Chief Justice Renquist in hospital

[Norquist Nemesis]

Breaking on CNN...no links yet.

[Robert Oak]

1. cancer thyroid, serious condition

[cubsfan forever]

2. Just saw it, too n/t

Professor 2

[Norquist Nemesis]

3. Reporter says

he checked himself in a few days ago. Being treated for thyroid cancer.

[shaolinmonkey]

4. A few days ago? By all means let's stop talking about explosives

and more about the judge's thyroid.

I need more tinfoil for my hat.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. Went in on Friday

to Bethesda Naval Hospital via Pentagon correspondent.

[maddezmom]

15. pushing the explosives off the front page

:eyes:

[RivetJoint]

34. I'm sure he'd

prefer that "the explosives" were on the front page.

[maddezmom]

agree...and my prayers to him and his family

but the timing is good for *

[CO Liberal]

43. It's Good For Us, Too

Perhaps this will energize people to vote for Kerry and also for Democrats in the Senate, to prevent the Court from getting more conservative.

[DemFromMem]

46. Nader voters may suddenly think twice

If they think Bush and Kerry are the same, they're kidding themselves.

[indepat]

67. Hopefully he will fare as well as an aunt who had thyroid cancer over 30

years ago and is still going strong at 95+ years. (But I still don't like his politics nor hardly any of his decisions.)

[brook]

79. I have a 92 yr. old aunt...

with thyroid cancer. Her doc told her it wouldn't kill her. She seems to be ticking along beautifully.

Don't like Reinquist - don't wish him ill - I think this is just an attempt to take the spotlight off loser-boy* for a bit.

[speedoo]

8. admitted on Friday.

Still in ICU. Cancer of the trachea, "very difficult" Barbara Starr of CNN reporting.

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Being treated for cancer of the trachea. n/t

[Rose Siding]

7. 8 Justices to decide any emergency cases?

Sorry if I'm premature- I wish no ill but even if he's just incapacitated for a couple of months, there can't be any replacement can there?

[snippy]

18. He would have to resign to be replaced.

The fact that he may be incapacitated for a while would not allow for a replacement to be named. Justice Douglas was incapacitated at times toward the end of his career and was finally persuaded to retire so that he could be replaced.

[maddezmom]

24. spokeperson for SCOTUS says he'll be back on bench Nov. 1st

according to CNN :shrug:

[cubsfan forever]

9. You don't suppose the media w****s

would use this to bury coverage of the 380 ton hazardous materials scandal, now would you? Nah, they are all "fair and balanced."
<sarcasm, of course>

Professor 2

[dArKeR]

10. aWol phishing for sympathy votes

[ElsewheresDaughter]

11. oh shit will bush* get to appoint a new chief justice?

[onehandle]

32. No. President Kerry will. nt

[saigon68]

33. The Awol Chimp Can't appoint anyone

Without the senate approving. Expect the Dinos to bend over and assume the "USUAL POSITION"

[umtalal]

60. Yup, I am afraid they lack spine. The Dem.'s in the Senate are losers.

[mountainvue]

45. That's what I'm afraid of. n/t

[Tight_rope]

88. I hope he dies on Jan 3. That ole racist bastard!

[maddezmom]

12. wonder why they held the news on this???? he's been at Bethesda since

Friday!!!!!!

[Cadfael]

27. Isn't Bill Clinton about to speak?

That's what I figured they were trying to distract the attention from.

[Tesibria]

13. This is ... sad ...

... and I feel for his family (he is a human being, even tho' sometimes it doesn't seem so).

This will (?) bring home to people that the next president will almost CERTAINLY make Supreme Court appointments.

I hope that energizes a few people ...

[Unstuck In Time]

14. Boston.com has just a blurb at the top of its page

http://www.boston.com/

[AIJ Alom]

16. Will Clarence Thomas become chief justice ? SCARRRRYY !!!!

[Norquist Nemesis]

17. My bets are on Scalia.

Ugh!!!

[AIJ Alom]

22. just in time for Halloween !!!

My prayers are with Rehnquist.

