MCain hiding recent medical records?

[AZBlue]

On the Campaign Trail, Few Mentions of McCain’s Bout With Melanoma
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D.
Published: March 9, 2008

Along with his signature bright white hair, the most striking aspects of Senator John McCain’s physical appearance are his puffy left cheek and the scar that runs down the back of his neck.

The marks are cosmetic reminders of the melanoma surgery he underwent in August 2000. Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, sometimes tells audiences that he has “more scars than Frankenstein.”

The operation was performed mainly to determine whether the melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer, had spread from his left temple to a key lymph node in his neck; a preliminary pathology test at the time showed that it had not.

But because such a test cannot be definitive, the surgeons, with Mr. McCain’s advance permission, removed the surrounding lymph nodes and part of the parotid gland, which produces saliva, in the same operation, which lasted five and a half hours.

The final pathology analysis showed no evidence of spread of the melanoma, his staff said at the time. Mr. McCain, of Arizona, has said he did not need chemotherapy or radiation.

In 1999, during Mr. McCain’s first race for president, he gave the public an extraordinary look at his medical history — 1,500 pages of medical and psychiatric records that were amassed as part of a United States Navy project to gauge the health of former prisoners of war. This reporter, who is a physician, interviewed the senator’s doctors in 1999 with his permission.

But this time around, Mr. McCain has yet to make his full medical records or his physicians available to reporters. At least three times since March 2007, campaign officials have told The New York Times that they would provide the detailed information about his current state of health, but they have not done so. The campaign now says it expects to release the information in April.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/us/politics/09mccain.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1205086380-LUmxefsH0dwUaM0qtJOgeA

[yourout]

1. I am a bit torn about getting to personal with candidates medical records....

I understand the need to know how healthy the POTUS is to the point of knowing whether or not he can handle the duties of the office but on the other hand I would not want everyone knowing the details of my medical records.

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. You're not a 71 year old man (72 in August) running for President, either.

[melody]

10. Exactly - I'm told 1 man in 4 dies by age 75.

That's not a number I like when dealing with Presidents.

[AZBlue]

5. No, I wouldn't either. But that's one of the many reasons I'll never run for POTUS.

IMO, when you declare your candidacy, it's time to reveal ALL.

Plus, maybe if he were 20 years younger, this wouldn't be quite as much of an issue, I don't know. But melanoma knows no age boundary - it kills the young and the old alike.

[ossman]

15. then dont run for PUBLIC office.

[okoboji]

3. here's a thought...

what if McLame gets to be President (god forbid) and he is sitting at the table with the North Koreans for some sort of negotiations. As he sits there looking across the table, he suddenly flashes back to his time when he was a POW and flips out because he thinks he sees his captors?

[yourout]

8. Wow......your wicked!

I like that.

:headbang:

[Whisp]

11. how about this thought...

McCain is president, but for some reason or other - health, purposeful plan, etc., has to be removed.

I'm thinking we should be looking at the VP as the sneaky backdoor repug president - someone who wouldn't stand a chance at a lead in the GE.

now who could that be? any ideas for the next cheney-like run of the whitehouse?

[TheDoorbellRang]

16. My personal nightmare runs to Jeb Bush

:scared:

[Whisp]

17. ouch. you had to remind me, did you?

super scary thought but would fit into the dynastic plan.

if not bush/clinton/bush/clinton as the plan was, now it may be:
bush/clinton/bush/bush.

thanks, Hillary!

[AZBlue]

18. Oooh, and they're trying to get him elected as VP, knowing he'd be Pres soon enough?

Diabolical!

[Vinca]

4. Red flag! Especially since he's coordinating the release of his

medical records with Clinton's tax return. Seriously. He doesn't look the picture of health and if he chooses some wingnut as a running mate and wins, we could be in deep trouble.

[okoboji]

6. wingnut = Karl Rove n/t

n/t

[AZBlue]

7. No, he doesn't look well at all lately.

Which is why it's even more of an issue, IMO.

[Hieronymus]

9. McCain IS a wingnut himself. He promises 4 more years of Bush, Jr.

[Thepricebreaker]

12. The campaign now says it expects to release the information in April. Ok how is this hiding?

[AZBlue]

14. If you actually read the subject line, you would have seen it was a question, not a statement.

A question brought on by the fact that they've promised the records before and haven't delivered them yet.

[kma3346]

13. And who's he going to pick as VP?

That's why I'm very concerned about who he's going to pick as his vice president, because this person could very well be the president for a good portion of the term.