As Duncan notes this morning, Fred Thompson has indolent, non-curable lymphoma that has a high likelihood of recurrence. In which case it would have to be treated with chemotherapy:
I’m not one who actually thinks that presidential health is all that important, and certainly don’t think that such illness/treatment should in any way be a disqualifier.
I’m actually going to disagree here. While I appreciate the restraint of those who haven’t gone through the experience, as someone who just got out of a four month round of chemotherapy I do think there are serious questions that need to be asked about this. And I’d be saying the exact same thing about a Democratic candidate.
It’s one thing for a potential nominee’s family to be in chemotherapy (Elizabeth Edwards) but it’s quite another for the candidate himself. During chemo we joked that about 50% of my IQ had been shaved off, and I’d say that was a pretty realistic assessment. I couldn’t remember anything from one moment to another, had no ability to read an average-length newspaper article and recall what it said at the beginning by the time I got to the end. It also made me really emotional and affected my judgment. It was important for me for a variety of reasons to keep blogging but I could not have done the kind of detail-oriented, in-depth kind of stuff I used to do during the days of Plame any more than I could fly. My posts got short and I had to check them with people before I put them up to make sure I hadn’t made some big mistake and left out something huge. I’m only now starting to get my brain back and my concentration is still poor eight months after I started chemo.
People in cancer treatment want to live their lives to the fullest, and there’s no reason for anyone to question Elizabeth Edwards’ qualifications as a mother for supporting her husband during treatment except for sexist claptrap. But that doesn’t mean you’re qualified to do anything in the midst of it. The fact is that nobody is asking Fred Thompson about a condition that could very seriously impair his ability to run the country. And I think there are several good questions that Fred needs to answer:
- Did your doctors call your cancer stage 4?
- Your doctors already acknowledged your cancer is likely to return, do you think it’s fair to the American people to enter the White House knowing you will need more chemotherapy?
- When was the last time you had chemotherapy?
While I understand that people’s experience with chemo brain may vary, it’s a very real phenomeon and its effects can linger 10 years after treatment. And if the job of the press is to help the public make informed decisions and not just fawn over candidates who clearly have some cognitive issues to begin with, they really need to hop to it.
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yo
yo yo
Life goes up and down ….
Would Fred be willing to answer those questions truthfully? Would he actually answer them truthfully?
He really doesn’t look well in any pictures I’ve seen (and neither does McCain).
Jane!
This is from the NY Times back in April on chemo brain as a condition being recognized by the doctors now.
P J Evans @ 3
That is because one is old and sick and the other is old and sick.
I hope that Thompson’s campaign craters loudly and quickly, not because he has or had cancer, but because I hope the need to pretend to be Reagan by Republic candidates craters with it.
One of my co-workers died last spring four days after her second chemo treatment. Her high-school aged children realized she was nonresponsive and called 911. When she got to the hospital, her blood sugar was over 300 and she couldn’t be saved.
Apparently, the side effects of the chemo and the side effects of the drugs used to combat the side effects of the chemo drugs combined impaired her ability to remember to check her blood sugar. Once her blood sugar started to get out of control, that further impaired her judgment and she spiralled the whole way to death.
Another friend who is currently going through chemo said that she made some almost disasterous financial mistakes during the fog after her first chemo treatment.
My observation is that the state of counseling chemo patients about these dangers and how to set up systems to avoid them is non-existent to lousy.
Damn, Jane, you’re good! I can tell you that if you felt impaired by chemo, you sure couldn’t tell it from your posts! High quality at all times.
What about Rudi? Doesn’t he have chemo brain too –
I’ll say further than I work in a medical library, in a medical residency program, so we aren’t exactly medically uneducated people, but the situation with my co-worker caught us completely by surprise, even though in retrospect, it seems obvious that an insulin-dependent diabetic should strongly consider having someone who takes over the responsibility of making sure her blood sugar gets monitored.
To me, that’s the most important question. The change in Thompson’s appearance and hesitant, clumsy answers during debates show something has changed about him. The debates should be a piece of cake for an actor, but he was terrible.
I’d never heard of chemo having an effect on cognitive function. That’s a vital question for anyone running for president.
We all remember Woodrow Wilson’s stroke ;-) and how his wife Edith Bolling Galt Wilson virtually took over for two years. I’d hate to think that we would voluntarily succumb to a high probability of having Mrs. Freddy say “I’m in Charge Here!” Of course, that wouldn’t happen…the cabinet would not allow such kabuki and invoke the 25th Amendment and put the VEEP in.
