Report: Health of nominees tough to assess

Published: Oct. 20, 2008 at 8:48 AM
Order reprints
Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) greets supporters as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally in Woodbridge, Virginia on October 18, 2008.  (UPI Photo/Alexis C. Glenn)
Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) greets supporters as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally in Woodbridge, Virginia on October 18, 2008. (UPI Photo/Alexis C. Glenn) | Enlarge Enlarge
NEW YORK, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The medical health of the two major-party U.S. presidential nominees can't be fully judged because of their refusals to release information, a physician says.

In a break from past presidential campaigns, neither U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., nor Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is willing to release their medical records, making a true assessment of their health nearly impossible, presidential health expert Dr. Lawrence Altman wrote Monday in The New York Times.

"There may be no serious problems with the health of any of the nominees. But absent fuller disclosure, there is no way for the electorate to know," Altman wrote.

Atman said even though McCain, 72, released nearly 1,200 pages of medical information in May, the documents were restricted and inconsistencies within them left unanswered questions about his melanoma cancer.

Obama, 47, has an admitted problem with smoking and is chewing nicotine gum to control it. But the only medical information his campaign had released until last week was a one-page, undated letter from his personal physician stating that Obama was in "excellent" health.

Since then, standard lab tests from checkups in 2001, 2004 and 2007 have been released, with the findings normal, the Times said.


© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Your Daily Horoscope
The almanac
Panetta: Congress not told of CIA program
Biden goes on the road to defend stimulus
The two-edged sword of online games
Rio Tinto employees face spy charges
Ghana prepared to greet Obama
fark
Judge allows Twitter-using DA to 'tweet' upcoming muder trial over defense objections. Prosecution's...
Photoshop theme: The end of the universe
NY Times thinks their website users would pay five bucks per month. Listen, for the last time, no...
Fewer calories allow monkeys to live longer. Good thing you're not a monkey
"Resident found out it's not OK to shoot raccoons and gerbils...He told police that he and his neighbors...
Thousands homeless after China Quake. Quisp unavailable for comment