Goddamn it he was a POW.

So Doc, if I had a history of head injuries and drank like a fish for 30 years, what’s the prognosis if I have been totally clean and sober for 15 years? I’m 58.

Dr. Murphy,

We should watch for Sundowners Syndrome too. Esp in the debates which are at night.
http://www.sundownerfacts.com/sundowners-syndrome/

He’s now Jack. Jack Bauer.

“Dammit, tell me where the bomb is. We’re running out of time!”

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/.....r-torture/

Dr. Murphy,

From family experience, I know that sudden anger can also be associated with Alzheimers. Are anger issues also associated with the traumatic versions of early onset dementia? Because, of course, there are many documented examples of sudden uncontrolled anger for McCain.

“He had to read her name from a piece of paper” I admit that is bizarre, maybe it was written out phonetically to ensure that he pronounced it correctly? It does seem to make the point that McCain had little to do with choosing his own running mate.

And about 2.5 million other Vietnam Vets.

How about we take a look at those medical records, John? All of them.

I think you raise an important point, but we need to be careful. The bit about Palin’s name is really disturbing evidence of cognitive impairment. The Shia/Sunni wouldn’t necessarily be problematic for some people, except that for McCain it is a critical job-related concept.

Ancestor/Descendant word confusion is very, very common, even for people with no cognitive impairment. Likewise, the Czechoslovakia thing is probably not a big deal. Neither the Czechs or the Slovaks are going to be attacking us any time soon.

I find this really scary and I don’t wish to observe the man completely come apart on the world stage. If elected the pressure would be terrible for him and all the rest of us.

He has always had anger issues

What is the outlook for getting any more information from the medical records? They were carefully guarded (available only a few hours) and deeply redacted (nothing re. mental health). In the face of the evidence you describe, what sort of demand, outcry could elicit a more thorough review of the medical picture. Seems important to me.

We have this as well:

Hypervigilance is a symptom of a number of stress-related disorders including:

* Post-traumatic stress disorder,
* Combat stress reaction,
* Urban survival syndrome,
* Mean World Syndrome
* Anxiety disorder

It is manifested in victims of domestic violence and stalking. It is also seen as an aspect of the psychological condition of codependence, and as needing treatment in victims of torture. Benzodiazepine withdrawal can also induce hyperactivity.

[edit]

Many reasons for anger, and McCain’s uncontrolled bouts seem to go back enough years without other signs he’s currently exhibiting to be related to another cause rather than EOD.

Sara Palin is an End Timer who believes humans and dinosaurs existed side by side 6,000 years ago.

http://progressivealaska.blogs.....alins.html

“President Bush said to all of us: ‘I’m driven with a mission from God. ‘God would tell me, ‘George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan’.” “And I did, and then God would tell me, ‘George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq…’ And I did.

Secretary of State Rice’s response to the disaster in New Orleans was: “The Lord Jesus Christ is going to come on time.” She added: “If we just wait.” “On time”? How does Rice know the exact time Armageddon starts? “If we just wait”? That means in her, that is our, lifetime!

“At Church one day [Tom DeLay, House Majority Leader] listened as the pastor declared that ‘the war between America and Iraq is the gateway to the Apocalypse.’ DeLay rose to speak, not only to the congregation but to 225 Christian TV and radio stations. ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he said, ‘what has been spoken here tonight is the truth of God.’”

In an e-mail to Rabbi David Lapin, a West Coast talk show host, Abramoff lamented that the club had members with Nobel prizes but he had no awards to speak of. He asked if the rabbi’s organization, Toward Tradition, could concoct one for him: “Perhaps something like Scholar of Talmudic Studies?”

“Indeed, it would be better if it were possible that I received these in years past, if you know what I mean,” Abramoff said in an e-mail.

So glad you said that. I was getting concerned here ;)

Kirk, forgot to say thanks for a really good post. We need to keep this out front because Americans have a right to know this now not later. Thanks.

I sure would like to know what meds McCain takes.

Sadly for John McCain he was a POW and he was tortured.

A study of 101 Australian POW’s (held captive in WWII) shows their risk of cognitive disorders was approximately double that of matched controls whow were not POW’s

Is experience as a prisoner of war a risk factor for accelerated age-related illness and disability?

Creasey H, Sulway MR, Dent O, Broe GA, Jorm A, Tennant C.

Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the experience of internment as a Prisoner of War (POW) during World War II was associated with a higher prevalence of chronic disease and diminished functional performance in later life. DESIGN: A retrospective and prospective cohort design. SETTING: Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 101 Australian, male, ex-prisoners of the Japanese and a comparison group of 107 non-POW combatants from the same theatre of war.

RESULTS: Prisoners of War reported more somatic symptoms (mean 7.2 vs 5.4, P = .002) than non-POWs, had more diagnoses (mean 9.4 vs 7.7 P differences were confined to gastrointestinal disorders (POWs 63% vs non-POWs 49%, P = .032), musculoskeletal disorders (POWs 76% vs non-POWs 60%, P = .011), and cognitive disorders (excluding head injury, dementia, and stroke) (POWs 31% vs non-POWs 15%, P = .006). Of the 36 signs in the neurology of aging examination, POWs had a significantly higher proportion of seven extrapyramidal signs and six signs relating to ataxia. POWs were more likely to be impaired on the IADL scale than were non-POWs (33% vs 17%, P = .012) but not significantly more likely to be impaired on the PSMS.

