AMERICAblog: Swollen, lisping McCain appears on ABC's THIS WEEK
grandma
· 1 year ago
McCain saying it is 'foolishness' saying he didn't make eye contact with Obama...and that he has been in many, many debates.......and he was looking at the moderator and many times taking notes....
Would be interesting if there is video of any other debate where McCain never made eye contact.....I would guess no.
Eyeball_Kid
· 1 year ago
Most of McCain's eye contact was to his right, which was away from Lehrer and toward a favored portion of the audience, likely his family or friends. Looking in Lehrer's or Obama's direction would have meant that his head would move to the left. Once again, he's lying.
Without video of this morning's performance, I think, John, that your post is a bit hyperbolic. Your link is to frames of video taken several days ago, when it was also suspected that McCain may have gotten some make-up in his left eye. During the debates, I watched carefully, and saw no such anomalies.
The swollen lip appearance may be another matter, however.
McCain is on a drugstore full of medications, one or more of them likely for pain relief. An educated guess is that McCain's intolerance and shortness of temper may be due to his chronic use of pain medication. Anyone who's had to use narcs for even a short period of time will notice a difference in the ability to mitigate emotional responses with rationality and logic.
But in any event, McCain's not fit to be prez. Period.
ckerst
· 1 year ago
I don't think it's the painkillers that make you surly it's the chronic pain that does it. His medical condition only bothers me because he chose an incompetent as a running mate. His policies are what make him unacceptable as a candidate.
Rob Mule
· 1 year ago
Certainly he made eye contact in the Republican debates...Johnny hates the idea that a non veteran, black, junior Senator gets equal billing with hisownself... Botox side effects: Bruising at the site of injection is the most common side effect associated with Botox treatments. Other common side effects include headache, respiratory infections, temporary eyelid droop, nausea and flu-like symptoms...Certain groups of people are at greater risk of experiencing Botox side effects. These groups include people with pre-existing infections at the injection site and people with cardiovascular or neuromuscular disorders. http://www.aboardcertifiedplasticsurgeonresourc...
I wonder if he will make the election? We truly are a sorry excuse for a democracy when Palin and McCain are the best the GOP can offer. When we brag about how strong our democracy is we also forget that in this democracy the citizens have little say in what happens. Why didn't the negotiations get broadcast. These politicians are asking us to cough up $1 trillion with nothing more than a wave of the hand a nudge in the ribs. Compensation won't be curtailed on Wall Street. My guess is now that all the bad debt is being fed to us and the companies become profitable the contracts stipulate they get their dough ray me. This democracy does not have an open government. Too much is done in secret and we are asked to have blind faith that the current cast of clowns are free of influence from lobbyists and smart enough to understand the complexities of the financial crisis. If they are that smart why are they politicians and not business men and women?
sittenpretty
· 1 year ago
it is a turd......................the end!
aquarius2
· 1 year ago
This is just pie in the sky thinking but would it be so damn hard to introduce CLEAN streamlined bills? I have long thought it was ridiculous to present bills loaded with the add-ons to gain votes for the main bill. What doesn't anyone introduce this kind of reform?
lynchie
· 1 year ago
because it is about the pork. This is how the politicians thank the lobbyists. They sneak all kinds of crap into bills. I have said for a long time. How about each bill being a stand alone. Easy to read, easy to research and with all spending clearly spelled out. Instead we have a Congress full of lawyers who insert all kinds of contradictory statements that no one understands. The Patriot Act is a good example. A great poll would be how many read the whole thing and could they explain it. It was so confusing and obscure that they all just signed cause their heads hurt after a few minutes.
aquarius2
· 1 year ago
Agree. McCain goes on and on about his reform concerning pork. If he wanted to really reform it he would introduce the clean bill concept. No need to veto pork if it isn't included in the first place.,
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
One man's pork is another's essential.
sittenpretty
· 1 year ago
i think McFuddy Duddy ,is on VICODAN....for a SHORT period of time,(a debate) it makes you sharp and on your toes,i know some surgeon s who use them,and it also makes ONE BOLD...irritable and short tempered too...him and Cindy Lou use them...THE VICODAN MARRIAGE....now Rushbo ...makes that pussy bold also...but we ALL KNOW ....hes a bottom
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 1 year ago
That's VicodIN. And I should know, since I LOVE that drug! You float off the ground 12 inches when you're on it.
