Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Straight Talk Express: Unexplained Delays

I'm reminded by Steve Benen that John McCain has yet to release his tax returns or his medical records.

The obvious thing to wonder about the medical records is whether there is something there that the McCain campaign hopes will go away, given a little more time. For example, I could imagine he's getting some treatment that is supposed to knock down some marker numbers or something like that. I would have thought he'd want to get his tax returns out while the media was distracted with Obama's bowling score and other matters crucial to deciding who is the best candidate. But maybe he's thinking if he releases the tax returns, that reminds everyone that he's been stalling on the medical records.

Or maybe he really has nothing to hide, and he's playing the media with his usual skill -- wait till they really start clamoring and release the records then, which causes another bout of rightwing faux outrage about the "liberal media picking on McCain," which results in the MSM resuming its usual hagiography.

Or maybe he does have some items in either the taxes or the medical records that will only make news if nothing else is making news, so he's waiting for a big distraction.

I don't wish illness upon him, as much as I don't want him to be president, so I hope it's not the first case. The second scenario makes me suspect I've been permanently scarred by exposure to Karl Rove. So, I guess I want to think the third is the most likely. But the dream would be that there's some huge anomaly in his taxes that he's been trying to cover up, and the story finally breaks in October.

Thoughts?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think he's particularly wealthy for his position. His wife has family money out the wazzoo, but the pre-nup walls it off from him. He has more to fear from the cancer past, but he can find a cooperative physician to give him a stamp of approval.

Maybe he just never suspected he'd get this far? Or perhaps he just forgot...

Adam said...

McCain is a melanoma survivor. The length of time ago that he was treated and the fact that he has not had a recurrence probably means that there were clean margins, but it's conceivable that his medical records indicate he's got some suspicious melanocytic nevi (moles) which could be asymmetrical, indicating an increased likelihood of recurrence. Pure speculation, and at his age there are any number of less than encouraging indicators. Who knows.

bjkeefe said...

Don:

If the claim is "he forgot," then I'd be really worried about his mental fitness. He hasn't been badgered by reporters about these items, but he has been asked, particularly about the medical records.

Adam:

Thanks for bringing some specifics. That's sort of what I was driving at, but I don't know the terminology.

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