Home > PHOTOS Show George W. Bush Seriously Ill Physically

PHOTOS Show George W. Bush Seriously Ill Physically

by Open-Publishing - Monday 27 December 2004
38 comments

Governments USA

George W. Bush apparently is wearing a medical device for "persons at risk of cardiac arrest." It is a LifeVest wearable defibrillator. He started using it sometime after his January 2002 fainting spell, which was attributed to choking. Based on photos showing him wearing the device, one can conclude the fainting was due to atrial fibrillation (AF), which his father also had.

His father’s AF was caused by Graves? hyperthyroidism, which Barbara Bush also has. Bush Jr likely has AF and, less likely, Graves?, based on his family history and symptoms. The AF may have caused a stroke or TIA (mini-stroke), of which physicians watching the debates detected symptoms. Observers have noted psychological symptoms consistent with this and with Wernicke-Korsakoff disease.

[December 22, 2004] "The President remains in superb physical condition," said Adam M. Robinson, Jr., commander of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, after the president’s fourth annual physical at the center on December 11.

"The doctors said that Mr. Bush had a "low" to "very low" risk of coronary artery disease, although they found evidence of minimal calcification of the coronary arteries themselves. As a preventative, they recommended that Mr. Bush take a daily aspirin and a statin, or cholesterol-lowering drug," reported the New York Times.

It’s interesting that his doctors advised him to take aspirin and statin. Aspirin is used to prevent clotting, which is a problem with AF (the condition he apparently wears the LifeVest for). Statins are the most potent cholesterol-lowering agents, lowering LDL (so-called "bad cholesterol) by 30-50 percent. They are less effective than fibrates in lowering triglycerides and raising HDL ("good cholesterol"). But Bush’s doctors said he had a "low" to "very low" risk of heart disease, and his total cholesterol level was listed as 170 mg/dL, which is considered within the normal range.

There is ongoing research into other areas where statins appear to have an effect, including dementia. Science Daily recently reported (11/17/04): "The cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin slowed down mental decline and improved depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease"

In contrast to the "fit for duty" report, the photos below show Mr. Bush at a presidential debate, with parts of a LifeVest wearable defibrillator clearly visible underneath his suit jacket.

The LifeVest (left) has an electrode belt with four sensing/ECG electrodes. These send signals to the heart monitor/defibrillator, typically worn like a holster. When the monitor detects a life-threatening heart arrhythmia, it sends a signal to the small, handheld patient-interface module (a little like a computer "mouse" but with just buttons and alarms). The module provides an audible alarm. The user, if able to do so, depresses two buttons on the module to hold off a shock from the defibrillator. If the user faints and is unable to press the buttons, the defibrillator sends an electrical pulse to the large shocking electrode on the patient?s back and a smaller one on the chest. The pulse can be repeated until the heart starts pumping blood effectively, up to five pulses.

In the center photo, showing Mr. Bush and Sen. Kerry at a debate, one can clearly see the shocking electrode between the shoulder blades as well as the electrical cord leading down to the monitor/defibrillator.

The photo on the right, from another debate, gives another view of the LifeVest components.

Below we see the president adjusting his necktie, and as he does so, revealing a gray cord like that on the interface module ("mouse"), leading down to the monitor/defibrillator. The interface module possibly was located behind his tie.

This news could turn out to be the story of the year — for 2005 — if reporters ask the right questions to the right people.

Some time between the fainting (pretzel) incident of January 2002 and the following summer, the president apparently began wearing the device. The photo of Mr. Bush at his ranch was taken on August 9, 2002.

THE FAINTING INCIDENT OF JANUARY 2002

On January 13, 2002, President Bush lost consciousness while sitting on a couch in the White House, watching a football game. His head hit the floor, resulting in an abrasion on his left cheekbone and a small bruise on his lower lip. The incident was blamed on a combination of (a) Mr. Bush not feeling well in previous days and (b) an improperly eaten pretzel. Their combined effect was to slow the president?s heart. The description suggests a vasovagal attack: A pretzel lodged in his throat stimulated the vagus nerve to send a signal to his heart, slowing it down and reducing blood flow so much he fainted, according to White House physician Col. Richard J. Tubb, M.D.

Of course, even in this day of e-medicine, it is difficult and uncertain for anyone to diagnose a patient without having access to examination and test records. That doesn’t stop physicians and psychologists from trying, especially on someone with President Bush’s visibility. Obviously, considerable testing and examination have been done; but the American public does not always have the latest results, as they found out after other presidents, including Roosevelt and Kennedy, left office. Besides photographic evidence, there are observations and quotes from doctors, based on hours of Bush TV appearances, voluminous reports in the media, and the president’s own words.

ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AF)

In the January 2002 pretzel-choking episode, according to President Bush, the period of unconsciousness was brief — a few seconds. When fainting begins and ends suddenly, the cause of fainting usually is not what his doctors reported (vasovagal syncope) but instead is an abnormal heart rhythm such as atrial fibrillation (AF). Chronic AF is consistent with Mr. Bush’s requirement for constant monitoring and immediate access to defibrillation. Atrial fibrillation can lead to disastrous consequences if the patient is capable of sustaining a very rapid preexcited ventricular response with conduction over the accessory pathway. The rapid heart rate can produce syncope (fainting); or, more important, AF may cause ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. The LifeVest the president wears terminates ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia (overspeed) to prevent sudden cardiac death. This may be the reason the president wore the device during the debates, even though he risked exposing his vulnerability, especially if the device alarm sounded.

