Friday, January 13, 2006

Cheney's Condition May Be More Dire Than Reported

FOR THE REPUBLICS SAKE, WE CAN ONLY HOPE;

The New York Times, like most in the media, reported the morning hospital visit of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Most exhibited slight concern over his long-term health and, of course, John Stewart on the Daily Show led the chorus of standard guffaws regarding Cheney's ticker, but buried in the Times' story might be a tidbit to tuck away for future reference.

The Times' editors apparently found the newsworthiness of Cheney's hospital visit to be low, placing it on page 14 of the Tuesday's front section, but note the medical analysis at the end of the article.
On Monday, Dr. Christopher P. Cannon, a cardiologist at Harvard Medical School, said the fluid retention possibly indicated Mr. Cheney's heart was decompensating and "teetering on the edge of congestive heart failure." The fluid retention does not necessarily indicate a worsening of his heart condition.

Time will tell whether this would happen in the absence of this event or whether he could stay in compensated heart failure, as he has been," Dr. Cannon said in an interview. He also said it was unlikely that "a healthy person would get short of breath" from taking a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory.

The fact that the VP's ticker may be on the verge of congestive failure seems like big news. In addition, the good doctor must be a Democrat. He goes out of his way to refute the Administration's argument that Cheney "only" had a shortness of breath.

Maybe this isn't news. We've all known Cheney has very little heart and compassion for very anyone not white, not rich and not dedicated the rule of Beezelbub.