So who would be our unelected next President? Jeb Bush?
I think Fred put his name in the ring because he was asked to do so, either that or ego.
I never really figured he had much of a chance,for one thing, the well deserved reputation of the Republicans is going to cost whoever the nominee is a lot of votes.
It’s sad to hear the seriously debilitating effects of chemotherapy, certainly not anything I would wish on anyone,but if he has been treated,recently, it would help to explain his lack of focus and clarity when answering questions about his canidacy.
It would have more bearing if Fred of Hollywood had a chance in Hell of getting the nomination. Stranger things have happened though. I’ll now read the comments.
proof that jane must have been off the charts to begin with..
serious question – is the chemo or the anti-nausea drugs?
Thank you for brining up this important issue, Jane. Based on our family experience with CLL [chronic lymphocytic leukemia, also sometimes mixed accurately or not with non-Hodgkins lymphoma] I’d add the following questions:
Have you ever received chemotherapy or any other therapies for your disease?
What is the stage with subgroups, if any, of your disease?
What genetic markers have your diagnostics shown and what do they indicate for prognosis?
What are your most recent blood markers and how high or low are they in relation to “normal” ranges?
How frequently do you have rechecks?
There are many more questions that deserve answers with specificity. And while we’re at it, maybe Rudy and McCain could supply some straight answers regarding their cancers as well.
Which brings me to my medical concern these days–is there a burgeoning epidemic of cancers in this country? There seem to be anomalies all over the map. For instance the abnormal amount of leukemias in our region. Agrichemicals? Pesticides? That fog of mosquito “juice” in our neighborhoods when we were kids?
And, for excellent info on CLL and similar cancers, I recommend highly the website clltopics.org — run by a survivor family who are making the esoteric studies and jargon easier to understand.
Hi folks….
I applaud Jane’s unbridled assessment of chemo’s potential reaction on a patient especially since it comes from a very close and personal experience…
Best Wishes to Jane and to All who have had the experience of dealing with cancer…
Jane, your mind is a sharp as a tack, and it’s pretty selfish of someone who has a debilitating illness to run for preznit.
Bring on the JaneSnark!
Fred of Hollowood is dumber than a fence post. Ain’t he?
What Ann said. I couldn’t tell either. Jane, you’re smarter on chemo than most people are after their first cup of coffee.
cinnamonape @ 12
Yes, if Jeb is the next puppet selected by permanent Vice President Cheney.
Jane your ability during chemo to do what you do is a testament to your inner strength.
I have gone through two series of treatment with interferon 6 months each and it affected my mental equilibrium in many ways, I have a small excavating business and am the only employee so in order to keep going I had to show up everyday no matter how I felt-hence my statement above.
The best to you
selise — Based on watching Jane’s experience from the outside, it was a little bit of both. The chemo drugs can make you foggy, and the anti-nausea drugs make you really tired and slow your thinking down. So it can be a bit of both, I think. My mom only had to deal with radiation when she had her lumpectomy because they caught it early — it wasn’t fun, but we’re really grateful she didn’t have to deal with chemo, too.
Having dealt with chemo in the family as well (ALL), all I can say is wow. Can’t imagine in an adult, but emotional control goes completely out the window.
My impression is that a Republican President with a brain functioning at 50% would be an improvement over our current situation.
Of course, I am looking for a more substantial improvement.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 22
i only had radiation also (hodgkins) and the anti-nausea drugs during the second series of radiation txs made me feel dumb and crazy… that’s why i asked.
The thing is that Thompson, Giuliani, and McCain have all had serious bouts with cancer.
Thank you, Jane, for your tremendous honesty here. Enough said. The guy should bow out.
Bustednuckles @ 13
If you remember, Howard Baker and Zach Wamp were beating the drums for Hollywood Fred to get in the race. Since it took him so long to enter, I have to doubt how much he wanted to enter the race. I bet Jeri was a lot more excited about it than he was/is.
I think that poor Thompson already has some problems, since he thinks Russia is still the Soviet Union. He’s made that mistake twice lately.
Fred Thompson just doesn’t look presidential to me. He looks ex-presidential…
Is any of that going to matter for the candidate from the Figurehead Party?
If Reagan could do what they needed through Alzheimer’s, Freddie can do it through chemotherapy.
