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Biden's Medical Report Shows He's Healthy, But Questions Remain

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October 20, 2008 4:18 PM

ABC News' Susan Wagner & Matthew Jaffe Report: Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., today released his medical records, which show that the Democratic vice-presidential nominee appears to be in good health, although questions remain about whether or not he has had follow-up brain scans after his two 1988 brain aneurysms.

Dr. Matthew Parker, an internist in Washington, DC, who reviewed a portion of Biden's medical records, briefed reporters on a conference call arranged by the Obama-Biden campaign. Dr. Parker has never treated or met with Sen. Biden. He reviewed a 49-page summary provided by Biden's personal physician, Dr. John F. Eisold, the attending physician at the US Capitol. 

Dr. Eisold does not speak to the media. 

Dr. Parker said his "clear impression" is that the 65-year old senator is healthy. The Delaware lawmaker's biggest health issue concerns two brain aneurysms he had surgery for in 1988. While Dr. Eisold has written that Biden has "recovered fully without continued effects" from the aneurysm,  Dr. Parker told reporters that in the records he reviewed, there are no follow-up notes on Biden's neurological care since 1988. He said he does not know whether or not Biden has had periodic brain imaging done since his surgeries.   

ABC News' Medical Editor, Dr. Tim Johnson, who was on the call, said questions remain as to whether or not the senator has had a brain scan since 1988. Since the senator was first treated, many neurologists now order routine follow-up brain scans to see if a new aneurysm has developed that could burst. Dr. Johnson said it would be interesting to know "if Sen. Biden has had follow-up imaging, what were the results?  And if he hasn't had any imaging, why not?" 

In response to reporters' questions, Obama-Biden communications director Ricki Seidman said further information about the senator's neurological care since 1988 would be provided later today.   

Dr. Parker also reported that the senator had a single episode of a heart rhythm problem, called atrial fibrillation.  And further testing has shown him to be in good cardiac health.  He takes a daily aspirin and a statin drug for cholesterol control.  A biopsy for an enlarged prostate five years ago came out normal. 

After the briefing, campaign spokesman David Wade said,  "Sen. Biden is in terrific health and he's full of unbrindled energy on the campaign trail. He leads an active lifestyle, lifts weights, and works out regularly even as he campaigns, and his wife and family always make sure he drinks plenty of water and eats right. After a health scare over twenty years ago, he's been blessed with excellent health."

Seidman said Dr. Parker was selected to review the records based on recommendations from DC-area physicians and the campaign's legal staff. Dr. Parker, who is associated with George Washington University Hospital and Sibley Memorial Hospital, told reporters his objective was to review the summary, not to evaluate the care provided to the Senator. The physician did say he had donated $2,300 to the Obama-Biden campaign this summer. 

October 20, 2008 in Biden, Joe, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah | Permalink | User Comments (158)

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Palin should have done the SNL rap song!

Posted by: sarahpalinisstupid | Oct 20, 2008 5:36:17 PM

Palin won't release hers because she's going syphilis crazy! Small town girl with samll town STD'S that's all Palinn is!

Posted by: Joe | Oct 20, 2008 5:37:41 PM

Biden has no impulse control--he just says whatever he thinks, however damaging or stupid.

ABC News’ Matthew Jaffe Reports: Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., on Sunday guaranteed that if elected, Sen. Barack Obama., D-Ill., will be tested by an international crisis within his first six months in power and he will need supporters to stand by him as he makes tough, and possibly unpopular, decisions.

“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”

“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you - not financially to help him - we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”

Isn’t this an argument for electing someone with MORE EXPERIENCE!? Why should we elect a man who will EMBOLDEN OUR ENEMIES and push us to the brink of disaster? Biden seems convinced that electing John McCain will make our enemies abroad much less sanguine about provoking us — which is one of the best arguments yet heard for electing McCain.

Even worse, Biden admits that an Obama administration will likely FUMBLE THE BALL. “It’s not going to be apparent that we’re right.” Really? Why not? I’d say that Biden admits that Obama will deviate from long-held principles of American foreign policy and diplomacy, and expects to reap a whirlwind of disapproval because of that. Where will that be most likely to occur, given Obama’s previous political alliances with people like Rashid Khalidi?

Let’s not forget the example that Biden himself uses here. John Kennedy got tested because he met with Nikita Khrushchev with “no preconditions”. Kennedy acknowledged afterwards that it was an “unmitigated DISATER.”