McCain is in hiding till tomorrow. McCain should be campaigning everyday. McCain is not well. He's treating campaigning as if it was M-F job. He's not taking this seriously. there has to be something going on with his health. Just like Reagan.....McCain is being shuttled around till he drops.
aquarius2
· 1 year ago
Totally OT
Tina Fey deserves an emmy for her portrayal of Palin. She was a riot again last night on SNL. Watch it here:
What, they didn't give him the same medications that he took on Friday? McCain's people are slipping.
nikto
· 1 year ago
I believe the medications he took for friday's debate were some kind of SPEED-Concoction.
He was sharper & more alert friday than he has been in literally months of gaffe-filled campaigning.
I think he is "crashing" now.
I really think this is what could actually be going on behind-the-scenes.
Hows irresponsible IS the man to "shoot himself up", just to be able to hold his own in a debate, with all the health questions he has?
That ain't putting America first, that's putting METH first.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
The swollen lip, and lisping speech points to possible mini-strokes. After all he has been through medically, we can't rule out he is experiencing mini-strrokes and headed for a BIG STROKE that takes him out once and for all. McCain and Palin need to just put "Country First" and step aside.
Joneses
· 1 year ago
Any bets that the VP debate won't go forward?
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
What odds are you offering?
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
OT:
More on McCain's Gambling Problems
Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.
Mr. McCain supported tax breaks for casinos over the years, including one that helped Foxwoods in Connecticut. He has also gambled there.
A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.
jeffindallas
· 1 year ago
Not only should we be concerned about John McCain's personal Health Record, His Age and His Temperament, but what about the fact that the majority of Republicans in Congress can't stand him. If he wins and we maintain a Democratic Congress, we'll have a 3 way impasse. This will be a recipe for deadlock for the next 4 years. Seems like another important variable to consider.
Bubbles
· 1 year ago
actually it could be a recipe for something else. And I just posted above how we could end up with a parliamentory system. But I was thinking, because Hillary had such a strong post-primary season that she emerge as kind of a virtual "prime-minister" of the legislature because both houses are dominated by the Democrats. But in a situation where McCain was president, but hated by his own party, then power might swing back to the legislature and maybe it could organize itself in such a way as to give Hillary more power.
I say this not as any one who has ever supported Hillary in the past, but I found her post-primary activism and speeches to be fantastic. I hate to see that kind of leadership be wasted.
WDemDem
· 1 year ago
Couldn't agree more
Dave of the Jungle
· 1 year ago
He's Mr Magoo and Elmer Fudd rolled into one.
Aanya
· 1 year ago
Just possibly he got into some of Cindy's BOTOX
marblex
· 1 year ago
I think his melanoma has become metastatic and that he has a BRAIN TUMOR. It is clear he was botoxed for the debate. He will NOT survive a term in office and I, for one, am goddamned if I want to be stuck with half-baked Alaska, Princess Palin of Mooseturd for Preznit.
Think about it. You have to undergo a physical examination (MANDATORY) to get health or life insurance.... WHY THE HELL don't the American people have the right to subject a putative president to a physical examination?
Did you notice how he was filmed from the RIGHT side during the Couric interview? Never even got a chance to see his left.
McCain is HIDING his deteriorating and probably LIFE THREATENING condition from the American public....in addition to all his other shortcomings that is FRAUD. Mark my words...McCain won't live past 6 months.
katjam
· 1 year ago
Having tried Botox to look my best for my daughter's wedding I think McCain has definitely used it on his forehead. As for his mouth he appears to have used Restylane on the creases between his nose and mouth giving him this strange look he now has. He is obviously taking advantage of all the tricks older celebrities need to use to appear younger than they are. I guess he fees threatened by the youth and vitality of his opponent.
lilybart
· 1 year ago
I agree and didn't see this post before I made essentially the same comment.