To answer Jane’s question. The sarcastic answer is of course they’ll hop to it, when pigs fly. Have they really reported in substantive issues that much? How long has MSNBC and CNN been playing up the “Election 2008″ thing? Are there viewers any more educated on where the candidates stand on things? I bet most viewers probably think Hillary is the most liberal candidate, or they don’t know the crazy lunatics Rudy has advising him.
do-si-do @ 30
Yeah, but Rudy, McCain, and Mitt are just as scary. I think those three are the best Ad image for Hillary’s campaign that she could find.
I had chemo 10 years ago and I can tell you too that chemo brain is a very real and frightening thing. It took me years to be able to speak without stumbling all over my words. word find could sometimes be a horribly embarrassing experience. I have often marveled at how smart and witty Jane remained during her treatment. Thank you for sharing that it wasn’t always that easy.
Per wiki, Thompson has a rare form of NHL: nodal marginal zone B cell lymphoma. He has been treated in the past with the monoclonal antibody Rituxan. The course is indolent which means that he could have it for years and likely die of something else. Indolent forms of cancer do occasionally become more aggressive but I think that Thompson being a lazy emptyheaded troglodyte is more of a concern than this. It should be remembered that both Rudi (prostate cancer) and McCain (salivary tumor) also have experience with cancer.
Jane, I couldn’t agree more. I am a cancer survivor who endured boatloads of chemo for Hodgkin’s. When first diagnosed, the cancer was very advanced. I did six months of heavy duty chemo. They thought I was cured. The cancer came back with a vengeance a few months later. Then, more bigtime chemo to prep for a stem cell transplant. We thought that fixed it. It didn’t–there was a second recurrence. I got shipped off to Dana Farber in Boston (I live in Maine) and they decided to try a second stem cell transplant. With nothing to lose, I went ahead–knowing that surviving a second recurrence is extremely rare. It’ll be five years cancer free this December. Ms. Bicmon STILL jokes about my chemo brain. It’s a lot better, but still apparent to those who know me well.
Hope things are going well for you. Warm thoughts and hugs are being sent your way from Portland, Maine!
Jane
Let me comend you for allowing us into your private life this way. Not amny people are willing to expose their private suffering to the public as a way to bring about education and change.
I remember when Betty Ford did it with addiction. I was dumbfounded that she would just put it out there. I don’t care what party you are from, it takes great courage to allow the public to know the details of one’s illness.
ANd you raise an excellent point about Thompson’s illness.
IIRC didn’t Cheney release the medical records relating to his heart disease? If “everything is classfied” ole unitary executive Cheney was actually willing to be that transparent (maybe the only time in his tenure), that should be ample precedent for reporters to dig into this issue.
Without denigrating his bout with cancer, he, like all the other republican candidates, and a portion of the democrats as well, is not qualified to run for president. Wisdom of forethought is not a quality he has in abundance, and that attribute is of utmost importance in todays world.
Very informative post and comments. Now I understand better some behavior of a close relative who underwent chemo. Selise and CHS, that was my first reaction, too–lucky that Jane has some turbo-brainpower to begin with.
selise @ 15
My guess is that it’s both. To put it simply, all drugs are poisons, and chemo drugs are meant to kill the cancer, thus are very harsh on the system of the subject to whom they are administered.
That doesn’t even get into the varying side effects patients can experience…
Ferdy’s relationship to reality is the So Be It Union.
Thanks Jane, what lhp said.
Jane,
Even with Chemo Brain you are sharper than 99% of us put together. You are an ispiration and hero to all of us. Love you.
PS Keep kicking the bastards’ ass.
Reagan was early-stage Alzheimer’s, as far as any of us could tell, and he had reasonably competent advisors and Cabinet officers, as well as being physically healthy. Not a good comparison: it makes Fred look far worse.
bicmon @ 36 -
are you planning a celebration this december?
for the first 10 years i celebrated the anniversary date of the end of my treatments – and i had it much easier than you.
judgement
what’s a more important qualification for president of the United states of America?
judgement
how can a man possibly use proper judgement when under physical duress?
and how can we possibly be assured he will not be manipulated when he is under treatment?
I posted this downstairs, it’s more appropriate here;
this is sick and it’s gonna enable the president to start another war
man, Americans sure don’t learn from their mistakes
a poll like this is gonna have the effect of bush beating the drum louder and more aggresively
we’re in trouble
Ugh. Dangerstein Alert.
Chemo really is a brutal treatment, and it changes the people who go through it– and the people who sit by the bedside.
There are so many intellectual paradoxes in cancer treatment: you’re trying to kill something that refuses to die. It’s almost feels like rebuilding a person from the inside out.