[Julien Sorel]

47. I'm not sure even the Republicans want Scalia,

or the violent fight that would ensue over his nomination. It would shed way too much light on just how radical their platform is.

[mountainvue]

49. There's no way. n/t

[Norquist Nemesis]

86. Well...who's duck Cheney's hunting buddy?

Hmmmm?

[HereSince1628]

70. I agree Scalia is the most likely and also the scariest possibility

He won't let the media photograph him while he does his partisan stump speeches.

Yes, Bush gets the trifrecta--contol of the executive, judicial and legislative branches. If THAT doesn't scare the beejusus out of half awake Progressives NOTHING will.

I'd say God save us, but God speaks to either Bush or Robertson. I don't much like the company S-He keeps.

[Norquist Nemesis]

87. Fits in with the 'strict constructionist"

and he's a really great duck hunting buddy of Cheney's too!

[neomonkey]

19. Vewy vewy intwesting

I'm pretty damn speechless.

What will this do? Solidify the right, bring them out, will they rally around Idiot King because the future of the USSC, and hence the morals of America, are on the line? bullshit

Thyroid cancer in itself is not the most serious, but it's spread does not bode well - Renquist was not even on the short-list, not as much of some his older more decrepid cohorts.

Fuck.

[Norquist Nemesis]

20. Certainly brings it home in a big way, doesn't it?

Of all the justices, the Chief Justice!

It's going to mobilize both sides, IMO.

[neomonkey]

31. I think you're right

It will mobilize both sides.

As if this campaign wasn't edgy enough already :)

[ochazuke]

26. It may remind people of the importance of the presidents role

as appointer of SCOTUS justices.

Is the Nixon legacy fading, or just hitting a bump in the road to the fascist state?

Answer at 7PM, 11/2/2004.

[mountainvue]

48. Justice Stevens is 84

and voted against taking on Bush v. Gore. He's the oldest and one of the four "liberal" justices.

[auburngrad82]

53. The timing is perfect

The Repugs have been shouting the liberal label as loudly as possible lately because that's all they've got going for themselves. They're even losing their base this election.

What to do, what to do...

What if they can make it about the liberals potentially gaining control of the Supreme Court, thereby putting an end to the possibility of overturning Roe V Wade? What if they make it look as if the Supreme Court will be lost forever?

I don't want to think badly of anyone with cancer or any other disease but the timing is especially funny. The man is in his 80s and most people of that age are fighting one disease or another. Case in point, my father in law has prostate cancer. He's 78.

I'm suspicious of the timing.

Good luck to Judge Rehnquist, but let's get out the vote and win this election.

[norml]

21. This will focus the public on the Supreme Court Appointment issue

and will help in getting out the vote.

[MidwestTransplant]

23. I wonder if a lame duck President would get to choose a replacement

[mountainvue]

50. Yes. He could.

The trouble would be getting him/her confirmed.

[MidwestTransplant]

64. That's what I mean

I wonder how that would go over. I wonder if the Republicans would vote for the "Nuclear" ammendment.

[SodoffBush]

25. What a coincidence

Just when it appears Bush is losing this election...

[xyboymil]

28. He wont die before Jan. 2005 in all probability, and hearings will take...

months and months of bickering regardless of who is elected.

This will be a very slow process. Supreme Court nominees take a LONG time to get through.

Thyroid cancer is serious but it's not like the man had a massive stroke and could die at any moment. Cancer can be a slow, sad and long process.

IMO, he'll be around for a while yet.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

29. Something I don't get...

Remember the "Oh that's horrible" comment attributed to Sandra Day O'Conner when she had that Gore had won on Election Night 2000? Supposedly she felt that way because she wanted to retire and didn't want to be replaced by a Democratic President.

So how come she never retired?

[Bunny]

36. She realized, belatedly, how badly her reputation was tarnished by

Bush v Gore, and stuck around so she could leave with dignity in Bush's second term. That's my guess, I think that's why Rehnquist stuck around too.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

52. Oops!

It will be pretty ironic that Kerry will get to name at least two new members of the Supreme Court.

[bicycle]

63. Senators Appoint Supreme Court Justices?

Since when did US Senators make appointments to the SCOTUS?