According to the Framingham Offspring study of AF, a person whose parent had AF is 50 percent more likely to have it than the general population. President Bush’s father had it during his presidency. While jogging at Camp David on a Saturday afternoon (May 4, 1991), Bush Sr developed shortness of breath, chest tightness, and a general feeling of fatigue. A White House physician discovered Bush had a rapid irregular heartbeat, ultimately diagnosed as atrial fibrillation caused by Graves? disease, a form of hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).

Vagal-mediated AF is a well described phenomenon and often occurs in older athletes, which our current president, George W. Bush, is. As far as treatment, there are many different drug options. Blood thinners are often prescribed to reduce the risk of blood clots. President Bush’s latest medical report (December 2004) included advice to take aspirin, which is a well known anti-clotting agent. Clotting can lead to strokes, discussed later.

Although atrial fibrillation usually is controllable with treatment, it may become a lasting, chronic, condition. In the president’s case, it apparently has, as his physicians evidently have decided to have him wear an external device that can continuously monitor his heart and shock it back into effective operation in case of an attack.

Hyperthyroidism, hypertension, and other diseases can cause arrhythmias, as can recent heavy alcohol use (binge drinking). Some cases have no identifiable cause. The president says that he stopped drinking when he was 40, so binge drinking is not an issue. However, both of his parents have the Graves’ disease form of hyperthyroidism and it is hereditary and must be considered.

The earliest photo I have seen of President Bush wearing the LifeVest was the one taken in August 2002. He probably started wearing the LifeVest between the January 2002 pretzel incident and this. The most likely time would seem to be after his June 28, 2002 colonoscopy, for which he was put under anesthesia at Camp David, MD — that is, some time in July 2002.

At any rate, the president bears watching for symptoms of AF, which include: heart palpitations (sensation of rapid heartbeat), irregular pulse, shortness of breath (especially during physical activity or emotional stress), chest pain (angina), weakness and fatigue, dizziness and confusion, lightheadness, or confusion. If the condition remains untreated, serious complications may occur, including stroke, heart attack, and heart failure.

EVIDENCE OF STROKE OR TIA

The evidence of atrial fibrillation is strong, based on photographic evidence that Mr. Bush wears an anti-arrythmic device, his father’s having it, a confirmed sudden-fainting spell, numerous falls, and observation-at-a-distance. The evidence of a stroke or TIA is less strong. It is symptomatic and based observation-at-a-distance — TV appearances and news reports — but it is there.

A stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack) is one possible consequence of AF itself. A TIA basically is a mini-stroke.

Many observers, including physicians, have been concerned or even alarmed at the symptoms President Bush has evidenced in TV appearances.

The photo below shows the drooping mouth noticed by Dr. W. Kendall Tongier, M.D. of Dallas, Texas.

After watching the third presidential debate, Dr. Tongier posted on the Dallas Morning News website about his concerns that the president may have had a stroke. Dr. Tongier has been an anesthesiologist for 15 years. His post said:

"Having watched the first two debates from start to finish, I was looking forward to listening to a spirited debate between Bush and Kerry. Unfortunately, I barely heard a word that was said. Instead, I found myself staring at and concentrating on the president?s drooping mouth."

"As a physician and a professor, I tend to pick up on signs and symptoms of physical problems better than most other people. I am highly concerned with what I saw. The drooping left side of the President?s face, his mouth and nasolabial fold (the crease in the face running from the nostril to the side of mouth) may be indicative of a recent stroke, TIA (transient ischemic attack) or, possibly botox injections. I sincerely hope this was nothing more than botox injections. The other options are truly scary given an upcoming election for president in three weeks."

In a phone interview reported by Salon.com, Dr. Tongier stressed that he’s not a neurologist, and no doctor can make a diagnosis from a 90-minute debate. But he did explain why he found Bush’s face so distracting on TV: "It struck me across the face to the point where I wasn’t really listening to the debate. It looked like the left side of his mouth was downturned. You know how he sneers at times. At first I thought that’s what it was, but it didn?t change when his face was at rest. It changed when he talked, but you’d expect that. It?s the loss of muscle tone there that’s really kind of concerning. And it was pretty much persistent throughout the entire debate."

"It certainly could be something as benign as an overzealous botox injection, which causes the paralysis, which is essentially how botox works. A lot of people will get them around the nasolabial fold to decrease those lines. If it?s botox, it can be a short-term reaction after an injection. It could last for 24 hours and be gone. But I?d like to see the Bush campaign at least give an explanation."

Not only was there no explanation, but the president delayed his annual medical examination until after the election. Even now, as far as I know, the complete details, including tests made and the metrics of those tests, have not come out — only a conclusion that he is in "supurb condition." If the speculation is true, the writers of the president?s medical report should be held to account for the discrepancies.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat in which the upper chamber of the heart quivers rapidly rather than beats. Even if it does not result in life-threatening ventricular fibrillation, the quivering motion is not forceful enough to send all the blood to the heart’s lower chambers (ventricles), and the blood pools, thus allowing clots to develop. The clots can migrate elsewhere, including the neck or brain (in cerebral embolism), and they can cause strokes.