Does the Iraq/Pakistan border gaff get on the list?
Is his reliance and continual reference to his POW status a symptom here or is it a campaign tactic to change topics and raise victim status

Do you think the conditions matter and that the conditions in Japanese pow camps were worse than in Vietnam?

I think they were worse in WWII.

How will McCain perform in the debates? How will the MSM help compensate for his deficits? Will he get the questions in advance the way he did from Rick Warren? Will he wear a wire, as Bush apparently did? There’s no way our corporate media will leave this old guy out there on his own, to have his lunch eaten by a vigorous and brilliant Obama.

And what they’ll do about Palin is anybody’s guess. Just steer clear of anything substantive, I imagine, and throw the softest of soft balls until the bell rings. While attempting to hammer Biden. Who is a tough dude. And a match for any of them.

Ammon Hennacy talked to Utah Phillips about his need to address his anger issues every day and would have to address them for the rest of his life. He compared it to going to AA and having to say, “My name is… and I’m an alcoholic.” For those of us who have had to address this issue it’s the same thing. After all those years working with Nam vets I still don’t understand why the anger lingers long after the experience. I’ve been back almost 40 years and the anger is still there.

I didn’t realize he had been a boxer. POW takes on a whole new meaning.

Thanks for the disturbing post, Doc. Hopefully the American people will vet their president better that what’s his name vetted what’s her name.

oh so would i. There’s a couple out there specifically to manage the conditions Dr Murphy mentions. I would actually be able to tell pretty fast, at this point. Of course, we’re not going to SEE those records if the GOP get their way. What little we’ve seen isn’t enough, either.

I think Ifill will try to do a decent job w/moderating VP debate.
http://usliberals.about.com/od.....ates08.htm

Ever heard of John Balaban? He is an author and poet who spent a year in the Delta working to get badly wounded Vietnamese kids to the states for treatment. In “Remembering Heavens Face” he writes about when he came home and found himself dragging someone out of a car that cut him off. The war did that to him and he was doing nothing but trying to save people.

JimWhite, you are asking a really good question.

Dementia is the diagnostic label for a set of symptoms resulting from decreased brain function.

The more sophisticated a brain function is, the more vulnerable it is to disruption from brain injury: like traumatic brain injury.

Our “inhibitory” brain function — the capacity that regulates our repsonse to our emotions — are so sophisticated they aren’t fully developed until around twenty (less for most woment; more for most men). Ask anyone who lives with teenagers for detail.

In adults with traumatic brain injuries and/or dementia — early or late — one symptom is often decreased emotional regulation (the fancy name for this is emotional lability).

Increased emotional lability so severe as to affect judgement may even be found in people with cognitive impairment who do not have dementia:

Mild cognitive impairment is a transition stage between the cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious problems caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

The disorder can affect many areas of thought and action — such as language, attention, reasoning, judgment, reading and writing. However, the most common variety of mild cognitive impairment causes memory problems.

What about when he said in his acceptance speech that Palin sold the jet on eBay?

Great post, Kirk. Betcha Sarah Palin will read it with another eye on Section Four of the 25th amendment:

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

Raven, congrats on the sobriety!

I can’t find the linky at the moment, but my recollection is that long periods of absolute sobriety can help to decrease the risk of cognitive sx in late life.

I shouldn’t have been asking that here but thanks.

Palin makes first gaffe:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
I apologize if this had already been linked.
I haven’t been keeping track.

Your question is a very good one. I’m stumped for ways to compare severity of suffering. From what I’ve read of POW’s in Vietnam and those help under the Japanese Empire, if I had to choose one set of captors, I prolly woulda chosen Vietnam.

Yet another variable of the POW experience is whether or not the serviceperson develops PTSD. In those who develop PTSD, some studies indicate that PTSD also predicts greater rik of cognitive impairment.

I’ll have to pick that up. Thanks for the hit. Had some experiences like that until I started to get a grip on myself.

Is there anything in his inability to use the internet that could be related to cognition or is this laziness.

Part of reality is a whole lot of people are going to be showing signs of drain bamage as we get older, for a variety of reasons.

And I resemble that remark myself.

A lot of it depends on your genes. In another area, my late husband smoked for nearly 40 years, 4 packs a day at the peak and 1 toward the end. He gave it up 2 years before he died (of nonsmoking related cause) and the autopsy showed his lungs were pink & healthy. Simply amazing.

I would think an important factor would be nutrition and, while Vietnam was no picnic, I think that those conditions in WWII were must worse.

OT. Big CBS coverage on the bridge/Palin earmarks; wanted the bridge and KEPT the money.

I’ve suffered from disnomia all my life.

I quit in 68! Too much cambodian red.

OT - kinda - CBS Evening News reality check debunking the Palin bridge to nowhere lie - in detail.

Likewise, the Czechoslovakia thing is probably not a big deal. Neither the Czechs or the Slovaks are going to be attacking us any time soon.

This inaccurately conflates cognitive content with cognitive capacity. The inability to learn (or the inability to accuratelty recall) significant new information is the salient aspect of the impairment McCain evinced in this error.