I also think it is very possible he is sick.
JustAnOldLady
· 1 year ago
He's starting to look like Elizabeth Dole........way too much botox/restylane.....
kimmer1956
· 1 year ago
If Mccain is going to dump Palin it will be within the next 48 hours. That way they can postpone the VP debate and move Romney in for prep and reschedule it for between the last two pres. debates. I can't see him dumping her after the debate there is just not enough recoupe time left...as it is he'll probably have ruined his chances anyway.
Mark217
· 1 year ago
I believe religious prejudice against Romney is more important to christianist republicans than the obvious stupidity of Sarah Palin. A dumb pentecostal is more palatable to the GOP base than a smart Mormon.
mmedefarge
· 1 year ago
you don't need the adjective before pentacostal---it is implied in the noun.
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
Exactly. That's why I think the replacement will be Pawlenty, the Roman Catholic who converted to some kind of evangelical.
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
I agree, only I think the choice will be Pawlenty.
Mark217
· 1 year ago
McCain's melanoma has probably metastasized to his brain. He probably has about 12-18 months left. The eye blinking is an obvious neurological sign of the spread of the cancer. Given his increasingly erratic and impulsive behavior, he is probably in significant pain (and maybe he is on pain meds which could account for the lisping). I feel sorry for anyone who is this ill, especially people (unlike McCain) who have cancer and no health insurance. I also feel very sorry for any nation who has a leader in office who is too terminally ill to meet with foreign leaders, too sick to travel, and too incapacitated to address the crises facing the country, Sarah Palin, although physcially healthy, is so low functioning that her intellect is a profound disability for her. Politico talks about McCain concealing his medical conditions: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13856.... The Constitution speaks of situations when the president shows an "Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties" of office. McCain is too sick. And a strong argument could be made that Palin's incompetence makes her unfit to discharge the powers and duties of office.
TXfemmom
· 1 year ago
Actually, the average survival after metastasis to the brain is only three to six months.
TXfemmom
· 1 year ago
I was a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for 26 years and the signs of the eye drooping, and not working in conjunction with the other, the lisping, and the failure of the face, such as the lips, could be from a small stroke. We routinely looked for things like that, and when I noted it in a patient pre-operatively one morning, I demanded further exams and the patient had actually had a small stroke the night before.
Most ominously, however, is that these things can be early or later signs of spread of melanoma to the brain. I have seen it, and have seen the effects visible such as this from all kinds of brain tumors, from melanoma and other things. Since I am a melanoma survivor myself, believe me, these are ominous signs. McCain is not a very healthy person, it is clear to anyone and most importantly to anyone who is a medical professional.
Believe me, anyone who has had four melanomas, with two of them being on the head, which is one of the most dangerous places to have one, is not someone who should be making decisions for the country. I have seen patients who had a clear checkup, who would appear with multiple or large brain tumors from metastasis just three months later and McCain is a walking time bomb.
Mark217
· 1 year ago
It is amazing to read these posts and see how many people have come to the conclusion that McCain's cancer has spread to his brain (and that he is on strong pain medication). I feel sorry for anyone that ill. But a person that ill should not be president.
Bubbles
· 1 year ago
Think of the strain that the campaign is having on his health. What about his family?
I don't know why he's pushing on. He should be thinking of his loved ones. If the pressure he's under kills him, what will they do? He's got a lot of children. Is 18 months as President worth another decade he could be spending with his family? I don't get that.
Unfortunately for the Republicans, they don't have much bench strength to go to. Romney's a Mormon and some of their beliefs are as strange as Palin's. Still, I'd prefer if Romney had won that nomination after all. If McCain were to win, and Palin were to be nominated, well, were all going to suffer.
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
Thanks for posting this TXfemm. Very enlightening.