A series of strokes can cause a progressive impairment of brain function known as "multi-infarct dementia."

DEMENTIA

The term "dementia" refers to a group of symptoms involving progressive impairment of all aspects of brain function. Disorders that cause dementia include conditions that impair the vascular (blood vessels) or neurologic (nerve) structures of the brain. Multi-infarct dementia results from the damage caused by strokes, and there is evidence that Mr. Bush has suffered multiple small strokes or TIAs.

One other type of dementia is caused by Wernicke encephalopathy, which is bleeding and swelling of the brain due to multiple brain lesions, caused by lack of thiamine vitamin. The disease often is connected to alcoholism. Mr. Bush drank, often heavily, according many published reports, from about age 20 to age 40. He said himself one time that he couldn’t remember a day he didn’t have a drink.

A minority of causes of dementia are treatable. Wernicke can be treated with thiamine. If untreated long enough, the disease progresses to Korsakoff’s disease, which like most of the disorders associated with dementia are progressive, irreversible, degenerative conditions.

The two major degenerative causes of dementia are (1) Alzheimer’s disease, which is a progressive loss of nerve cells without a known cause or cure, and (2) vascular dementia, which is loss of brain function due to a series of small strokes. Vascular dementia may or may not play a role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease: the conditions often occur together and neither can be diagnosed definitively except until autopsy. In those with the genetic and environmental susceptibility to develop Alzheimer’s disease, the concomitant presence of small infarcts (lacunar strokes) speeds up the onset of Alzheimer’s disease to an earlier age than if it were to occur alone (i.e., without small infarcts). President Bush has been prescribed statins, which slow the progression of dementia, even though is over all cholesterol is within the normal range.

Dementia may be diagnosed when there is impairment of two or more brain functions, including language, memory, visual-spatial perception, emotional behavior or personality, and cognitive skills (such as calculation, abstract thinking, or judgment). Dementia usually appears first as forgetfulness. Other symptoms may be apparent only on neurologic examination or cognitive testing.

A well-respected psychoanalyst has written a psychological profile of the president, called "Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President" (ISBN: 0060736704).

Justin A. Frank, M.D., is a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at George Washington University Medical Center. Since 1980 he has been a teaching analyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. He is past president of the Greater Washington Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. Dr. Frank lives and practices psychoanalysis in Washington, D.C.

Among the problems Dr. Frank found in Mr. Bush are megalomania, characterized by a Manichaean worldview, delusions of persecution and omnipotence, and an "anal/sadistic" indifference to others’ pain. The Manichaean tradition is a defunct religion with a "good cop/bad cop" theology.

The book follows Mr. Bush from childhood to now and analyzes the drinking problem, the bellicose rhetoric, the verbal flailings and misstatements of fact, the religiosity and exercise routines, the hints of dyslexia and hyperactivity, the youthful cruelty to animals and schoolmates

Below are some of the problems associated with dementias, including vascular and alcoholic (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome). Some of the things in this list were observed by Dr. Frank in Mr. Bush. Other items exist further along in the progression of the disease.

progressive loss of memory

inability to concentrate

decrease in problem-solving skills and judgement capability

persistence in failed problem-solving modes, "staying the course" at all costs (perseveration)

confusion

hallucination, delusions

altered sensation or perception

impaired recognition (agnosia) of familiar objects or persons

altered sleep patterns

MOTOR SYSTEM IMPAIRMENT

gait changes

inappropriate movements

other impairments of motor system

disorientation

inability to generalize, learn, think abstractly, or perform calculations

MEMORY DEFICIT

short term (can?t remember new things)

long term (can?t remember past) Persons with this may make up stories to cover up nothing but the memory lapse itself. (confabulation)

IMPAIRED LANGUAGE ABILITY

inability to comprehend speech

inability to read (alexia)

inability to write (agraphia)

inability to find words (aphasiia)

inability to repeat a phrase

persistent repetition of phrases or words (Much has been made of President Bush?s use of the word "fabulous.")

PERSONALITY PROBLEMS

irritability

poor temper management

anxiety

depression

indecisiveness

self-centeredness

inflexibility

no observable mood (flat affect)

inappropriate mood or behavior

withdrawal from social interaction

inability to function in social or personal situations

lack of spontaneity

Some of the above have been noted by Dr. Frank in the Bush book. Some have been noted by other MD’s and by medical laymen, including members of the press.

Evidence of motor-system impairment has been well chronicled by the media. Most of these incidents have come at times of particular stress. They include:

January 2002: While watching a football game, Mr. Bush fainted and injured his face. This was a time of stress, 2 weeks before his post-9/11 State of the Union address.

May 2003: Mr. Bush fell off a Sedgway gyroscopically balanced 2-wheel scooter. Another stress — 2 weeks before a trip abroad to line up support for Iraq war.

August 2003: Mr. Bush dropped his dog Barney as Mrs. Bush handed him the dog at the TSTC Airport in Waco, Texas, to the horror of onlooking schoolgirls. In little over a week he would give only his second (the first was to announce the start of the war on Iraq) address to the nation defending the yellowcake/Wilson/Plame matter, the WMD deadend, and the growing insurgency in Iraq — arguably his most important national address to date. This was a time of stress.

May 2004: Two days before one of very few and arguably the most important prime-time speech of his, in which he defended the Iraq war in the wake of Fallujah and Najaf unrest, Mr. Bush fell and injured his face again. His approval rating was 41 percent, the lowest of his presidency, at this time of stress.