McC is beginning to look a little lost beside Palin. She doesn’t have the grace to back off and let him take the lead. Do you think this is because he is truly sorta lost and fumbling or that he just doesn’t know what to do?
I wouldn’t have thought that he would allow this.

CNN too.

While the Vietnamese could be brutal I don’t think it ever rose to the level shown by the Japanese in WWII.

I first read your reply as quitting at 68 and recall you said you were 58, and immediately wondered about your mental state until I saw you quit IN 68. *g*

NBC now doing the same.

He does appear somewhat at a loss, but more, he looks giddy at the attention. IMHO

hello dr murphy!

as far as brain impairment, this falls right into correct presidential pre-requisits for the puppetmasters;

reagan was no longer president by the end of his term and bush sr was the man in charge

bush jr has never been the president, and while cheney is pulling bush’s strings, cheney isn’t the puppet master either, someone is pulling his strings as well

mccsinsain is perfect

I personally suffer from self dillusions of grandeur…hard to believe but I swear it’s true

I called the Soviet Union Russia until it became Russia, after which I called it the Soviet Union. Finally had to make a conscious effort to use the correct designation. Don’t know why I got it consistently wrong, but there you are.

I never would have guessed!

I KNOW!

but I can PROVE it!

Many reasons for anger, and McCain’s uncontrolled bouts seem to go back enough years without other signs he’s currently exhibiting to be related to another cause rather than EOD.

Classic case of assholitis

Confronting new learning tasks demands:

a) sustained attention (required for concentration)
b) cognitive abilities (the ability to process once concentration is established)
c) frustration tolerance (”affect” is jargon for emotion: affective regulation is required to prevent frustration from causing the learner to abandon new tasks.

People of any age with traumatic brain injury or other causes of mild cognitive impairment generally find learning complex new tasks to be more difficult; the degree of impairment in the three realms above influences the degree of difficulty.

NBC’s Lisa Meyers going at least partway on Nightly News debunking the plane on eBay, the Bridge to Nowhere, the personal chef.

Showed McCain saying she made a profit selling the plane on eBay.

[Why am I thinkin’ The Grifters the more I see this pair?]

Did not mention that Alaska kept the Bridge to Nowhere money…just where did that get spent, anyway?

Story will likely be up on Nightly News website.

Yeah, everyone knows that McSaim’s brain is creaky and ossified but with Obama needing a testicular transplant the creaky brain might be more appealing to many Americans.

Linky?

A well known disease affecting mainly the political right.

Wonder if ABC will do the story since Gibson has an exclusive op with her? I guess maybe some of the networks are getting the news - it’s about time.

Fluff piece on ABC - Charlie to the rescue!!!

Evening Dr. Murphy..evening all. As someone who cared for a parent with dementia(though her case was multi-infarct dementia), I can say that McCain’s very inappropriate behavior, especially toward the people in the MIA/POW visits, are very very reminiscent of my Mom’s behaviors once she ‘crossed over’. Pushing people, striking out(or in his case, almost striking someone), inappropriate verbal attacks, were all characteristics she showed. At this point to make the picture complete for me is if he does something like taking off his clothes in public or doing something not appropriate for the location(such as, sitting down and thinking he’s on the toilet, for example). I think he’s way over the red line at this point and totally incompetent in terms of any elected office. He needs to be under care. Now.

What’s the diagnosis if the only thing you want to do is complex learning tasks, while foresaking simple tasks.

Of, I know, procrastination.

I have not laughed this hard in a long time ecahn, thanx for making my day

anyway, check this out from think progress;

In his new book “The War Within,” Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward disclosed “the existence of secret operational capabilities developed by the military to locate, target and kill leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent leaders.” Asked by a caller on Larry King Live last night if the capabilities could be used “to catch bin Laden,” Woodward replied that “maybe they can use it on bin Laden.” He then mused that it’s possible that “the September or the October surprise is going to be the apprehension or the death of bin Laden.” Watch it:

wow, now what if it happens?

CBS also presenting a fairly comprehensive look at both candidates’ tax plans. Only major problem is they ignored McSame’s plan to tax health benefits.

The bridge to nowhere was a ruse to squeeze money out of congress…I’m sure it was never intended to be used for the bridge…I really want to know what it was spent on too…did any lobby favorites get favors from Palin in the end?

I think it’s that they see the writing on the wall and don’t want their toadies stuck in the last row in the WH press briefing room.

FDL et al will be in the front row.

get favors from Palin in the end?

You might want to rephrase that?

;~P

Always happy to oblige.

Dr. There were a couple of questions about the medical records. Do you see any possibility for more access?

Well, trying to catch campaign coverage of all 3 networks has its problems, can’t see everything. But I didn’t see anything. I think DrBong @ 63 has it right.

I have heard that it was spent on other infrastructure, including a road to where the bridge was supposed to have been. I’ve heard it described as a drag strip.

Genetic factors are another variable in the end result when any organism is subjected to injuries.

On a clinical basis, “symptoms” are the result of the organism’s inherent biology (genes), the organism’s environment, and whatever illnesses or injuries befall the organism.