What resulted? The Berlin Wall and the Cuban missile crisis. Kennedy wound up trading strategic intel and missile installations in western Asia in exchange for Soviet withdrawal of the nuclear missiles from Cuba. The entire Kennedy administration turned out to be a foreign-policy DISASTER that was only overlooked because of the tragic assassination of Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.

Posted by: Biden is Shockingly Honest about Obama's Inexperience | Oct 20, 2008 5:39:33 PM

Posted by: samurai | Oct 20, 2008 5:45:25 PM

Health isn't Biden's issue. His issue is his running mate. Zero experience running a government, zero experience running a business, zero experience negotiating with foreign leaders, a proud record of voting present in a state legislature, 1xx days in the senate and, wow, ghee whiz, I think I'm ready to run the most powerful country in the world. He is way less qualified than Gov. Palin to lead this country.

Educated? Sure. What has it provided him? Judgment that thought it would be a good idea to sit in the church of a racist pastor for years. Judgment that thought that it was a good idea to 'advise' a community group that used the CRA to bully banks into making home loans to those that were capable of paying them back (root cause of the credit market meltdown is bad home debt). What did he accomplish on the board he sat on with Mr. Ayers? What did he change in Chicago education? ZERO? or Less than ZERO!

btw, though I think we might be stupied enough to elect him, I am not so worried his campaign pledges being implemented. He's strong on rhetoric, but doesn't deliver. His best track record is that of failing to deliver what he promises.

0bama's candidacy is an insult to American voters.

I wonder if 1xx days into office....is he going to declare his candidacy for President of the Planet?

Posted by: zerobama | Oct 20, 2008 5:47:20 PM

Obama followers have questioned if Sarah Palin is qualified for the VP job. What about Obama?? Do you think he is qualified as a President of US with his famous background as a Comunity Organizer for...whom... ACORN???? LOL!!!

Posted by: Asian-American | Oct 20, 2008 5:53:25 PM

Are you absolutely sure Biden was thoroughly checked out? I think his hair-plugs went a little too deep and caused damage. After all he said JOBS is a three letter word. And Obama said he could see fallen heroes (Soldiers) in his audience plus I am still waiting for him to identify all 57 states. Those so-called Democrats are weird.

Posted by: Mary
*********************************************
always happy to see people really buckle down and focus on the important things in this country.

Posted by: Truth Matters | Oct 20, 2008 6:04:33 PM

0...0....0....0

The results of an August 2003 final technical report of the Chicago Annenberg Research Project by the Consortium on Chicago School Research "suggest that among the schools it supported, the Challenge had little impact on school improvement and student outcomes, with no statistically significant differences between Annenberg and non-Annenberg schools in rates of achievement gain, classroom behavior, student self-efficacy, and social competence."

This after redistributing millions of wealth into the Chicago public school system...way to go Osama!!! You are going to be a very effective President.

You know what, I wish that the Hollywood executive that casted the West Wing, would have known of your speaking skills. You would have been way better than Mr. Sheen.

Posted by: big rhetoric ; zero results | Oct 20, 2008 6:08:11 PM

Nancy Pelosi.

Two heartbeats away from the presidency

Posted by: Wise Up | Oct 20, 2008 6:18:09 PM

He's got foot in mouth disease, and Plagiaritis.

Posted by: Mack | Oct 20, 2008 6:19:09 PM

Sen. Obama, experience matters. I have made many mistakes in my short life. It is true, when I think about it, that each of those mistakes are among my greatest assets with respect to decision making, each and every one of them. This is because we all learn from our mistakes. At all times, I believe the best of my judgment is anchored in the cement that is my experience. I believe firmly that the longer I live, the more I will have experienced, and the better my judgment will be, on the balance. Sen. Obama, do you really believe that you have made enough mistakes to be the next President of the United States? Many say that what you won't make the same mistakes that others have because of your sound judgement (ie, your choice of pastor). The only thing, Senator, is that there still remain many mistakes yet to be written into this planet's history books. You won't always have the benefit of others experience, you'll have to leverage your own experience and you have too little on which to base your judgement. I respect your ambition. I respect your charisma. I embrace your place in history, but I do not believe you have sufficient experience to lead this planet, not even close.

America, since the mainstream media has failed to examine Sen. Obama’s experience and lack of experience, you will have to determine for yourselves what exactly is Sen. Obama’s experience? What did he accomplish in the Illinois legislature? He was only there for a handful of years. What did he promise he would accomplish? What did he accomplish in the U.S. Senate? He has only been on the job as a U.S. Senator for 1xx days. What did he promise he would accomplish? What has he changed in this world? This country? The Presidency of the United States is an executive position Sen. Obama. Do you have any executive experience? Have you created a budget, negotiated a budget, revised a budget or managed adherence to a budget?