June 4, 2004: Mr. Bush appeared with a scatch on his right cheek. Had he fallen again?

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this organic brain disease include swallowing problems. However, this and some of the above are also symptoms of hyperthyroidism.

HYPERTHYROIDISM (OVERACTIVE THYROID)

When one of a person’s parents has hyperthyroidism, one cause of AF and the cause in his father’s case, the chances are that 50 percent of their children will have it. Both of President Bush?s parents have Graves’ disease, increasing his chances of getting it even more.

The president’s father was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, a form of hyperthyroidism in 1991, within 18 months of Barbara Bush being diagnosed with the same thing. The chances of this happening to two unrelated persons in such a short time is about 1 in 3 million. Because of the remarkable coincidence, the Secret Service tested the water in the White House, at Camp David, at the Vice President?s residence, and at Walker’s Point (Bush’s home in Maine) for lithium and iodine, two substances "known to cause thyroid problems." The lead investigator was Dr. Kenneth Burman, then a colonel in the Army medical corps (the same man whom the media is quoting about the thyroid cancer of Chief Justice Rehnquist).

Besides causing atrial fibrillation as it did in the case of Bush Sr and possibly Bush Jr, hyperthyroidism has the following symptoms:

 Feeling of fullness in the throat

 Enlargement of the thyroid, known as goiter

 CHOKING ON FOODS

 Irregularities in blood pressure and HEART RATE.

 FAINTING OR DIZZINESS

 SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT AND A CONTINUAL FEELING THAT THERE IS SOMETHING IN THE EYES (This could explain the president’s rapid eye-blinking, noted in the presidential debates.)

The onset of Graves’ frequently is during times of intense stress. Bush Sr fell ill with Graves’ and AF during the first Iraq war.

The president’s physicians should be looking carefully at his thyroid antibodies and conducting a complete thyroid bloodwork panel in view of his symptoms and family history. Of course, Mr. Bush should level with the American people on this.

OTHER SYMPTOMS OF HYPERTHYROIDISM

Enlarged thyroid gland

Rapid heart beat (tachycardia) or heart palpitations

ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (President Bush appears to have worn a LifeWest defibrillator since about July 2002.)

Smooth, velvety skin

Tremor of the fingertips

Fatigue

SWEATY PALMS — This is related to heat intolerance.

Weight loss

Fine brittle hair

RESTLESSNESS — Some observers noted this during the debates.

Depression

Increased appetite

Changes in sex drive

MUSCLE WEAKNESS, ESPECIALLY IN THE UPPER ARMS AND THIGHS — The president did drop his 15-pound dog during a handoff from his wife as mentioned above. Also, he has replaced a large part of his running regimen with mountain-bike riding, which, as noted, has resulted in one injurious accident.

Shortened attention span.

HEAT INTOLERANCE — In the Bush-Kerry camps’ agreement for the 2004 debates, one requirement was that the temperature be kept below 70 degrees. This requirement apparently came from the Kerry camp since Sen. Kerry supposedly sweats easily. However, this would also serve Mr. Bush’s interest if he has hyperthyroidism.

INCREASED SWEATING

NERVOUSNESS AND IRRITABILITY — This is one of the symptoms that also has a neurological etiology.

Restless sleep or insomnia — Mr. Bush does arise at 5 a.m., at least at his ranch.

ERRATIC BEHAVIOR — Besides hyperthyroidism, this obiously also is a symptoms of Wernick-Korsakoff syndrome (alcoholic syndrome) as well as various dementias including multi-infarct dementia.

CONCLUSION

The president apparently uses a wearable defibrillator, a device to stop heart arrhythmia, as seen in photographs. He has had a sudden fainting spell and other symptoms of atrial fibrillation (AF) and has a genetic tendency for it. Some observers have noted neurological and psychological irregularities and other evidence of stroke, which is a possible result of AF. Some of these irregularities could be caused by Wernicke-Korsakoff’s, a disease of inveterate alcoholics, or some other organic brain disease. The president has an even stronger genetic predisposition for hyperthyroidism and some symptoms of it, including the heartbeat arrhythmia. Only his doctors know for sure.

(Please make local copies as every site showing this information seems to develop "troubles".)

http://idaho.indymedia.org/news/2004/12/13485.php

Forum posts

  • So Dumbya has a weak heart to match his weak brain, who cares. Cheney also runs on batteries but that hasn’t stopped him from being a vicious little ratfink.

  • I wonder why Bush is stressed? I thought he had a mandate...

    Gets hot in the pressure cooker. It’s going to get hotter. Hope he’s taking his meds.

  • Wow, the lefties have run out of ideas that they have to scrape up the bottom of the barrel and come up with this. He had his annual physical and was given a clean bill of health. Too bad you guys.

    • I’m amazed you’re naive enough to believe anything they say after all the lies our governments tell us... and especially the bush gang!

    • "Clean Bill of Health"? From WHO, Dr. Mengele?
      Do you always believe everything people tell you?

      B-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!

  • DR. MOREAU: This is the STORY OF THE NEW YEAR, 2005!

    Note Bush doesn’t run anymore, he bikes. They have an excuse for that.

    Show these photos to any police officer. Ask him if that is a bullet-proof vest Bush is wearing. The answer is "Heck no!" It’s a Lifevest defib.

