Kennedy successor gets warm Senate welcome after victory

Republican senator-elect Scott Brown won a warm welcome yesterday on his first visit to the US Senate since his shock victory in the race to succeed the late Democratic icon Ted Kennedy.

"This is the best place in the world when it comes to solving problems, and we've kind of lost our way," the new senator from Massachusetts, for now a political superstar, said as he arrived at the US Capitol.

Mr Brown met with a handful of his future colleagues, including top Democratic allies of President Barack Obama, vowed to quickly study often arcane Senate procedures and promised not to vote in lockstep with Republicans.

"I don't owe anybody anything," Mr Brown said as he met with Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. "If I see a Bill that is good for my state, I'm going to vote for it, and that's my first priority."

Mr Brown's victory stripped Mr Obama's Democrats of their already fragile 60-vote supermajority, enabling gleeful Republicans to stall legislation like the President's top domestic goal, remaking US health care.

"We are really, really happy to have him here. And he's ready to get to work, and we're ready to help him get started," said Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Mr Kerry, a long-time friend of Mr Kennedy who had sometimes sharp words for Mr Brown in the campaign leading up to Tuesday's vote, said he hoped the newest US senator would be sworn in "as expeditiously as it can happen".

"You have to work across the aisle here to make things happen. Americans don't just elect Democrats and Republicans, they elect people to be responsible with the people's business. I look forward to working with Scott," said Mr Kerry.

Mr Brown, who appears set to take the oath next week, first visited Republican Senator John McCain to thank him for his early support of his long-shot bid for the seat Mr Kennedy held for nearly half a century.

"Senator Brown represents, I think, the dreams and the hopes and the frustrations that Americans feel today. And they want the kind of leadership that the commonwealth of Massachusetts just sent us," said McCain.

Mr Brown said Mr McCain "was one of the first people to actually, you know, look me in the eye in this very office and say, 'Well, it's a long shot, but I'm with you if you feel you can win it'."

Mr Brown, who also met with Mr McConnell and Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, said he would try to keep his sense of humour and hoped his future colleagues and Mr Obama would as well.