In the case of McCain’s brain, whatever his inherent genetic capacity may have been, unfortunately for both his brain and the human it occupies, he shows significant indications of impaired brain function:

-labile mood
-impaired behavioral control
-impaired cognition

What elevates this from private tragedy to public concern is that all three areas are components of “executive function”.

A CEO or Chief Executive with impairments in even one domain of executive function risks catastrophic errors.

McCain has imapirments in all three areas described above.

edit - looking like a drag strip. No mention of drags actually going on.

NBC just reported that the US is 19th in the world in terms of hih school graduation rates, just ahead of Mexico. If McCain and Palin get in, we can probably push up to the mid-twenties easy.

Most of the country will be in an uproar, realizing that it could have been done before, and that Bush would just be using it pump up his otherwise horrendous legacy. People will see through it. The 29%rs will party.

Besides, I think that whoever they say is OBL will be an imposter anyway. I doubt OBL is still alive…remembering Bhuttos remarks..

JMHO

McShame will take credit for it you see the surge worked. I really think this is psycological warfare - fear factor stuff

Interesting discussion on the McPain public appearances dynamics. S’pose she was told to “get out there” or is she taking it upon herself to do so? And for how much longer will POW allow himself to be overshadowed?

Yep - All the white wimmins in HRC’s hometown think Failin is just peachy keen!

*gag*

Hmmm…that’s a hellova lot of money for a road…that should be looked into..was the contracted price bumped up? Is there money missing? Is someone a whole lot richer?

They said it was used for roads and infrastructure. In most states, roadbuilders are major contributors/lobbyists.

The first time she talks down to him or back at him…she’s toast. He can’t stand anyone who questions his authoritay…

I have yet to hear one positive comment about Palin from a woman, regardless of her political leaning.

I like her shoes.

A perfect question for “Patsy” Gibson to ask…
yeah, right.

Maybe there should be a Palin Truth Squad relentlessly blowin’ holes through her bullpucky.

Oh, wait, I guess that would be us.

Certainly not Patsy and the gang at ABC, nor Kelly O’Donnell, nor Holly Bailey…still swimmin’ in the BBQ sauce they are.

That was only one piece. The majority of the dough went to other projects. I wish I could remember where I saw that. Got it from a link here iirc.

Palin’s looks are 70% of her popularity.

Well, in May the MSM eagerly collaborated in the campaign’s Big Lie that McCain’s med records were “released” for the 2008 campaign.

I’d love to see media push for full release of all the VP/Prez candidates’ med records, but that would put many (like WaPopo’s Chris Cillizza) in the position of demanding what they previously — and falsely — proclaimed had happened. I’m not optimistic they’ll make the push, though I would like for them to.

If dey ain’t Chucks dere a waste o’ money.

But… but… but Charlie said! Actually I don’t recall who the reporter was on the piece, but you get my drift.

I can’t hit my ass with either hand!

I’ve been getting around to that comment…

(spoken as one whose colleagues once gave me a round “tuit”)

I so agree.

Well, they’re finding ‘em somewhere and putting ‘em on TV all the damn time.

Actually her looks are closer to 80%, but she loses 10% for her voice.

;~P

kirk - what about repeated brain surgery to correct for aneurysms? would that be something we’d want to be concerned about?

Personal experience with Vietnam vets and brain injury victims, the tendency to flash into anger and lose all rational thought is classic. My landlord, 101st Ariborne with two tours in ‘68-69, is known throughout my town–wonderful guy, but when he goes off, just clear out of his way, he’ll fight anyone until his mind clears.
From my own behavior over the years and quite a bit of reading, early childhood violence can be a major contributor as well.
It’s hard for those of us dealing with someone’s anger storm to understand, as we are still thinking rationally and they are no longer rational at all.

Great post Dr. Murphy, it underlines the importance of our doing everything we can in this campaign. Thanks!

I have a round tuit on my basement workbench.

BTW, there’s an OTC herb that supposed to help with your memory but I keep forgetting what it’s called.

Toby, I’m so sorry for your mom’s suffering and the burden that must have placed on all her loved ones.

Over the next eight weeks of “Brainwatch”, I hope you and others with the pattern recognition that tragic experience affords will join in sharing with FDL past and future examples of McCain’s apparent cognitive difficulties.

Can we talk glasses? Uh hum, I got titanium frames two years ago. Back when I was working, of course.
So, in that respect, I guess I have to say she has good taste in spectacles (yes, read both ways.)

That comment raises a delicate Q that the mods won’t allow.

I wonder if there are different anger issues for those who fought on the ground in Vietnam, as opposed to those shot down, confined, and tortured; therefore being unable to fight back..

lol…around here people say they’re taking their ginko balboa. If that’s the right one…can’t remember.

I should say “anger triggers”

early childhood violence can be a major contributor as well.

What do we know about how Pop Admiral & Grandpop Admiral treated their slight-of-build son/grandson?

It is, margot.

Is that ginko bilopa? Or something like that? I forget too.

biloba

great question, selise.

The underlying relevant concept is one of “functional reserve”: it applies to all organ systems.

As pointed out above, some folks have so much pulmonary functional reserve that years of smoking have no apparent ill effect (don’t try this at home, pups).

Both anesthesia and neurosurgery can decrease our brains’ functional reserve capacity.