    Ask any electronics buff you know: can communications "bugs" be miniaturized so they don’t show through clothing: The answer is: For years they have been. It’s a LifeVest defib.

    Ask any doctor: Can defibrillator electrodes to deliver a shock be made very small? The answer is no. Such electrodes have to have sufficient contact area. The size has already been reduced on the LifeVest by having the electrodes secrete a conductive gell when the patient passes out. They still show through the back of a suit coat. It’s a LifeVest defib.

    Note that the doctors prescribed aspirin and statins for Bush. They did this although they noted a hearing loss. Aspirin makes hearing loss worse. They are willing to sacrifice his hearing to save his life with the anti-clotting action of aspirin.

    Administraton officials will deny all of this as long as they can. Senator Kerry was too chivalrous to mention the LifeVest, even though he had to notice. The truth will come out if you post the parent article as widely as you can.

    As soon as it hits the AP wire — IT’S OUT!

    • I find this so interesting that the presidents health is only of interest when the Republicans are holding the office. Why was it that the sealed file of Clinton was of no topic of discussion for you all??

      Kerry, didn’t mention this because of what?? He has no boundaries, much like you. If he brings up other people’s sexuality, it is doubtful that health is off limits. He might have been fearful that the conversation would turn to the dangers of botox.

      No self respecting physician would make such sweeping judgements on someone that they didn’t examine unless they wanted a little air time.

      If George is ill, it is that he is sick to death of the great lengths the liberals have to stretch to keep the focus off the issues. You are entitled to your own opinion, just not your own facts. That is such a difficult thing for you to grasp. .. If you took as much time to examine the facts as you do the photographs, you would be a registered Republican.

  • I, for one, am sick to death of all the hoopla made over the president’s health. If it were any other celebrity, sports figure or leftie-desirable, the story would run something like this:
    “How wonderful! Mr. So-and-so doesn’t let anything set him back, but rises above even the most challenging of medical conditions. Rather than retreat to the relative comfort of --- blah-bla-blah-blah-blah. . . So-and so continues his commitment to public service though he must now wear an uncomfortable medical device, etc, etc., etc. blah-bla-blah.”

    Why does every American need to know about every time the President sneezes? I think journalists and other mis-focused individuals need to find something USEFUL to do with their time. If the president wants us to know about any health issue he faces, he will let us know. That’s one thing (among others) I like about him. He is his “own” man. He doesn’t let the media push him around. Instead, he stays focused on his job.

    sally

    • I wonder who’s lap he’s gonna throw up in? Can’t wait!

    • The reason we are all on the edges of our seats about Georgies health is that we are hoping he will drop dead and give us all a New Year’s gift......and who cares about Chicanery, he runs the show now anyway and we all know it as moronboy hasn’t got what it takes....and we all know it.

    • I have never witnessed such a bunch of nasty sore-losers as America’s leftists. I have witnessed them get downright nasty about their loss. Nasty even with close friends. They are so intolerant of diverse views. Their way or the highway, hence this continued vindictiveness against George W. Bush. God bless Mr. Bush and his family.

    • Name calling is without a doubt the elevation of the intellect involved...prove the moron true.

    • Just keep that division going.
      Oh - he’s a leftist, or she’s a republican/democrat/liberal/insert title here.

      They got us where they want us you know. Useless labels, what good have they done to us as human beings? It only serves those who seek to pit us against each other like this is some stupid football game or something. But that is beside the point in relation to this article.

      Ok... To the ones who refute the photos and evidence at hand, claiming that the leftists/democrats/liberals are crying for some form of revenge or something-

      What is this that bush has on? It’s really a pretty simple question.

      No wisecrack answers acceptable here. No political type answers like the one above- that divert the issue to a matter of silly name calling. Are you a human that thinks or a human that regurgitates?

      Personally I do not trust anything that anyone says of importance, until I examine the evidence fully and make a rational decision based on what I find there. sometimes this takes time, apparently it takes too much time for many people today. Can you formulate a coherent answer to this without resorting to diversions and threats?

    • I find it funny that we have come all this way due to the same people you "conservatives" have been persecuting for the past 20 years. Ever since Reagan and his two terms of filth, this country has been taught that anything associated with the word "liberal" is evil. In my opinion, with a large emphasis on those three words, it is the word "conservative" that should be associated with evil. Don’t you find it ironic that the President is sending $350million to the tsunami sufferers yet doesn’t send that money to the tarp covered homes of Southern Florida that were hit hard by the hurricanes this past season? Help others before we help our poor? Help a country such as India so we can ship more of their people here to take our jobs. No sir Bush lovers, I don’t care where you stand on his issues, but if you feel that giving to foreign third world nations supercedes solving our problems at home with the homeless and the less fortunate, our American citizens, then you should put down whatever you’re smoking and come to terms with reality, plain and simple. This is just another prime example of the idiocracy running our government.

    • I think the threat that the president may be suffering from a psychological disorder (or physical illness that has a psychological impact) is somewhat pressing and disturbing. Regardless of who you voted for, the role of president carries a number of responsibilities that cannot be adequately attended to while fighting dementia. The president deserves to be congratulated for his courage in fighting this illness and we should extend our support and prayers to him, but this role is too important to risk on proud perseverance.

    • Sorry... The world would be a lot better without Bush!