OT (Sorry) But this doesn’t sound good at all.
Municipal Bonds Decision May Cause State/Local Government Collapse
Seems that the big financial houses want to make up for their losses in making stupid mortgage loans by compelling the States to give them huge tax breaks.
And the gist of their argument…we could make lots more money if you change the rules.
I saw Reagan speak in mid-1993, which was quite a long way down the road as far as his acuity was concerned, but he could still deliver a prepared text with lucidity. That’s a very different task from making decisions, though.
perris, you got a linky, doncha? I want to see who did the poll. thanks.
perris @ 46
From what I have seen, it wouldn’t matter what the public thinks, Little Boots appears determined to attack Iran regardless. :-P
peanutbutter @ 51
War Time Powers ForEvah!
If Bush does step down, he’s going to have some serious withdrawal symptoms.
I can see the winger blogs now.
FeminoLeftofascist blog attacks Freddie Thompson for having cancer.
-GSD
George W. Bush is the avatar of the moron zeitgeist.
Jeebus, Shrub is complaining about this congress being the worst in 20 years. Talk about being out of touch with reality … and doesn’t that period go all the way back to when St Ronny was preznit? Isn’t that insulting the last six years of GOoPer rule, as well as his father’s administration?
P J Evans @ 54
He is just having a hissy fit ’cause he can’t have it all his own way…. poor baby
my father died of the same type of cancer. he was told when it was diagnosed that he would probably live 10 more years. he lived for 11. the last 3 were awful. the intermittent chemo and radiation over those 11 years definitely affected his judgment, but kept him alive. thompson should get out of the race now and enjoy his lovely wife and daughter. he does not have a whole lot of time.
P J Evans @ 54
That’s like the blackest pit of hell calling the pot…ahmmmm…smudged.
Seems to me Thompson starts out with 50% brain capabilities.
do-si-do @ 50
linkerage
it was zpgby
http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1379
Frank Zappa had it right when he wrote these words, that pertain to this whole administration, and the ones that preceded it, especially the republican candidates running for office now;
http://fingeryou.blogspot.com/…..chive.html
Another OT (regarding the problems of the one major Republican candidate without cancer issues).
It seems that Mitt Romney is having problems with those pesky Fundamentalist Christians again. They may vote for him, but only if he confesses that he belongs to a weird cult!
Romney Should Say Mormon Religion Not Christianity Insist Christian Fundamentalists
Kind of a real Pickle he’s in…especially since he’s now getting money and support from the Moonies
Mo*ney, Moonie, Mormon, Romney!
The Moonie Advisor in Iowa
Jeebus!!! I just got on Cafferty’s file on the Situation Report. Whooopeee!
Jack’s question: “What message does it send if the State Department offered immunity to Blackwater guards?”
And my response (which Jack read in its entirety):
The State Department now says that “Since we don’t have authority to give immunity, we couldn’t have given it.”
This is just another example of “Condilogic” that is mandatory at the State Department such as:
1. If I didn’t read it, nobody wrote it.
2. If I didn’t hear it, nobody said it.
3. If I can’t remember it, it didn’t happen.
Mad Dogs @ 62
Great response. Congrats. I’ve made the air myself in the past.
cinnamonape @ 61
I don’t really understand mormonism as it relates to christianity
don’t mormons have a differant savior and doesn’t that make it another religion and not a cult of christianity at all?
Jane thanks for this brave post.
My father had heavy-duty chemo for inoperable lung cancer–It absolutely nuked the cancer, but profoundly affected his judgement. He actually lived 12 more years and died of something else.
but he was not the same person pre and post chemo. He was very erratic at times, and just flat out did really dumb things that were out of character.
It’s a good question for Fred or any would-be president.
For that matter, I’d LOVE to know what psychotropics Darth Cheney is on, since they’re SOP for major heart disease.
P J Evans @ 54
He doesn’t appreciate this Congress’ continual willingness to bend over and take some more from him & his admin?
perris @ 64
Pretty much, yeah. They softpedal that part, though.
perris @ 59
Jane, you’ll always be smarter than Fred Thompson no matter what stage of chemo he’s going through! LOL So true.
peanutbutter @ 67
if mormons are christians then so ar muslims and christians are jews
here’s a thought unrelated but related (huh?)
if any religion believes in the devil that religion is pagan since the devil would be a second deity
Maddy @ 68
of course they would but the propaganda WAS thrown at them
this president will use that as a consensus and it will cause him to believe he has a mandate
pelosi is starting to piss me off, they have to reign in the boy king
erm perris
kinda incomplete theology
satan is a fallen angel – angels are not deities
perris @ 71
perris, that’ll be the day. I had such High Hopes for Pelosi.
did I plant a little earworm there?