Sen. Obama insists on presenting Sen. McCain’s experience as being only an puppet of the Bush administration. I saw Senator McCain stand up to President Bush’s Defense Secretary. He stood in a manner that no other did. He changed the course of the war in Iraq. What percentage of all GOP legislative votes sided with President Bush’s? What percentage of all Democrat legislative votes sided with Presidents Clinton, Carter and Johnson’s policies? I have no idea, but I’d venture to guess that, had the media presented that information to the American public, we’d find rank and file partisanship throughout our recent history. How many Americans would be surprise by that?

Well Senator Obama, you might be able to claim that you did not support the Iraq war resolution, but what can you offer as proof that it was the right decision at that moment in our history? You were after all in the small minority. Our country was after all reeling from the worst terror attack in our nation’s history. How would history have judged President Bush had he not led our troops into Iraq and then, a massive terror attack occurred yesterday, perpetrated by terrorists that lived and trained in Iraq over the past few years, with or without knowledge of Saddam Hussein? I think about it this way: history failed to present enough evidence to push the World to coalesce and intervene in 1930s Europe. But modern history is 100% clear on that point, it would have been the correct decision. History might well judge the Iraq war to be not a right decision. History will judge the Bush administration on many points. One of those may even record it, in part, as a series of lapses in the judgment of a young President, swayed by the belief and conviction of an older, seasoned Vice President and the overwhelming circumstances of a world that had changed dramatically, in an instant. I agree with you Sen. Obama that we don't need another eight years of the Bush Administration, we dont need another eight years of an inexperienced President.

Mr. Gibson, Ms. Couric, Ms. Behar, Ms. Mitchell, Mr. Matthews ... you do not get to dismantle the American vote. You and your colleagues might think you have the power to micro-filter democracy’s messages to your liking, but you do not get to dismantle the American vote. You might think you have the power to subtly, and not so subtly promote and gather others to blindly promote one candidacy, while casting another in the least flattering manner possible, but you do not get to dismantle the American vote. You do not get to dismantle America’s vote. The mainstream media bias in this election is at best described as repugnant and at worst, a slap to the face of democracy; an assault on the moral and righteous ideal that all American voters should be free to construct their vote on the basis of readily available, factually complete, accurate, relevant and unbiased fact. It is my opinion that, during this election cycle more than any other I have witnessed, the mainstream media has failed millions of American’s who rely on them, as a basis for constructing their vote. Am I wrong? I might be wrong, but I’ll ask you, the American voters to decide that for yourself, by asking yourself some questions. Questions such as why was so much time spent this election cycle mining for dirt in Alaska, why was so little time was spent tracking laundry in Illinois? Why has the mainstream media spent so little time illuminating the razor thin experience that the junior Senator from Illinois maintains as his credentials? Indeed, if the media was prepared to be fair and honest, they would have been able to report, with incontrovertible confidence, that they were reporting fact, that the candidate having the most experience directly relevant to the position of the Presidency of the United States is actually the candidate that has been relentlessly attacked by the media, both personally and professionally. The mainstream media owes an apology to American Democracy for its treatment of Gov. Palin. Why is it, that after finally deciding to give minimal airtime to the ACORN voter registration fraud issue, was it not mentioned that Sen. Obama’s campaign funded ACORN? Sen. Obama, in my mind, there is no distinction between committing voter registration fraud, serving as impetus to commit voter registration fraud or funding those serving as impetus to commit voter registration fraud. During the last debate, you did a fine job of distancing yourself from ACORN, but you failed to directly confront and condemn those that perpetrate or encourage voter registration fraud. You had a nationwide audience, and you chose not to act.

The President is the commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces. That is a serious responsibility. I question how you can expect us to believe that you will effectively maintain the morale, skill and competence of our forces after you have insulted them (I have a friend that is an Army Reservist. He is deploying, again, to Iraq. He has a wife, a son and a daughter. He does not serve so that he can kill children and raid villages Senator). What will serve as your experiential basis for leading the U.S. Military? Do you have any military experience at all? Have you ever served in ROTC? Did you at least play with the little green plastic troops when you lived in Hawaii? Do you know firsthand the horrors of war? I believe that firsthand knowledge and experience is the most critical element one can use in formulating decisions, including the determination of when to and when not to deploy U.S. Military forces. Sen. McCain has that experience. That I know. That he has shown. The media can’t take that away from him.