      Ok, he did get rid of Saddam, but I think it will be Years before Iraq will be ’normalised’... By then Saddam would possibly have died from natural causes.

      Why didn’t Bush get rid of himself at the same time... (Australia)

    • You respond with that dribble? What is wrong with you? If the president has dimentia then we’ll have another Reagan on our hands to pummel our nation further into the ground. Fighting his illness? Sure I feel somewhat sorry for him. But I also feel sorry for the homeless family in the alley forced to sleep in cardboard boxes and have nothing to eat. I don’t feel the same sorrow for those affected by the tsunami. Yes, I’m empathetic towards the loss of life, but I care more about our people than those of another nation. And Bush, as the "uniter" he claims to be, should help our countrymen first. Where’s your argument?

    • "[I]ntolerant of diverse views". America’s leftists?! Hee, hee, hee! Thanks for the best laugh I’ve had in days.
      =TD

    • I for one would like to know the status of the most powerful world leader’s health due to the fact that so many lives are now at stake based upon the decisions that this man has made. He may not deal with the press because those that advise him know that the presidency and those that control it cannot afford to let him. So in Karen Hughe’s favorite words, having said that, if he had been more accessible to the press and the public I doubt very seriously if we would be having this conversation. For the sake of America and liberty for all I hope to God that someone with half a working brain is in charge and that we do not end up creating more of a mess in the world for someone to have to clean up.

    • George W. Bush is a man, He has faults. So do we. He is doing the best job He knows how to do. Are you? When you die and you will die, will you have done anything in your life half as hard and half as good as this man has done? I hope so, it will make the earth a better place to be. Will you be a person that is rememberd as crying out for revenge or will your children want to be like you and follow in your foot steps. Gerorge W. is a lot of things to a lot of pepole but I think He is most of all a Man who has a great Father and followed him without anything in his heart but honor and wonder for the future of this great land we live in.

    • hey, ya ur right to an extent, cus personal health problems are personal.. but the fact is that they are LYING to the american public through saying he is in top condition or w/e - n presidents should not lie. personally, i think bush is a retard.

    • whoah did you swallow the cool-aid.

      I don’t know any facts about where the Presidents dementia, alchohol syndromes etc. came from and don’t care. Don’t want to take the time to find out.....too late now that we are stuck for 3 more years.
      The article’s ideas seems feasible but as his predecessor Gov. of Texas, Ann Richards said ’it’s a short walk up the hill’ to see he’s slow, not very umm smart ... and nothing against that either, but being the President?...now that’s terror ...for us.

      Use your eyes and ears people democrats, republicans everybody. There is something very
      subversive goin on here. You know how long the Government regime took to get water to the
      Hurricane victims. So you think that was an accident? Big news blast next time that could be you who needs water, etc.
      Read some new (to you) papers. Listen to news outside the U.S.A. ( some media not controlled by big business). There’s a whole different take on this land of ours, the war and it’s
      unsettling at the least.
      Let’s start with the unsettling figure of 25,000 wounded soldiers (ours) we just never seem to talk about that in the news...or see.... or hear.... is this the government you want to call up your son or daughter and then cut their benefits while their over there in Irag. Is it?

  • President Bush may very well have some health problems. I am his age, and I have some health problems, too. Nevertheless, Dr. Frank’s catalogue of vague symptoms, many contadictory, could be applied to just about anyone. Bush is said to be unable to control his temper, yet have flat emotions. Which is it? One could fit these symptoms to almost anyone, in segments, depending on the moment.

    He is said to lack spntaneity, and yet one of his most appealing personality characteristics is the ability to come up with quick, humorous comments. Everyone who meets him finds him friendly and affectionate, in a way not at all fitting the profile which Dr. Frank gives him. President Bush is always reaching out to his opponents, and tends to be very tolerant and forgiving of lost causes like Senator Kennedy. Bush manifests almost to an extreme the WASP characteristics of fairness and respect for opponents.

    Being religious and having an exercise routine is not an indication of disease. I am weakly religious, and have no exercise routine: does this indicate my good health?

    Speaking of symptoms, Dr. Frank is a long-tern leader in the left-wing Physicians for Social Responsibility. Now there, to my mind, is a real symptom!

  • I sure hope that both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney do not simultaneously have cardio-infarctions better known as heart attacks. I must say that I would not shed a tear, but would instead cheer to see both of these enemies of America gone.

    • strange ? not to me! MC Murder one of the biggest donators of Bush. eating their burgers is as deadly as i can be, not only to you but also to other people and nature !!!

  • The Mainstream Media Won’t Report This Until They Have To

    But we will make them report it.

    Someone will talk.

    Things will become obvious as the above poster noticed.

    Rap and hip-hop became phenomena without any help from the MSM. They just reported on the phenomena as they happened. That’s all the MSM are anyway — just pointers, like coon dogs, not leaders, almost never.

    There is more to this story, and we will be reporting it.

    There are ways to get this out that one might not expect.

    C. L. Hallmark

  • too bad the prick isn’t dead yet...

  • From: Phillip Shaffer MD (I am a radiologist. I devote most of my time to cardiac diseases and nuclear medicine (including treatment of thyroid diseases)

    Where do I start?