Thanks for taking this potentially controversial stand. I watched what chemo did to my mom and it really reduced her ability to function and think. If he has a high likelihood of recurrence, that’s a high likelihood of being unable to perform what *should* be a very demanding job.
perris @ 59
Hi Perris, thanks for the info. I found the raw data (I like to see how questions are phrased and/or if they omit anything, ooh, like the presidential polls that don’t include Ron Paul or Mike Gravel!).
I found question number 7 interesting:
22% said yes now.
28% said wait for next election
29% said should not attack
the rest said not sure
Oh, if you go to the data, 120 said they were from “the planet earth”!
Overall, the poll is unsettling as you say. But I didn’t see the writer of the RawStory mentioning that half of those who “support” action against Iran also support waiting until after our elections…FWIW.
PW is upstairs!
btw – personal faith aside
this stuff has no place in politics
one’s faith may contribute to some motivations, but seperation of Church and State should be considered as sacrosanct as the 3 branches of government.
Thiese principles have done a lot to make our nation strong.
And violating them weakens us.
mack @ 72
you’re using semantics though, fallen angel or not he is a deity
if an entity can perform miracles, which the devil can do it is surely a deity
for instance, greek gods came from zuese’s head, they were all his children, yet that is a pagan belief
do-si-do @ 75
great point, I am very happy to see that
perris
email me
davidmack at gmail
this would make an interesting discussion, but I have a train to catch
selise @ 45
Funny you asked. Just last night, Laura (Ms. Bicmon) brought up the question of having a little celebration with the few close friends who have been through the whole journey with us. I think it’s a grand idea. I suspect there’ll be a few less bottles of Champagne and several less Maine lobsters around when we’re done!
TEN years for you. Wow! Congratulations!!
mack @ 77
Sadly, anyone who does not claim some measure of religiosity cannot be elected to any prominent office, regardless of qualifications.
Badwater @ 82
it is sad and without Reason
Note too that McCain has had melanoma twice. His left face looks raw much of the time. My understanding is that the likelihood of surviving melanoma twice is quite small; why has there not been any disclosures about his health from his campaign?
Jane,
This is a late driveby in EPU land, but your analysis raises another question for me: Given your assessment, isn’t it more than usually important that we know who Fred’s “Handlers” are? After all, if he gets elected, they might be the ones who are actually running the country.
Bob in HI
bobschacht @ 85
Permanent Vice President Cheney will be manning his post.
bicmon @ 81
it’s a celebration of life…
(((bicmon)))
party on!!
p.s. last may was 16(!) for me – i haven’t celebrated every year since my 10th… but maybe i should. *g*
Chemo would certainly explain Thompson’s lethargic responses at the first debate he attended.
Now, how do we explain Chris Matthew’s gushing over the way Thompson smells? Aqua Velva Syndrome?
- Tom
lance romance @ 56
I wonder if prolonged radiation does not have similar effects? My child had chemo at 21 and concentration and eye sight were diffently affected for a period after the treatments ended. My spouse had radiation a fews years ago and concentration and memory are still are a big factor. While we are in awe of what medicine can do today, and very thankful for it, yet there are side effects to these poisonous treatments that assualt our bodies in order to eradicate illness. Sometimes we are trading one evil for a lesser evil. A good study protocal would be to question family members about symptoms as well as patients because family members see things an impaired patient may not be aware of.
Badwater @ 86
And more generally the question of, “What role will your vice-president have? Will some serious commentators wonder whether you or your vice-president (Cheney has dual role – handler and VP) is actually making decisions?” This a should be asked of all candidates. Fred health is a fair question even though there is likely to be a vacuum there to begin with.
Jane,
Thank you for your courage in giving these details.
All the symptoms are evident in Junior and his chronic short-sighted behavior. Is it possible that this is the cause, as opposed to the alternative theory of brain damage from all that cocaine and alcohol abuse?
There is obviously some serious damage here, just as Cheney’s marked change in thinking and evident paranoia are probably signs of previous strokes.
