Cheney's Health

Apparently, when it comes to the Vice President's health, there's cause for concern.

"He takes a range of medications that he and his doctors decline to detail. The extent of his atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries, which, if it extends beyond the heart to the brain, can cause hard-to-recognize changes in cognition) is unknown. Bypass surgery itself has long been associated with subtle changes in neurological function." "At age 65, Cheney is easily 30 or more pounds overweight, seems to have slacked off on what was once a more rigorous diet, and appears to suffer from recurrent bouts of gout. At a roundtable lunch with reporters a couple of years ago, two who were present say, he cut his buffalo steak in bite-size pieces the moment it arrived, then proceeded to salt each side of each piece." (emphasis added)

I believe everyone, including Dick Cheney, is entitled to a degree of privacy regarding personal health issues, but this report is disconcerting. The VP helps run the country, and if he has a serious health condition that might impair his ability to govern, the public should probably know about it. Let's also remember the context of all of this. The Bush White House will leak classified information about Iraq and undercover CIA agents, but the VP's physical condition is a closely-guarded secret?

--Guest posted by The CarpetBagger Report