There has been considerable criticism raised about the McCain campaign’s refusal to release his medical records. However, the Obama campaign has also been less than forthcoming about the Democratic candidate’s medical information.
Last May, McCain allowed a select group of reporters access to 1,200 pages of medical records for three hours. This access only included records since 2000. Prior to McCain’s 2000 race for the Presidency, he released about the same number of pages. Although McCain allowed access to a large portion of his medical records, the restricted time, selected journalists and prohibition on making copies raises some concerns. After all, this is a 72-year-old man who has lived through four bouts of melanoma. In addition, he suffers from the aftereffects of untreated war injuries and torture from his years as a POW.
While it appears that Barack Obama is in much better health, he has only released a 276-word summary from his primary care physician. Although the letter released specific details, such as cholesterol levels and blood pressure, it did not contain any specific medical records. The letter declared Obama in “excellent health.” However, it did mention his history as a smoker. It also mentioned that he had not had a checkup since January 2007.
Although Obama is only 47 and would be the third youngest President, age is a deceiving indicator of good health. The two Presidents younger than Obama were John Kennedy and Bill Clinton. Clinton, despite the regular care afforded to the President, had undiscovered heart disease that resulted in a quadruple bypass just three years after leaving office. Kennedy was beset with a series of medical maladies that made him one of the most health-challenged Presidents in history. His medical conditions included Addison’s disease, colitis, back problems and complications from long-term steroid use.
The American public demands transparency in its Presidential candidates. From finances to personal associations, candidates are forced to reveal their backgrounds and face possible conflict of interest charges. Yet their medical records remain overlooked. The Presidency is a position of enormous stress. It is time the medical records of its candidates receive full attention and disclosure. Both Barack Obama and John McCain should allow full and unfettered access to their records by qualified medical personnel.
Regarding McCain’s health: Yes, he has had four bouts with melanoma, but he does NOT suffer from the aftereffects of torture from his years as a POW. The war injuries of the man who graduated fifth from the bottom of a USNA class of almost 700 were caused by his failure to follow standard procedure when he ejected from the third plane he was about to crash. McCain fought against the release of documention from the Vietnamese on POWs and MIAs because the documentation would show that he was NOT tortured, and had the nickname ‘Songbird’. The documentation mentioned above remains classified. I think the information regarding McCain should be made public.