    This is full of so many inaccuracies, that it is clear whoever wrote it is not a practicing physician. There is confusion (purposeful?) about the difference between atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, the phrasing is close to what a physician would use, but off. Some of the medical claims are just plain wrong. There are glaring omissions in his story, such as why his physicians would not use the commonly used (and effective) treatments for Graves and for Ventricular Tachycardia?

    "George W. Bush apparently is wearing a medical device for "persons at risk of cardiac arrest." It is a LifeVest wearable defibrillator. He started using it sometime after his January 2002 fainting spell, which was attributed to choking. Based on photos showing him wearing the device, one can conclude the fainting was due to atrial fibrillation (AF), which his father also had. "

    AF does not cause cardiac arrest. Ventricular tachycardia/Fibrillation is what people usually regard as cardiac arrest. The two are not linked. Is it possible that AF caused a fainting episode? Yes, but there are other causes, including vaso-vagal episodes (which, counter to the claim in the article, is indeed the most common cause of fainting), TIA, PAT (another atrial arrhythmia that can lead to rapid heart rates. The LifeVest is a TEMPORARY preventative, prior to people receiving a permanent implantable defibrillator, which is a very common treatment for recurrent VF. Incidentally, the implantable defibrillator is not visible at all, so why wouldn’t they use the effective treatment which is perfectly concealable, rather than one that is temporary and obvious?

    "It’s interesting that his doctors advised him to take aspirin and statin. Aspirin is used to prevent clotting, which is a problem with AF (the condition he apparently wears the LifeVest for). Statins are the most potent cholesterol-lowering agents, lowering LDL (so-called "bad cholesterol) by 30-50 percent. They are less effective than fibrates in lowering triglycerides and raising HDL ("good cholesterol"). But Bush’s doctors said he had a "low" to "very low" risk of heart disease, and his total cholesterol level was listed as 170 mg/dL, which is considered within the normal range.
    There is ongoing research into other areas where statins appear to have an effect, including dementia. Science Daily recently reported (11/17/04): "The cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin slowed down mental decline and improved depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease" "

    No one uses statins for dementia. That was a single report, so far unsubstantiated. Did anyone notice that this report came well after he was supposedly treated with statins? In fact some have recommended that virtually everyone over fifty be on 81 mg doses of aspirin. Some also recommend keeping the cholesterol as low as is reasonably possible. It seems that levels below what is considered the lower acceptable level may confer some protection.

    He claims that Bush has Graves and that the likelihood of inheritance from a parent is 50%. This is ridiculous. There is a slight genetic predisposition, but nothing like he claims. This point alone indicates that this writer is fine with making up data sounding like it comes from an authoritative source to make his point. Everything else on the page is therefore not believable. (The only opportunity to cast aspersions on the President that this writer has missed is the "obvious" conclusion that, since by his accounting, Graves disease is inheritable, and the Pres’s Mother and Father had it, they must have been brother and sister and their marriage was incestuous. How did he miss this obvious conclusion?)

    Further, Graves is easily treatable with medicines or radioacitive iodine. Usually AFib induced by graves will revert to a normal rhythm after treatment for the Graves. Bush senior had the treatment and apparently no one thought much of it, it was reported in the media. Since it is no big deal, why would Bush Jr hide it?

    Regarding Wernicke- Korsakoff syndrome. This is NOT caused by drinking. It is caused by vitamin B6 deficiency over a very long period of time. Some alcoholics have this if their entire nutritional intake is alcohol over a protracted period (years). Bringing this up only proves the writers intent to slander the President using whatever he can come up with in his medical dictionary.

    The rest is similarly ridiculous, and doesn’t merit any further time.

    • AUTHOR RESPONDS: I am the author of the original article. Where to begin answering Dr. Shafer’s pack of lies and cheap tricks?

      1. Shafer: "Regarding Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This is NOT caused by drinking. Some alcoholics have it if their entire nutritional intake is alcohol over a protracted period (years)."

      The above is insane. No one could survive for years if their "entire nutritional intake is alcohol." You can not cover what Bush was admitted. He drank from about age 20 to 40 and once said he couldn’t "remember a day when he didn’t have a drink." Bush admits to his long-term drinking. Many acquainances have reported that it was heavy drinking. He likely did have a thiamine deficiency for years during his 20-year binge, and he drank heavily enough and long enough to cause Wernicke-Korsakoff.

      Dr. Shafer should put down his medical dictionary and his shingle and have someone explain to him the peer-reviewed literature of his profession, if he is indeed a medical doctor. One wonders what state he is licensed in.

      For an authoritative view of AF, the reader should ignore Dr. Shafer and do as President Bush just did on January 27: Consult the Cleveland Clinic, the No. 1 hospital for cardiac care. Specifically, please see:
       http://www.clevelandclinic.org/hear... .

      (Personal medical consultation was probably one reason for the president’s PRIVATE conference at the Clinic on Jan. 27, 2005. If the trip were, as he claimed, to promote his medical agenda, including e-medicine, it would not have been private.)

      2. Believe Dr. Shafer if you wish, but if you suspect you have AF, please do as President Bush did and consult Cleveland Clinic. Here is what their website at
       http://www.clevelandclinic.org/hear... says about the dangers of AF:
      -----------------------------------------

      Is AF dangerous?

