Is Herman Cain Healthy Enough To Be President?
I am a supporter of Herman Cain, but I am a bigger supporter of the effort to defeat President Obama in November 2012. With that goal in mind I believe that it is critical to do what the Democrats failed to do in 2008 and vet our candidate thoroughly. At one of the debates (I’ve seen every one and honestly they start to blend in to one another) Cain led off with his fight against colon cancer but otherwise no one has mentioned it.
Until October 13th when the Washington Post ran a story “Cain beats odds against surviving colon cancer.” The story explains how in 2006 he was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer that had spread to his liver. He underwent four treatments of chemotherapy then had a third of his colon, 70% of his liver and 48 lymph nodes surgically removed followed by another round of chemotherapy. Cain believes he is cancer free, and in his autobiography writes that he is “Cured!”
In the interest of selecting the strongest candidate to beat Obama in 2012 Republicans have to ask, “Is he?” because if they don’t the Democrats will raise the issue after he wins the nomination.
Colon cancer is considered to be Stage IV after it has spread to other places in the body. Usually it metastasizes to the lungs and in Cain’s case, the liver. In most cases, removal of the tumors along with chemotherapy are not curative, but there are cases where they are. In his book Cain claims that he has been monitored by doctors and that the cancer hasn’t reappeared since the 2006 diagnosis; based on his being cancer free for 5 years, he writes that according to his doctors he is cured.
I am not a cancer specialist, but I do have access to the Internet and what I’ve found leads me to believe that what Cain writes is a little optimistic. Colon cancer can be cured, but it also can reappear years after treatment. It can then be treated again using chemotherapy and surgery, but it is still a big deal when a future Commander in Chief is the subject. What are the odds that Cain will remain cancer free? Not 100%, and you can bet that the Democrats will use the battle which Cain is rightly proud of fighting and winning to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt over his condition once the GOP has settled on him. It will be subtle at first like the Washington Post piece, with later reports from doctors less sanguine about Cain’s prognosis gradually creeping in to stories. Then there will be the inevitable stories about the importance of his running mate although little fuss was ever made about Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as his, possibly the least intelligent VP pick since George Bush Sr. chose Dan Quayle (although to his credit, Quayle has matured a lot over the decades whereas Biden is still a garden variety moron). In the heat of the campaign battle a year from now I would expect there to be continuous health statuses discussed daily, with every cough a symptom of lung cancer and verbal gaffe the result of a cancer metastases to the brain.
Again, I am not a cancer specialist, but I have watched elections unfold since 1972 and I know that every possible weapon will eventually be used. Nothing is left on the table. Ever. Cain supporters and Republicans need to open this line of inquiry into their candidate today while most Americans aren’t paying attention to immunize and strengthen Cain’s candidacy if and when he does become the GOP standard bearer.
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