[LiberalFighter]

73. Senators do when they become President

[bicycle]

74. Oh! Well Post #52 Implies Otherwise

[LiberalFighter]

76. Have to read the whole statement.

[mountainvue]

77. No. It doesn't.

You just interpreted it that way. Enjoy your stay here.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

89. Bicycle, we hardly know ye...

[nolabels]

30. Thyroid Cancer: Who's at Risk?

Thyroid Cancer: Who's at Risk?

No one knows the exact causes of thyroid cancer. Doctors can seldom explain why one person gets this disease and another does not. However, it is clear that thyroid cancer is not contagious. No one can "catch" cancer from another person.

Research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop thyroid cancer. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease.

The following risk factors are associated with an increased chance of developing thyroid cancer:

*

Radiation. People exposed to high levels of radiation are much more likely than others to develop papillary or follicular thyroid cancer.

One important source of radiation exposure is treatment with x-rays. Between the 1920s and the 1950s, doctors used high-dose x-rays to treat children who had enlarged tonsils, acne, and other problems affecting the head and neck. Later, scientists found that some people who had received this kind of treatment developed thyroid cancer. (Routine diagnostic x-rays -- such as dental x-rays or chest x-rays -- use very small doses of radiation. Their benefits nearly always outweigh their risks. However, repeated exposure could be harmful, so it is a good idea for people to talk with their dentist and doctor about the need for each x-ray and to ask about the use of shields to protect other parts of the body.)
(snip)
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/thyroid/page4

[vetwife]

35. I have hyperthyrodism...Not cancer (I hope) but thyroid poblems are

never just popped into the scene. All kinds of problems go with Thyroid and it goes misdiagnosed many many times. There is no way anyone could ever convince me that there was no thyroid problem symptoms before Friday. No Way.
In my case I lost a lot of wieght , I mean anorexic looking over a fast period of time, shakiness, weak, high pulse rate and extreme fatigue for a period of a year before I was treated but I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG ! There was also the case of Cervical Cancer I had in 82...I KNEW THEre WAS SOMETHING WRONG. I feel bad for anyone with thyroid disease, and cancer but I find the release of the news a bit disturbing. I also know this was not news to the doctors or to the Judge. He knew he was sick ! I guarantee it ! this election and people's lives and release of information about people is beyond my comprehension. What some will do for a little push in the polls is sickening ! LIKE HOLD BACK A STORY !
I think it will eneregize the base on both sides. THE GOP was a bit worried about getting the likely voters out there.

[DARE to HOPE]

62. Thyroid problems are widespread in our country

Oh, vetwife, I so feel for you! Actually, once you start speeding up (losing weight instead of gaining, shaky, high pulse et al) it means hypo has become so low it has switched into hyper. If you go to an AMA doc they may kill your thyroid with radiation, of all things.

It is better to listen to your body, do a little research (Broda Barnes from U of C wrote the seminal book in the 1970s) and heal yourself! :-)

Often the thyroid is affected after years of a low immune system. See drrind.com for a holistic discussion of how they are diagnosed and affect one another. I take the anti-stress Bs and C for the adrenals, also avoid allergens and STRESS, and heal my thyroid with coconut oil and kelp.

As to Justice Rehnquist, the connections between mind and body are so interesting to me. And here he's had a tracheotomy, making talking/arguing/deceiving all the harder.

God is. And Just as well as Merciful.

Good health, vetwife!

[vetwife]

72. Thanks Dar, I have been on PTU, I won't let them get near me with radiatio

They diagnosed me with Graves Disease in 94. TSH still is not right but I won't let them do the Idodine and radiation. The stress. oh well, I just deal with it ! God has been good to me. thank you.

[Hornito]

37. Thyroid cancer, not that serious....

Thyroid cancer is one of the most easily cured cancers, provided it is caught before it spreads to surrounding tissue or glands. I am a thyroid cancer survivor, and have lived (so far) 15 years since the operation. Any problems I have had subsequently, were caused by the fact that I received Hepatitis C tainted blood during the operation (I was a bleeder). I was nuked as a child in Nevada from nuclear weapons testing, hence the cancer, and have been fighting the government for years over it.