(Of course, folks with aneursyms that could be repaired by invasive radiology have less cerebral disruption from the repair…)

BTW I was really surprised last night Charlie Rose had a reasonably intelligent discussion of the Fannie-Freddie debacle with NYU’s NourielRoubini, NYT’s Gretchen Morgenson, NYT’s Floyd Norris, and Pimco’s Mohamed El-Erian. I didn’t agree with it all but it was the first time I’ve actually seen something like this in the MSM and will wonders never cease on Charlie Rose, sheesh.

Her appearance wouldn’t do much for a blind person. Might influence some deaf folks, though.

“…doesn’t mean shit to a tree.” (Jefferson Airplane)

Is that Rocky Balboa’s brother?

and here we are… what, four months later?… and still disagreeing on this one. although, i’ve come around a bit to your way of thinking a bit and now am willing to call for a limited release of medical records.

was roubini any good?

Chuck Todd…saying Obama is always “late” to respond to new situations, but that eventually he turns like an aircraft carrier and responds…that he’s somehow “slow”???? Gosh, they are so in love with G.I. Jane Palin.

Over the eight weeks remaining, I’m hoping fundamental assessments of the candidate’s fitness to govern — especially their CNS function — come to the front.

Of course, I’d love to see candidates chosen for their policy choices, rather than aspects of their external appearance (gender, ethnicity, clothing, ornamentation), so I’m fairly resinged to having this hope go unanswered.

ginko balboa

Make that ginko biloba
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/arti.....000247.htm
I planted a ginko tree a couple of years ago but it’s still small. I think the preparation comes from the seeds and I think the female tree that produces them is not normally sold because the seed balls mess up the lawn. I did pick up a couple of them at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens one year.

I would like the blogosphere to make a bigger deal about mccain losing 5 planes

While we’re at it, let’s see the birth certificate for Trig Palin.

Doc this is a great piece. Thanks. Some of your responses indicate that it is going to be regular feature here. I hope so. Is it going to be on a regular schedule?

Both anesthesia and neurosurgery can decrease our brains’ functional reserve capacity.

(Of course, folks with aneursyms that could be repaired by invasive radiology have less cerebral disruption from the repair…)

i asked because 20 years ago biden had brain surgery twice to repair two different aneursyms.

I didn’t forget. It was a subtle josh. See my 119.

how many planes does the average pilot lose?

what did mccain cost the army and tax payers, wouldn’t it be nice if he payed us back?

And the DNA analysis for the entire Palin family.

Point out how much he already cost the taxpayers…

Doc, could you do a post on symptoms of “demonic possession”??? /s

Listening to Matthews slavering over “the couple”–McCain Palin–and suggesting that she may be a prop in the presidential debates. Hmmmm, Chris, you sure you want to go down that road?

I’m thinkin’ Vicki Iseman. The first Mrs. McCain. Cindy McCain’s liable to be pretty territorial about “her man.”

There’s yer real cat fight.

kirk - what about repeated brain surgery to correct for aneurysms? would that be something we’d want to be concerned about?

In the case of repeated surgeries for cerebral aneurysms, I would think that the main concern would be ongoing concern of one bursting. The vessels themselves lie outside the brain parenchyma so trauma to the brain itself associated with the surgery should not be great. This is far different from coup-contrecoup injuries where you have the brain impacting against the skull.

As a navy pilot it didn’t cost the army a dime

And Wassila for that matter

What would delusions of grandeur, excessive energy like going to work 2 days after giving birth, or having your water break and flying across the country on an airplane…point to? D’ya think Palin could be manic?

Unless someone can come up with the details of the first 3 “crashes”, there’s no there there. The last two were not his fault and to continue to say that they were is dishonest. You come up with the details of the first 3 I’ll listen. And no blog posts as “proof.”

Twain and MarkSB and Gnome — thanks for your good words about the post.

If folks could help digg and reddit this one, that would be great: I’d love to see these observations and questions regarding McCain’s brain function and how it affects his capacity to hold office get wider attention.

Some months ago here at FDL we discussed McCain’s emotional dysregulation and impaired impulse control and now the MSM has finally picked up that important topic.

Over the next eight weeks, if we work together we can drive this topic onto the MSM’s agenda.

*darn it*

As a Chicano and a military vet, I write the Cactus Juice Commentaries for the Chicano Veterans Organization. Thus, I write of a sole ‘exeception’ and since it’s far too lengthy for further posting here, I encourage you to take a gander at what I wrote. And no, this is not an “advertising plug” of any sort.

However, the last sentence in the article will deliver to me a score or so of angry emails from my Brethren of Shared Experiences, and chastising me for my out-spokenness, but then, I am reminded that “careerism” was endemic among the senior ranking members of the military and operated without little or any regard for the enlisted ranks.

And payback can be a bitch of a constant reminder since I am not going anywhere in my ne’er do well future.

Respectfully submitted.

Jaango

aha

I had no idea, I will also forget that line of critisism

Now now now. We have reason to ask for the Palin family, but let’s not get carried away!

Even if McCain’s medical record was available for prolonged scrutiny, I suspect that he hasn’t had a comprehensive psychological workup since immediately following his repatriation (if he had one then). Anyway, since release of medical records is voluntary, couldn’t they withhold any portion they considered too detrimental to their public image?