TXfemmom
· 1 year ago
One poster mentioned McCain's eye contact during the debate. I read a report in two different articles which mentioned that there is a female staff member on McCain's staff, whose sole responsibility is to be there whenever he speaks or takes questions, or has interactions, who gives McCain signals on settling down or staying focused or not popping his top. My bet is that the staff member in question was on the right of McCain in the audience or alongside the audience on that side, and he was staying on that person and wouldn't look at Obama because they were afraid that he would pop his top.
Is that the kind of individual who should be making decisions for this country?
dances_with_beagles
· 1 year ago
I listened to the debate on the radio and the S lisp was very noticeable. I was wondering why no one else has brought it up until now.
stash
· 1 year ago
The lisp is also further evidence that he did not say 'horseshit', but 'course not'.
sukabi1
· 1 year ago
so why now is he saying that he'd probably vote for legislation, good legislation (like the highway bill), that included some extraneous pork?
maybe because he's a liar.... well that, and in McCain's world you don't need little things like highways because you can get where you need on your private jet and have the little people carry you around once you land.
DastiusKrazitauc
· 1 year ago
At the debate, McCain had this concern about secretive North Korea's Kim Jong-il:
"We don't know what the status of the dear leader's health is today,..."
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
I guess this morning's This Week appearance was originally supposed to be a Town Hall thing, but McCain's people pulled the plug on it.
It is possible he is having botox and fillers used to make him look less OLD. Why he would find a bad doctor with all that money, I don't get.
botox is often used around the mouth (i confess) and with new filler, it can feel awkward to talk for a few days until the swelling goes down.
I always think he has his crowsfeet botoxed and maybe he had a bad reaction.
But I also think it is very possible he is sick.
cmpnwtr
· 1 year ago
WTF is going on here? They cancel the Townhall, and he looks like hell. There should be a demand for a current medical work-up on this guy. He looks and acts like he's got a foot in the grave.
Sage24
· 1 year ago
He also lied and said members of his campaign staff stopped being paid by freddie/fannie, and others, about 2 years ago, What a bloody liar. He lies, knowing no one can dispute him at that moment. To hell with the consequences later.
len13
· 1 year ago
Agree, there's definitely something bad going on. McCain has looked like a character out of Night of the Living Dead for quite a while, and on Stephanopolous he looks half-embalmed. Not saying this to be mean, it's sad, and quite frightening that the word country to him must be synonymous with the word ego. How selfish and irresponsible of him to jeopardize US this way. And what kind of person is Palin, who if she was honest or really cared about her country, would have said "thanks, but no thanks" to McCain when she in fact the week before was incredulous at the mere idea of her being nominated for vp. I can see Canada from my spaceship, but will they have me if my country fails itself!
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 1 year ago
Restylane injections designed specially for That High-Powered Executive Who Still Runs with the Younger Dogs. (and it ain't faggy, hmmkay, like those sweaters!).
tlsintx
· 1 year ago
just saw a slip of mcCain talking to Stephanopolous this morning...he mentions the phrase "middle class" for the first time, after Obama called him out on not saying those words at all during the entire debate.
Obama is in charge of things already....that is good.
PeteWa
· 1 year ago
ALL POWs are swollen and lispy!
Mickey7
· 1 year ago
If there is something seriously wrong, how would you like to be his doctor right now, knowing about it but being legally unable to say anything? How would you reconcile your patriotic duty vs your medical oath duty? Maybe it is just Botox or Restylane injections--they do tend to make people look stupid and inhuman.
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
Perhaps he's got a terrific hangover. My suspicion is that he is an alcoholic or a border-line case. He has said his father was an alcoholic which means a high probability of the disease in McCain. Can't remember the statistic. Maybe 50%.
nikto
· 1 year ago
MOST LIKELY REASON FOR McCAIN'S "SICKLY" APPEARANCE TODAY:
He was on stimulants/SPEED for Friday night's debate, when he was (voila!) perkier and clearer-headed than he has been on the campaign trail in MONTHS.