With regard to foreign policy experience, do you think you are qualified to navigate the most powerful democracy the world knows during a time when the fundamentals of democracy are very much under attack? Are you ready to face Mr. Putin? Mr. Chavez? Kim Jung mentally Ill? China? Iran? Are you ready to answer the 03:00 phone call? What experience do you have that I should judge gives you readiness? What is that experience? What foreign leaders have you negotiated with directly? What treaties have you signed? The media has presented none and neither have you. I have a good number of stamps in my passport Sen. Obama. I lived and worked in Germany for a brief period. Sen. Obama, I am not qualified by a longshot to make United States foreign policy, and you may only be marginally more qualified than I.

The oratorical is no substitute for judgment or experience Senator Obama. I do not believe that you have the experience to be President of our country. Experience matters Sen. Obama, and you are not ready, you have not made enough mistakes. But most glaring to me, Senator Obama is the one mistake that you seem willing to make over and over and it is the worst mistake one can make. That mistake is the action of not owning and learning from one’s mistakes. The surge worked Senator.

Sen. Obama, you claim that you will cut taxes on 95% of all Americans. Is that true? Or let me rephrase, how can that be true? You told the voters of Illinois that you would cut taxes, but you have failed to do so in the U.S. Senate. Did you even try? Did you present a bill? Were it a committee issue did you encourage your peers to present one? Have you ever voted for a tax cut? What did you mean Senator Obama when you told Plumber Joe that you wanted to spread the wealth? Do you mean that you want to take money from Joe and give it to those with less money? Your running mate, Sen. Biden has commented that you would not be taxing additionaly those making under $250,000 a year. Sen. Biden commented that he knows no plumbers that make over $250,000 a year. I think that those who claim your tax policies embody class warfare are wrong. Wrong, because the policies are class warfare policies, but they are not directed against the haves, they are directed against the have-nots. Senator Biden, you may well be correct that few plumbers earn over $250,000 a year, but some that own plumbing contracting businesses probably do. What do those that spin your message have planned to say to that one plumber out of maybe six or seven that was employed by a plumbing company, but was laid off, because business is slow, new homes weren’t being built and President Obama’s tax increase forced the owner of the plumbing business to lay her off? The owner tried every angle possible, but was forced to make a tough decision. They were faced with the prospect of either making a tough decision or risk running the entire operation into financial distress and end up having to close operations and fire all workers? I guess you’d have Mr. Burton tell her that, even though she has no job, she does at least still have access to affordable healthcare? Senator Obama what will you say to the still unemployed plumber in Ohio, father of two, that nearly had a job secured, the owner had just signed a good contract for a small building and he was ready to hire that plumber, but learned from his accountant, that President Obama’s, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid's tax increase has made it not possible to hire another employee? I guess you’d have Mr. Burton tell that plumber, that even though he still has no job, he does have a lower tax rate applied against his $0.00 income.

Sen. Obama, you have stated over and over that Sen. McCain supports tax breaks for corporations that send their jobs overseas. The media has not reported on this one way or another, but if you are correct, then I commend Sen. McCain for doing so. What you don’t get, Sen. Obama, or perhaps don’t want the American public to get, is that income taxes, to a for profit enterprise are expenses not much different from the costs of raw materials and salary expenses for purposes of this discussion. All else equal, ladies and gentleman, a corporation will locate itself, and its jobs, or begin to locate itself and its jobs, in areas where it is least penalized in terms of taxes. This is how for profit American corporations behave and this is how they must behave. Their competitors are operating in that manner, continually scouring expenses to search for reduction opportunities. They have to. If they do not, they will be at a cost disadvantage and if their tactical errors are sustained, they may well go out of business in which case, even those jobs which remain in the United States, could also disappear. Even if the company does not fail entirely, some jobs may be eliminated, and chances are great that the highest cost jobs would be targeted first. Sen. Obama, America is not a low cost country, in these circumstances, high cost American jobs would be targeted first, all else equal. When those jobs are cut Sen. Obama, those finding themselves newly unemployed will not have money to support the 'under $250k' crowd...they won't have money to support small businesses...is it sinking in at all?

