergone brain surgery for a rare and often fatal condition, and was in critical condition. He said it was not known whether more surgery would be needed.
"Senator Tim Johnson was found to have had an intracerebral bleed caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation," Eisold said in a statement. "The senator is recovering without complication. ... It is premature to determine whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long-term prognosis."
He did not say if Johnson was in a coma or where in the brain the malformation was found.
Johnson, who had prostate surgery in 2004, was taken to George Washington University Hospital on Wednesday with stroke-like symptoms after he verbally stumbled and seemed confused in a radio interview with reporters.