Good point. I don't think there's anything that says that a Senator can be out of circulation for the remainder of his term, thereby holding the majority for the Dems, even if he himself never steps foot back onto the Senate floor.
Alright, I think enough prayers and well wishes have been posted. Now we can get into the raw politics of the matter. If the democrats can run a women who has been bedridden in the hospital for months, in and out of apparent comas, and on the verge of death for re-election to the house in 2004 (a women in Hawaii whose name escapes me). Then I see nothing that would stop them from attempting to keep Johnson a Senator for 2 more years, even he never left the hospital or his home. And the republicans, ever looking to be "bipartisan" and gain media love and attention, would probably be morons and rotate through senators to "pair" their vote with him.
I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.