Your position of not supporting tax breaks for corporations that export jobs overseas, indeed, only encourages them, at the margin, to further export jobs, or slow their job creation in the United States or end their job creation in the United States. This is global economic reality. The media can not distort this fact for you. At the final debate, I heard you add a carrot to your plans. You pulled that same tax string attached to the back of your head and out came the message your handlers have planted in you, that message you think the voters want to hear. I was laughing a bit, but if I understand you correctly, you’ll give tax credits to corporations that create jobs in America. In case you don’t know Senator Obama, this already happens today at the state and local level all across America. Have you thought about how much additionaly, it will cost the U.S. Treasury to employ workers, in an audit fashion, in order to verify which of all the xx million jobs that corporations claim they created, were actually created or do actually exist? What are the time constraints? How long must they keep the job filled in order to receive the credit? What would happen when that timeframe passes? Let me point this out to my fellow voters. Senator Obama wants to first keep tax rates on corporations high or raise them – thereby encouraging employers large and small to export their operations and jobs - and then at the same time he wants to turnaround and give them a tax credit for jobs they create? Senator, or maybe I should be addressing your advisers, you do realize that the two are policy opposites don’t you? It looks to me that you might be trying to convince us that it would be a good idea to spend more on government for an unknown expected net job decrease/increase. If you can convince us that those are winning policies Senator Obama, then I’d suggest you save us all some trouble, sell the American voters a bridge to nowhere and retire, pen some books, give some speeches. Indeed, your tax policy is bigger government, bigger IRS, more regulatory burden on American corporations and more administrative overhead makes them less competitive in the global market and less likely to employ. It is not the right policy Senator Obama, not by a long shot.

Go back to the Senate and accomplish something Sen. Obama. Your candidacy is an insult to America.

ps, the verdict has been in for decades on the effectiveness of spreading the wealth policies. Go visit an American Indian Reservation Sen. Obama. The only thing that has changed for the past several decades is the faces of the Washington politicians that have redistributed wealth to us. Do you have any clue what the average unemployment rate is in Indian Country Sen.Obama? Illicit drug use rate? Teen pregnancy rate? Suicide rate? Pick a rate Senator.

Posted by: Obama is about as ready as Eddie Haskell | Oct 20, 2008 6:25:18 PM

How come Sarah Palin hasn't released hers? I don't hear you Republicans asking for those. Why not?

Posted by: Jwench | Oct 20, 2008 6:41:34 PM

Obama Praised 'Searing and Timely' Book by Ayers

Barack Obama once gave a glowing endorsement of a book by former domestic terrorist William Ayers and was mentioned by name in the book itself.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/20/obama-praised-searing-timely-book-ayers/

Posted by: Planewizard | Oct 20, 2008 6:36:32 PM

Posted by: HP Boston | Oct 20, 2008 6:42:00 PM

Biben needs to see JOE the plumber ....
get his pipes checked too.
God know Joe Biden can not be relied on to answer a 3 am call!

Posted by: HP Boston | Oct 20, 2008 6:44:41 PM

Obama 08

Put the WHOLE country first.

Posted by: chris | Oct 20, 2008 6:45:02 PM

This is scary enough, knowing that Obama would be totally clueless without biden.
==================

Liberati--What are you talking about? Obama is clueless WITH Biden.

Posted by: True American | Oct 20, 2008 5:17:39 PM

-------------------------------------

LOL LOL
They should read an Ayers book or get him to write another for JOE!
Clueless is a mild rebuke!!!

Posted by: HP Boston | Oct 20, 2008 6:49:20 PM

Posted by: HP Boston | Oct 20, 2008 6:42:00 PM

At least if you are going to post a site, make it a credible one.


Might I remind you of McCain's skeleton's once again:

US Council for World Freedom
G. Gordon Liddy
William Timmons

Please explain those to me if you can.

Posted by: Jwench | Oct 20, 2008 6:53:15 PM

Palin and McCain and Biden have displayed their paperwork, Obama won't.
He will not because he CAN'T prove what's been asked of him.
Where is his birth certificate ???
No conspiracy here, just a man that's shouldn't be allowed to run for president.
All of you that accept what the media tells you, and don't look into it for yourself will get what you deserve.

Posted by: losersRUall | Oct 20, 2008 6:58:22 PM

Posted by: losersRUall | Oct 20, 2008 6:58:22 PM

Palin has not released her medical records.

Posted by: Jwench | Oct 20, 2008 7:01:05 PM

Palin cannot be permitted into the White House, she carries retard genes. Just look at Trig.

Posted by: JoeShmoe | Oct 20, 2008 7:01:48 PM

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