      Many people live for years with atrial fibrillation without problems. For many years, AF was thought as a harmless annoyance. However, now it is known that chronic atrial fibrillation can result in future problems:

      Because the atria are beating rapidly and irregularly, blood does not flow through them as quickly. This makes the blood more likely to clot. If the clot is pumped out of the heart, it can travel to the brain, resulting in a stroke. People with atrial fibrillation are five to seven times more likely to have a stroke than the general population. Clots can also travel to other parts of the body (kidneys, heart, intestines), causing damage.

      Atrial fibrillation can also decrease the heart’s pumping ability by as much as 20 to 30 percent. Atrial fibrillation, combined with a fast heart rate over a long period of time, can result in heart failure.

      Chronic atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of death.
      --------------------------------------------------------------

      Note it says, "now it is known"; but apparently it is not known by Dr. Shafer.

      In susceptible individuals, AF can lead to ventricular fibrillation, which rapidly causes death. President Bush uses or used a LifeVest, which the manufacturer says is "for persons at risk of sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death." http://www.lifecor.com

      3. Dr. Shafer says: "No one uses statins for dementia."

      Please do a Google search on the following and note the many refutations of Dr. Shafer’s above claim: statins, dementia.

      4. Dr. Shafer says, "...some have recommended that virtually everyone over fifty be on 81 mg doses of aspirin."

      Well, Bayer Aspirin certainly recommends this, but Dr. Shafer, would you recommend this for someone who had hearing loss, about the only acknowledged medical condition of George W. Bush? Aspirin is ototoxic (damages hearing) and would be contraindicated on that basis; but as the Cleveland Clinic quotation above says, effects of AF "make the blood more likely to clot." Obviously preventing (more) strokes is more important than preserving his hearing.

      5. Dr. Shafer says (indirectly quoting the article): "He claims that Bush has Graves and that the likelihood of inheritance from a parent is 50%. This is ridiculous."

      This Danish study of heredity and Graves’ disease (GD)
       http://patients.uptodate.com/abstra...
      says that "Model-fitting analysis on the pooled twin data showed that 79% of the liability to the development of GD is attributable to genetic factors." I do not have time to complete Shafer’s medical education, but there are many sources I could quote on this and his other points.

      6. Based on his misinterpretation of my comments on Graves’, Shafer says, "Everything else on the page is therefore not believable." I would say that since he was wrong and I was right about heredity being the main predictor of Graves’, that everything in my article is believable and everything in his defense of President Bush is not believable.

      Thank you anyway, Dr. Shafer, for your response. But why do you find it necessary to defend President Bush when I am not indicting him, only pointing out his likely medical and mental conditions?

      FACT: President Bush wears or has worn a LifeVest wearable cardioversion defibrillator "for persons at risk of sudden cardiac arrest or death."

      FACT: President Bush has a heart arrhythmia, bradycardia.

      APPARENT BUT DEBATABLE: President Bush has an acquired cognitive deficit and erratic behavior.

      HIGHLY PROBABLE: The president has atrial fibrillation, a heart arrhythmia.

      HIGHLY PROBABLE: The cognitive deficit and behavior have been caused by a stroke or vascular dementia.

      ALTERNATIVE POSSIBILITY: The cognitive deficit and behavior are the result of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or Alzheimer’s.

      LESS PROBABLE: The president’s AF is caused by Graves’ hyperthyroidism and can be treated by treating the Graves’.

  • People in need of automatic defibrillators, have them implanted in the right subclavicular fossa generally. It is far more likely this "device" is for the purposes of keeping Mr. Bush from saying things that would normally embarrass hell out of the average person.

    • Persons wishing to hide a heart condition do not have a device implanted. They use the LifeVest, just as the parent article said.

      Cueing receivers look nothing like what Mr. Bush wore. The LifeVest looks exactly right!

    • I will have more on this in a few weeks or months.

      We are starting to get insider information.

      This story definitely will come back.

      C. L. Hallmark (author of parent article)

    • We’re still waiting, where’s the information? Don’t tell me, a UFO swooped down and took it!?

    • From Clayton Hallmark (author of parent article):

      No flying saucers, but you might want to catch "War of the Worlds."

      I was waiting for the release of Justin Frank, MD’s, latest edition of his book, "Bush on the Couch," which I hoped would make a splash and help publicise this.

      I think I will go ahead and publish further information.

      Basically what has happened, probably, is that Bush has adopted a flatter, less obvious electrode. I assume he still wears the LifeVest. I doubt that all the publicity discouraged him from wearing it.

      The flat electrode is made by Medtronics in Seattle. I think I know the persons there involved in adapting that electrode to the LifeVest, which is made by another manufacturer, Lifecor, or Pittsburgh.

      I will even name the inventor/engineer at Medtronics at this time. He is James Owen, the main technical source of the original LifeVest Shock Strap and who has now moved over to Medtronics.

      So there (for today). I will publish the measurements and other evidence shortly.

      Clayton Hallmark

    • Here’s an update for you. POTUS has bicycle accident in Scotland. 7/5/05. This is not a reference to the pilot for the West Wing, but if you thought it was you may also remember that President Bartlett was almost impeached for hiding his medical condition, but I digress. Did you observe W trying to blow out the candles on his birthday cake?

      Do the research, print the results.
      And tell ’em Big Mitch sent you.

  • All politicians are no good...They no longer look out for the best interests of the country but only for themselves and making sure they get re-elected....Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Whatever party....All of them need to go....we should vote out of office every single one of them and start a new...