He's Crashing now!!
Seriously, he was on some high-class "uppers"-cocktail Friday night, for sure. He wasn't just, uh, "well-rested". Know what I mean?
Maybe he got the pills from Cindy, maybe an inside, family Doctor. But he got 'em.
Now THAT'S decisive leadership!
Tinuviel
· 1 year ago
John, There is a group of medical practitioners that have put together an ad calling for a more thorough review of McCain's medical records and stations are refusing to air it (I know MSNBC has refused). Why is that? Is the media afraid they will be accused of "ageism" if they demand more clarity? I know for a FACT that McCain is currently being treated for his cancer because MY doctor is using the same type of treatment on me (with very good results I might add). The treatment is European, it was developed by the doctor that treated Ronald Reagan's melanoma (a Dr. Smith, now living in Spain). My doctor began the treatment on me last winter and went to a symposium in Spain last May to see Dr. Smith and get some more information on how long this treatment takes, for my condition it will be about an 18 month series of shots. At my Dr. appointment this week my nurse even said "McCain is receiving the same type of treatment for his cancer".
Jimbo62
· 1 year ago
I've been saying for a while, and I know it is morbid, that I don't think he's going to make it. With his history, the odds are very good (or bad, rather) that he will get melanoma again. I really don't wish that upon him, but given his history.... It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't have another one that is being hidden, the republicans have to be thinking about how to ditch Palin if it is actually true. My god, the exact reason why you pick a VP who can take over for you.
ehutch
· 1 year ago
first off, he was NOT on vicodin, but he was on amphetamines friday night. vicodin is a pain killer. he was certainly feeling no pain but its cause he was speeding, look at his pupils. his choice of palin in light of his recent health issues shows no concern for the country but only for himself. hopefully, voters wont have their heads up their asses this time around. i know its unlikely but i can hope.
All Comments
Would be interesting if there is video of any other debate where McCain never made eye contact.....I would guess no.
Without video of this morning's performance, I think, John, that your post is a bit hyperbolic. Your link is to frames of video taken several days ago, when it was also suspected that McCain may have gotten some make-up in his left eye. During the debates, I watched carefully, and saw no such anomalies.
The swollen lip appearance may be another matter, however.
McCain is on a drugstore full of medications, one or more of them likely for pain relief. An educated guess is that McCain's intolerance and shortness of temper may be due to his chronic use of pain medication. Anyone who's had to use narcs for even a short period of time will notice a difference in the ability to mitigate emotional responses with rationality and logic.
But in any event, McCain's not fit to be prez. Period.
Botox side effects:
Bruising at the site of injection is the most common side effect associated with Botox treatments. Other common side effects include headache, respiratory infections, temporary eyelid droop, nausea and flu-like symptoms...Certain groups of people are at greater risk of experiencing Botox side effects. These groups include people with pre-existing infections at the injection site and people with cardiovascular or neuromuscular disorders.
http://www.aboardcertifiedplasticsurgeonresourc...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHqKoeAlAfM
This democracy does not have an open government. Too much is done in secret and we are asked to have blind faith that the current cast of clowns are free of influence from lobbyists and smart enough to understand the complexities of the financial crisis.
If they are that smart why are they politicians and not business men and women?
http://exiledonline.com/is-cindy-mccain-still-a...
Just like Reagan.....McCain is being shuttled around till he drops.
Tina Fey deserves an emmy for her portrayal of Palin. She was a riot again last night on SNL. Watch it here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/27/tina-f...
NYTimes takes on McCain's Gambling Problem.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/us/politics/2...
some kind of SPEED-Concoction.
He was sharper & more alert friday than he has been in
literally months of gaffe-filled campaigning.
I think he is "crashing" now.
I really think this is what could
actually be going on behind-the-scenes.
Hows irresponsible IS the man
to "shoot himself up", just to be able to
hold his own in a debate,
with all the health questions he has?
That ain't putting America first, that's
putting METH first.
More on McCain's Gambling Problems
Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.
