A full exploration by Lawrence Altman of the candidates' mental and physical health, long overdue, is available this morning at the New York Times. To use a really bad simile, reading it at this point in the presidential race is like beating a dead horse. The dead horse is John McCain.
Most of the news from the Times' doctor-reporter is already known. Joe Biden once suffered from an aneurysm. But he recovered and is now mostly plagued by allergies. Sarah Palin is unknown. Barack Obama was/is a smoker and should stop (has stopped?) but is otherwise healthy. John McCain is a walking gravestone. The details are daunting and depressing, even if you've already decided he doesn't belong in the White House.
None of the current crop of candidates has been particularly cooperative when it comes to making medical records available and actually handing over a doctors' phone numbers. That's could be a problem. Altman reminds us that, once you're a president, all assurances go out the window.
"A leading example of openness was Ronald Reagan, whose age, 69, had become an issue in the 1980 election. Mr. Reagan authorized his doctors to be interviewed. He also agreed to an interview himself, against the wishes of his aides, answering all my questions, including what would he do if he became senile as president.
"'Resign,' he said."
Right.