God help us, I still think we’re going to need the 82nd Airborne to serve the eviction papers at the White House.
perris @ 70
I am not an expert on Mormonism. It seems they have some good values but some strange cultish beliefs. I suppose you could say that about most religions. I do find offensive one belief, however, and that is that a Mormon wife is granted entrance into heaven when her husband invites her, otherwise, she is toast. Good deal for men, not so much for women. Perhaps that explains why Mormon wives are so subserviant.
xargaw @ 92
That’s news to me. My understanding – not being Mormon, I can’t say for sure – is that ’seal to spouse’ pretty much takes care of that; it makes divorces difficult, because the spouses have to be unsealed from each other, too, for the next marriage to be properly done (by their religious standards).
Makes me think that all marriages should be civil unions only, with any religious ceremony strictly optional and not legally recognized.
I just wanted to chime in on drug effects (the medical kind) and the brain. Its not just chemo types that effect thinking and behavior, I have cut myself off from posting on the web in general due to the effects of medication (heart related) and when I saw this topic I just had to de-lurk. Medical conditions and their treatment can and do have profound effects on judgment and personality. Now back to the shadows.
Thank you for saying this, Jane. I thought the same thing when I read Atrios’ post, but as a person who has never had chemo I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to comment. But everyone I know who’s had chemo reports the same thing. It does mess with your mind for a while.
Ann in AZ @ 8
Shucks, Jane, I’d take your “50% IQ” over any combination of the “intellects” on the GOP campaign trail in a smarts contest any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Jane — I’m a long-time reader, but this is the first time I’ve commented. I am such an admirer of yours and of this site. I have SO admired your courage and honesty throughout your own cancer ordeals, but this post really moved me. My precious husband died a few years ago from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He was only 57 at that time. I was with him through each of his many chemo treatments, his radiation therapy, his two surgeries, and his stem-cell harvesting and transplant. He was the most intelligent, not to mention the most loving, person I have ever been privileged to know. But for anyone to say that such treatment does not affect one’s ability to think, reason, and process emotions, is absurd. All that withstanding, at his worst, my husband would have made a far superior leader to W, but I’m stating the obvious there!
I had to write this to thank you for your incredible courage and detachment for saying what so many of us know, not only on this subject but on so many others. There is way too little truth spoken, and those that do so are our true heroes today. When one does it from such a painful and personal viewpoint, it is all the more remarkable.
I send good thoughts for your health and well-being every day. Again thank you so much for all you and the others at FDL do!
As a cancer survivor, having endured Rutuxan and C.H.O.P along with 3,600 rads I can attest to the lasting effects of those drugs that can prolong life, but at a difinitive cost to ones memory.
It is embarassing at times not to be able to remember a friends name for a brief moment, or to find out at a later date that you really screwed up the check book. So on a very personal level, seven years after being diagnosed with Non-hodgkins, chemo, the gift that keeps on giving is still there to contend with.
The fairness argument is very valid and while I wouldn’t hold it against anyone running for elected office, I would question its fairness to the American people when matters of life and death for millions may be at stake.
What is needed in the office of the president is clarity of thought and regretably chemo robs of that in many differnt ways. Gald as always for a great piece Jane. May those of us who do suffer with this live long enough to hopefully have its effects nothing other but a distant memory.
Welcome MDS and thank you for your heart that breaks for the loss of loved ones. Hope to hear from you again soon.
(((((MDS)))))
While I wish Thompson good health, am I the only one who notes that it’s the candidate himself who’s indolent? Even the man’s cancer is lazy.
Jane, does this mean you think Fred would be in charge if he gets elected, and not Dick Cheney? Alzheimers didn’t stop the Reaganauts. Fetal alcohol syndrome, ADD, and coke-dick (or whatever inadequacy chimpy compensates for by wearing flight suits) didn’t stop the Arbusto Junta from enjoying two inaugurations. When was the last republican president that could tie his own shoes? Nixon, right?
You’re preaching to the choir. Chemo schmemo! Republicans won’t NOT vote for a Republican based on a little thing like brain damage. Personally, I plan to take advantage of our Texas open primaries to vote for Ron Paul (the libertarian/mad cow candidate).
Hope you’re feeling okay these days, Jane. You’ve got a cheering section in Santa Monica whenever you need it.
It depends how the “devil” is defined. Some people seem to understand the devil as a kind of “anti-God”, an equal opponent. For them, you’re point may be correct.
The more orthodox Christian belief is that Satan/Lucifer/the Devil was a creation of God, a fallen archangel. As such he had certain powers above those of humans, but was clearly of an order below deity. The distinction is not semantic.