Unrelated, I am not suggesting this is necessarily a sign of dementia but McCain’s increasingly bellicose rhetoric regarding Russia seems very reminiscent of the Cold War. For most of McCain’s life, U.S. maintained an adversarial relationship with the Soviet Union and China, the change in status of former Soviet republics and China is comparatively recent.

If she’s manic, she’s probably also had bouts of depression. (Kirk correct me if I’m wrong. People I’ve known have both ends.) It would be interesting to ferret those out. Wonder what she does when she’s down?

We’ve been discussing revisiting the topic as our readers and writes continue to observe McCain’s function and share information about what the see in the present and have seen in the past.

The plan is to take the most pertinent observations and make them the heart of future posts.

We’re still working out the schedule: the more data pups give us, the more often we’ll be able to return to the topic.

I’m hoping for lots of company on the Brainwatch.

Kirk, given that the campaign seems to want to lock the good Governor in the attic like Rochester’s wife in ‘Jane Eyre’, I think that if John McCain’s behaviors get any worse, we are going to be left with a campaign by email and press release because they won’t want him being seen or heard in public either.

She could be unipolar. Maybe that’s why she hates polar bears.

I think that it has generally been acknowledged that flying to low and hitting elect lines is 1. Not the planes fault 2. not the electric lines fault.

Nope…not manic…and not pregnant, either.

I got the subtle the first time. :)

He was by far the most pessimistic. He thought housing prices would probably decline 40%. But he was also the one who pointed out that we are facing much more than a housing crisis but a tsunami of debt from credit cards, student loans, etc. I liked Morgenson’s statement that since the beginning of this there has been nothing but denial, denial, denial. el-Erani was the most positive in approving Paulson’s most recent actions.

I don’t know if things will hold together or not but I think that the whole financial system is a disaster waiting to happen. The Paulsons of this world go around trying to deal with crisis after crisis on a piecemeal basis and without doing anything that will either upset his cronies in the markets or funadamentally change how things are done. I was disappointed that no one tied in the speculation in oil markets into the discussion.

The underlying relevant concept is one of “functional reserve”: it applies to all organ systems.

And to TobyWollin at 64

doing something not appropriate for the location

As I recall from the case of my MIL, she went from us still allowing her to drive to being in a locked Alzheimers facility within three or four months. There likely were complicating factors from metastatic cancer that may also have affected her brain, but her doctor also commented that such a rapid decline from social functioning is not that unusual in dementia. He said that one’s ability to compensate can sometimes be quite strong, but eventually a tipping point is reached and then the slide downward is steep and rapid.

I would note in this regard the way in which McCain doesn’t appear to be allowed solo appearances. Before nominating Palin, he always had Lieberman, Graham, Crist or someone else at his elbow to “bring him back” if needed. It will be very interesting to see how long Palin is patient with this function or if she chooses to let him fail in the hope that she would move up-ticket.

Two months is a very long time if McCain is near the tipping point of his ability to compensate socially.

After Bush…. I think there should be a mental health evaluation requirement prior to becoming President. After reading Justin Franks book “Bush on the Couch” the summer of 2004….. that scared the *..* out of me and I devoted all my time to try to get Kerry elected.

Right now, my 87 yr old mother is showing signs of Late Onset Dementia, she is this repeating audio tape, gets fixated on a single point, does not initiate anything. She stopped cooking, cleaning house, and reached a point where I cannot trust that she pays the bills on time. And the anger flares too, in the discussion in rebuilding the house, she just flipped that my Dad and I wanted to put in handicap equipment (rails and easy access shower)…..

It is the video of McCain being asked about paying for birth control vs. Viagra that was very telling. THAT video really shows how is brain is NOT working. Let me go look for the youtube….

Read House of War by James Carroll. Cold War rhetoric has been a constant of the MIC cause it gives them more $$. Pentagon took over U.S. foreign policy after (during?) WWII. Was the reason why Clinton surrounded Russia with NATO. Comes in different forms in different admins, but is always there.

“Before nominating Palin, he always had Lieberman, Graham, Crist or someone else at his elbow to “bring him back” if needed.”

Great point!!!

Biden’s history and his current function are both relevant. For all four major party candidates (VP and Prez), their current apparent function is a powerful predictor of the arc of functional brain capacity we can expect over the nexit four to eight years.

The greater the apparent degree of dysfunction, the greater the pertinence of current medical records and past medical records. As indications of current impairment rise, the relevance of information about the candidate’s past/current biology only increases.

I missed your subtle.

(((katymine))) (((katymine’s mom))) (((katymine’s dad)))

i asked because 20 years ago biden had brain surgery twice to repair two different aneursyms.

20 years, no recurrence, I wouldn’t be too concerned, but I haven’t seen the medical records.

raven still here?

I’m less than optimistic about all this because because any time I would point out that Reagan was demented people thought i was calling him names and how could anyone do that to Reagan?

But regardless, this is something we really have to do. Media won’t touch this one until it’s waaay too late.

Obama says, “Lipstick on a pig is still a pig.”

Which pig is Obambo talking about?

I like it. I’ll be straight. No name calling. No exaggerating. This is too important.

you guys should see this video from see and elle

the guest comes up with a GREAT tag line after punishing palin on the bridge thingy

he says, “alaska is essentially a welfare state”…very very nice as he smacks her down

5 colleges

I have started reading Nixonland.

