Scratch that candidate...maybe.
I just heard on NPR news this morning that Fred Thompson, the actor and former senator who's seriously considering a run for president, revealed that he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma three years ago. He added, however, that the disease is in remission and that there's now no sign of it.
Perhaps so, and for Sen. Thompson's sake, I hope it stays that way, but this raises serious questions for me about his suitability to be president. I've learned over the years that the first five years after remission is the time when cancer is most likely to recur. The window for Thompson would thus be open until 2008-2009. Does the Republican Party want to nominate someone when there's a real risk the disease could recur, forcing him to leave the race or, if he wins, to resign?
Now, I realize Fred's not the only cancer survivor in the race: Rudy Giuliani survived prostate cancer that had forced him to drop his Senate race against Hillary Clinton in 2000. But that was almost seven years ago, making recurrence much less likely. Also, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has a roughly 50% mortality rate, far higher than prostate cancer -- the mortality rate for which has been declining, thankfully.
In short, while I'm comfortable supporting cancer-survivor Giuliani, I'm much less so with cancer-survivor Thompson. He's an intriguing candidate whose views on key issues I often agree with, but his health is a crucial unanswered question, especially in a time of war.
LINKS: More at Sister Toldjah, Captain's Quarters, and Hot Air.
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