[lil-petunia]

90. cancer from nukes?

hah, never happened. All in your mind. NO relationship. Another librul make-believe story just like cigarettes and lung C.

You people are so WRONG when it comes to science.
Trust Us. WE know best. Not you. Your symptoms are genetic, not caused by Us. Really. WE mean it. You can trust us. Seriously. Honestly. See, no fingers crossed behind my back.
Really. Really and truly, honestly, we mean it.


-

Even to this day the gov't pretends that those living downwind had little or no risk. I guess they don't like the truth of the matter.

[Gothmog]

38. I have a cousin with thyroid cancer. High survival rate

Thyroid cancer is one of the easier cancers to treat and has a good survival rate.

Rehnquist and O'connor were both rumored to be ready to retire last year. Rumor has it that Rove asked them to wait because a confirmation fight was perceived to be too divisive just before the election. I hope that Kerry/Edwards get to pick the new chief justice though if Bush loses, I can see the repugs using their nuclear option to try to circumvent a filibuster of a Bush appointee.

[Strawman]

51. There is no nuclear option

They would need a filibuster-proof majority to end debate to bring the proposed rule change to vote and then they would need a 2/3 vote to change the rules to their proposed 51 vote rule for cloture on nominees.

Not gonna happen. If Bush loses the election, no nominations will go through until Kerry takes office.

[OutsourceBush]

39. Rehnquist is a CNP shill, this is a cover for Bush on the weapons

disapearing news.

[Psephos]

54. What an ingenious political trick - contract cancer for your party

Somehow, I don't think this is a cover for Booosh.

I do, however, think you have never had cancer claim someone in your family.

Posts like this make me embarrassed.

[OutsourceBush]

61. 22 posts from you - I am sure you are real embarassed

This repuke shill chose the time of his doctor visit according to Carl Rove prompting, period.

[davepc]

65. jesus

are you so partisan brain addled that you think people get their CANCER TREATMENT on orders from Karl Rove?

The man has been at the heights of power long before Karl Rove was pulling dirty tricks to get some 8th grade hack elected middle school class president. He's into his 80's at the holds the highest seat of judiciary power in the nation. I don't think the Chief Justice of the Supreme court is a "repuke shill" for anybody, much less that slimy vile waste of oxygen that pulls Bush's puppet strings.

[OutsourceBush]

69. 6 posts - low posters attacking me today, I must be doing something good

I smell freep bait

[HereSince1628]

71. 302 is a high poster? That sort of logic doesn't work

The reason for revealling posting counts until 1000 is that less than that can be developed relatively quickly...The number of posts has been considered as a test of survival of all the sniff-tests reasonable DU members and moderators can make to weed out "evil DU'ers."

302 is not quite 1/3 of the way there. Although you might be right about the poster, I suggest you let the moderators judge arguments as in and out of bounds and leave the name calling out of it. If you have concerns punch 'ALERT.' I have found that it works really well.

[Psephos]

66. Thank you for the warm welcome

I just joined last month. If you disagree with what I say, then use a good argument to win me over to your view.

[Ilsa]

40. When removing the thyroid, the hard part is

preserving the parathyroid glands that reside on the thyroid. They are essential because they regulate serum calcium levels. Even the surgery can disturb them and make recovery difficult. The thyroid replacement hormones can be used. I have no idea how they'll treat his tracheal cancer.

I wish him and his family the best.

[Ilsa]

41. A point of irony:

Pat Robertson had been praying for the deaths of liberal justices, and this appears to be the answer, if in fact, it causes CJ Reinquist to resign or die.

[MallRat]

42. What if Rehnquist has to step down now?

The spectre of a 4-4 split in the Supreme Court for all election-related challenges is looming.

What the hell do we do then?

[Strawman]

56. That would really make things crazy

Or even if he did not step down but had to recuse himself because he was not healthy enough to work for a few months. I would have to believe that someone would compromise and there would be a 5-3 decision.

But what if they could not? You might see Bush nominating someone to the SC to basically elect him and the Democrats filibustering the nomination to deny him the election. Talk about a disaster. What happens then? If the SC can't decide, I would think that the election would somehow inevitably be disputed and end up in the House, where Bush would probably win.