Quite the window on the world I was growing up in.

Methinks that we may be entering McCainland.

-G

And he tries to rely on humor when he gets stuck. Tells a joke. Something self-defecating. Takes people’s minds off the fact that they;re watching a demented man.

the more data pups give us, the more often we’ll be able to return to the topic.

What’s the best way to send in information?

He’s gotta keep the plates spinning on those sticks until 1/20/09.

-G

The debates loom more and more interesting

Thanks…. I knew the day would come….. all of us with elder parents…. Thankfully Dad is still bright eyed and going strong….

Here is the youtube …. watch to the end and see how he is trying to think…..
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2y8dYwq01g

wow. must have been fun to watch

I have seen most of them individually on Yahoo (just google ‘em) but not all together.

Dementia is often described as a stair step process. There are often sharp declines followed by plateaus and further declines. Patients do not get better from dementia but the full extent of a decline can be obscured by masking strategies. The most common of these is to agree with whatever a questioner asks.

thanks… so if my quick google did not confuse me - getting knocked unconscious from a blow to the head while boxing is more likely to cause damage to the brain than a typical surgery to correct for an aneurysm?

but the debates are structured so that nobody really does too well and nobody really does too badly. there have been exceptions. they don’t change many minds. people usually think their candidate won. but this election, it may not take too many minds to change to make the difference.

Thanks, a perfect example.

Most pilots of jets would not survive the encounter. Plus, ejection at that low altitude can be risky and to come out unscathed… I’d like to see the investigation reports on the 3 “crashes.” There’s no doubt investigations were done because the Commanding Officer of those units ass would be grass if they weren’t.

Kirk, I have read that when children are abused their emotional growth tends to stay at that age and when they become abusers themselves they choose children who are the age they were then. I listen to McC (when I can stand it) and it seems to me that he stopped at the Vietnam war. It’s as if he is still having to fight to prove something to himself and he missed all the years when America was changing so rapidly. Am I nuts or is this possible?

Oh, I expect we’ll be reading at least one pagan’s response to the news Palin’s church wants them dead before too long.

I don’t expect pagans would be able to write about “demonic possession”:: among the pagans I’ve known, that concept is regarded as based upon a Judeo-Christian frame work which is dissimilar to that helpd by the majority of modern practicing pagans and/or polytheists.

Ronald Hutton’s excellent reference book “The Triumph Of The Moon” (paperback relatively inexpensive at Powell’s) is one source for more info about the belief system(s) within modern pagan witchcraft. Margot Adler’s “Drawing Down The Moon” (esp her recent revised edition) is another good source, and gives a wealth of data about American paganism

thanks, bfl!

thanks… so if my quick google did not confuse me - getting knocked unconscious from a blow to the head while boxing is more likely to cause damage to the brain than a typical surgery to correct for an aneurysm?

Well repeated blows as in boxing or a big one as in a major auto accident or explosion. These cause trauma to large areas of the brain while the aneurysm surgery should stay out of the brain and at most cause only local trauma to the brain tissue adjacent to the surgery.

Be greatful for every day you have. Things can happen quickly. My mom passed away july 07, my dad, despite dementia, macular degeneration and being deaf was otherwise healthy but passed away this past Jan.

Another Hugh, is to use other verbal strategies which mask the fact that the person can’t find the words to respond any longer. My Mom’s favorite thing was to say, “uh hunh..” to everything, as if she were really engaged in the conversation. But if you asked her a question, she’d get very frustrated and agitated because the words were no longer there…

Over the next 24 hours, the comments to this thread are best.

When they close, the info can go to me directly at:

kirkmurphy gmail com

kmurphy riseup net

Best to send to both addys — (and cc to one’s self) — helps ensure the emails aren’t accidetnally lost while traversing the toobz.

After my son was transfered out of sp ops he became a flight instructor at a naval airstation that trains air force, navy and marine pilots. At this time there are very tight controls.

you rang

One aspect of emotional trauma so severe as to cause PTSD or PTSD-spectrum symptoms is persistent emotional and cognitive re-experience of the traumatic event.

Moving on in one’s emotional life is more difficult when the intrusive, unwelcome re-experience of the (past) traumatic event keeps yanking one back to the circumnstances and stage of life they were in when the trauma first occured.

Of course, this is a general observation, and won’t hold true for all who were exposed to traumatic event. My fellowship was in trauma psychiatry: a whole ‘nother interesting question is why not all who are exposed to major emotional trauma show what we shrinky types call “symptoms”.

I’ll look for that.
James Carroll rocks.
Have you read Prince of Peace?

P.S. wouldn’t it be a good idea if he released his military records - did Kerry

Hey jaango!

katymine, I am not suggesting this has any bearing in your case but just so you are aware. Adverse effects from medication are sometimes much more pronounced in the elderly. My grandmother developed LOD. At one point very early in the process, she experienced an adverse reaction to some prescription meds and appeared to come completely unhinged. When hospital staff learned she was still living alone albeit with help from my mom they couldn’t believe it. It took about a week for of being off the meds before she returned to normal. She went several years after that before requiring full-time assistance.