Mr. McCain supported tax breaks for casinos over the years, including one that helped Foxwoods in Connecticut. He has also gambled there.
A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.
I say this not as any one who has ever supported Hillary in the past, but I found her post-primary activism and speeches to be fantastic. I hate to see that kind of leadership be wasted.
Think about it. You have to undergo a physical examination (MANDATORY) to get health or life insurance.... WHY THE HELL don't the American people have the right to subject a putative president to a physical examination?
Did you notice how he was filmed from the RIGHT side during the Couric interview? Never even got a chance to see his left.
McCain is HIDING his deteriorating and probably LIFE THREATENING condition from the American public....in addition to all his other shortcomings that is FRAUD.
Mark my words...McCain won't live past 6 months.
He is obviously taking advantage of all the tricks older celebrities need to use to appear younger than they are. I guess he fees threatened by the youth and vitality of his opponent.
I also think it is very possible he is sick.
Most ominously, however, is that these things can be early or later signs of spread of melanoma to the brain. I have seen it, and have seen the effects visible such as this from all kinds of brain tumors, from melanoma and other things. Since I am a melanoma survivor myself, believe me, these are ominous signs. McCain is not a very healthy person, it is clear to anyone and most importantly to anyone who is a medical professional.
Believe me, anyone who has had four melanomas, with two of them being on the head, which is one of the most dangerous places to have one, is not someone who should be making decisions for the country. I have seen patients who had a clear checkup, who would appear with multiple or large brain tumors from metastasis just three months later and McCain is a walking time bomb.
I don't know why he's pushing on. He should be thinking of his loved ones. If the pressure he's under kills him, what will they do? He's got a lot of children. Is 18 months as President worth another decade he could be spending with his family? I don't get that.
Unfortunately for the Republicans, they don't have much bench strength to go to. Romney's a Mormon and some of their beliefs are as strange as Palin's. Still, I'd prefer if Romney had won that nomination after all. If McCain were to win, and Palin were to be nominated, well, were all going to suffer.
Is that the kind of individual who should be making decisions for this country?
maybe because he's a liar.... well that, and in McCain's world you don't need little things like highways because you can get where you need on your private jet and have the little people carry you around once you land.
"We don't know what the status of the dear leader's health is today,..."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/28/10375/5...
Maybe he really is sick.
botox is often used around the mouth (i confess) and with new filler, it can feel awkward to talk for a few days until the swelling goes down.
I always think he has his crowsfeet botoxed and maybe he had a bad reaction.
But I also think it is very possible he is sick.
He lies, knowing no one can dispute him at that moment.
To hell with the consequences later.
Obama is in charge of things already....that is good.
He was on stimulants/SPEED for Friday night's debate, when he was (voila!)
perkier and clearer-headed than he has been on the campaign trail in MONTHS.
He's Crashing now!!
Seriously, he was on some high-class "uppers"-cocktail Friday night, for sure.
He wasn't just, uh, "well-rested".
Know what I mean?
Maybe he got the pills from Cindy, maybe an inside, family Doctor.
But he got 'em.
Now THAT'S decisive leadership!
There is a group of medical practitioners that have put together an ad calling for a more thorough review of McCain's medical records and stations are refusing to air it (I know MSNBC has refused). Why is that? Is the media afraid they will be accused of "ageism" if they demand more clarity? I know for a FACT that McCain is currently being treated for his cancer because MY doctor is using the same type of treatment on me (with very good results I might add). The treatment is European, it was developed by the doctor that treated Ronald Reagan's melanoma (a Dr. Smith, now living in Spain). My doctor began the treatment on me last winter and went to a symposium in Spain last May to see Dr. Smith and get some more information on how long this treatment takes, for my condition it will be about an 18 month series of shots. At my Dr. appointment this week my nurse even said "McCain is receiving the same type of treatment for his cancer".
It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't have another one that is being hidden, the republicans have to be thinking about how to ditch Palin if it is actually true. My god, the exact reason why you pick a VP who can take over for you.