I guess my point is, if you see a sudden unexpected change in your mother’s cognitive ability, be alert to the possibility of external causes.

agreed!

Hey folks, thanks for the diggs: we’ve gone from one to 17! If we could push it close to 30, that would be great.

Don’t some of the drugs like arisept also mask things

Thanks, addys in the contact book now.

Right now, my 87 yr old mother is showing signs of Late Onset Dementia, she is this repeating audio tape, gets fixated on a single point, does not initiate anything. She stopped cooking, cleaning house, and reached a point where I cannot trust that she pays the bills on time. And the anger flares too,

Same here, K. What’s more alarming, is the speed at wich I see my mom slipping into the dementia. She’s still cooking, , I don’t think she’ll still be doing that by christmas. Went through the same thing four years ago with my dad, he died a year ago.

I’ve been trying to listen to McCain as often as I can manage, and from what I’ve seen in the last year, I’d be surprised this guy will recognise a teleprompter a year from now.

Big virtual hug, K.

Aricept was originally marketed as slowing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and then as causing some improvement. Most of the neurologists I knew were fairly skeptical.

Investigation reports wouldn’t be in them. Letters of caution or reprimand would be, however. A letter of reprimand is a career killer.

Sorry for the delay. Decided I wanted to go get a jug of single malt. 35 bucks. No wonder I don’t drink much any more.

In response to Raven@186

If you’re going to misfire again, I can take a blank without the body armor. :-)

Hello, Little Brother of Shared Experiences. Hope you’re well, and as I was reading this thread, I happened on your post and thought well of you even after I posted last week or two.

And lest I forget, my thanks to the Dr. Murphy for addressing a topic that is not much favored in our general discourse. And being from the Sonoran Desert, perhaps, McCain does “mask it well” given that he is constantly surrounded by Graham and Lieberman. And yet, the obverse is not necessarily true when McCain returns to Arizona, and Graham and Lieberman are no where to be found here among the cacti.

Jaango

Was it just me or did -anyone- else here “go away” instead of John McCain after a bit?

Oy.. speak about brain issues >.

Hi Kelpie –

I’m slow…just don’t follow. If you could help me catch up, I’d be grateful

(btw, are you the Kelpie the awesome forest activist?)

The debates will be quite telling in how far his function has deteriorated. He won’t have his ‘handlers’ at his elbow for that 1.5 hours. We’ll see how many breaks are scheduled into the format, as well.

Goddamn it he was a POW.

I wonder how much they beat on him and made his dementia worse.
Thank God being President doesn’t require much thought.
Why would Republicans choose someone this impaired? Are THEY impaired?

It does seem to make the point that McCain had little to do with choosing his own running mate.

This makes it clear he isn’t the guy in charge — and they aren’t telling WHO IS in charge.

Got Democracy?

Hopefully the American people will vet their president better that what’s his name vetted what’s her name.

A politician walks into a room full of rich guys and asks,

“Do you want someone intelligent and experienced or a retired cowboy actor?
I can do either, but since you have the power to pick whomever you want I have to know how to kiss your ass just right.

Do you want somebody who can solve the Israeli-Palestinian fight?
Do you want somebody who understands economics?
Do you want somebody who has a passing knowledge of science?
Do you want somebody who works well with advisers?

Do you want all that and more or do you just want an iconic figure who doesn’t know shit and lets you and your hand-picked people do everything?”

Bush lives in what was formerly a pig farm and they call it a ranch.
He is afraid of horses and falls off bikes & stuff.
But, he wears cowboy boots and says he lives on a ranch.

That’s what Republicans have offered us.

Now, McCain is a ‘maverick’, despite supporting Bush over 90% of the time.
McCain was a fighter, a lover, a gambler and a patriotic POW, but now he’s practically demented and can’t remember his veep nominee’s name.

That’s what the Republicans have offered America!

Obama & Biden are the intelligent buys who have good humor and decent personalities with some experience to back it all up.

Remember, the President can start wars and kill everybody.

Pick.

Foot, I am so sorry. That is alot of loss and grief and adjustment. It takes a while for thoughts and feelings to settle, I think. Peace. BL

I would like the blogosphere to make a bigger deal about mccain losing 5 planes

Again a memory problem? Can’t remember where he put ‘em?

The man has 5 airplanes? C’mon, he can’t fly more than one at a time. What’s he need with 5? How many does Cindy have? I’ll betcha she doesn’t lose hers.

heh

There is a lot of evidence that McCain is suffering from dementia, but the corporate media ignores it or even covers it up. Good strategy to collect video evidence and force the media to at least ask the question.

A month or so ago the news media aired a video clip showing McCain entering his jet after a press conference. At the top of the stairs he turned as if to wave to the reporters, but instead brought a coffee cup to his lips and stood there drinking while he stared out into space. Pretty weird. Forgetting or inappropriate behavior could indicate dementia. Wish I could find tthe clip but I don’t know which news media aired the segment.

LKN2, thanks for that observation. If you can find any info that might help you bracket the daye of that (or even have guesses about location / date / presser /media outlet, that would be very helpful.

Thanks again for your comment!

oops: days of that

(though daze may also be apropos)

Queens don’t play near bridges to nowhere.

Cindy spent it on her dazzling new wardrobe.