[jukes]

44. jakov

better keep breathing awhile longer.

[Ganja Ninja]

55. That makes it 4 to 4 if Renquist can't vote.

If he's incapable of casting a vote in any election dispute it evens the score to deadlock. Timing couldn't be more perfect.

[GinaMaria]

82. He'll be back Nov 1st. Just in case * needs him

[Amigust]

57. NPR reporting he has had a tracheotomy, indicating that it is

"out of control."

[BlueNomad]

59. yeah that't not good

that's not the surgery for thryoid cancer--full removal of the thyroid or thyroidectomy is....hope it's not a spread case

[hyphenate]

78. Again, that just doesn't happen "overnight."

Regardless of the news getting to the mass media today, the timing is a bit curious. For crying out loud, we all found out the same day practically when Clinton went into the hospital and needed bypass surgery. Rehnquist certainly is not Clinton, but one must wonder how and or why the news waited to be brought out after the weekend, and not during the weekend. One possibility is that they did need a headline grabber after the news "leaked out" about the missing explosives, or that some other "October surprise" was waiting in the wings.

Well, kiddies, it's October 25, and it's highly unlikely that there is going to be any impact from a potential "Surprise" at this date, and in fact, these two most recent headline grabbers are far more beneficial to the Democrats ultimately--the incompetence of this administration to see 300+ TONS of explosives disappearing, and the fact that a conservative judge might or might not live through another term in the presidency, prompting the right wing to impose an even MORE extreme successor in his place. Any self-respecting woman (sorry, but had to mention this one!) would fear for herself and her reproductive rights if anyone more right-winged were planted to destroy the gains we got through Roe V Wade, and should be propelled by that knowledge to vote for Kerry, and in addition, in general, the civil rights erosion under Asscroft will make the former Soviet Union look positively enlightening to those who will take fascism to its next level. If we can't all move to Canada, Mexico, Europe or to whereever else we have ties, I think we should all move to a state bordering Canada and secede from the Union completely. :)

[FM Arouet666]

81. Must be advanced

Unless they did a thyroidectomy and dinged both recurrent nerves. Doubtful, I bet its anaplastic thyroid cancer. If so he hasn't much time.

[Amigust]

84. Like Reagan, often when they announce, it means it is only

a few days or hours. We'll see soon enough if this is just a headline grabber or something else.

[BlueNomad]

58. Talk about heartsick...

I literally just returned home from the hospital twenty minutes ago for a body scan ---a result of thyroid cancer which I had four years ago. I am holding my breath that the films are clean...

Thyroid cancer in most cases is one of the slowest growing and most treatable of cancers. However there is one version which is frequently rapid growing and deadly. Trachea cancer I suspect is an entirely different beast!

He's elderly too; my surgery four years ago fell into the rare disaster where I bled profusely--intensive care-- and ended up losing my ability to speak for three months. I had a two year old and a six year old at the time. Tough times, but my voice eventually and miraculously returned. The cords can be accidentally though rarely cut and they can be bruised beyond belief.

He has my deepest prayers... And talk about a sad ---October surprise. I hope these smug, "nothing applies to me don't call me a feminist" young women will consider the ramifications if the Justice must be replaced under a Bush administration. Wake up people.

[genius]

68. Thyroids are removable. It's up front on AOL too.

[BlueNomad]

75. yes the thryoid may be reomve in its entirety.mine was BUT..

but it is unusual to have a tracheotomy for thyroid cancer unless its the rarest and deadliest form--anaplastic and has spread.

[FM Arouet666]

80. Tracheotomy ???????

I have cross referenced each news piece and they all say he had a tracheotomy, which is rather strange. Thyroid cancer comes in a variety of flavors and is generally treated with thyroidectomy, typically a total or near total resection, not a tracheotomy. The latter would be employed in the event of bilateral nerve injury in that a patient would be unable to breath. He would get a tracheostomy not -otomy. The only other time I have seen a tracheostomy is with anaplastic thyroid cancer for tracheal involvement, which is very aggressive and poorly responsive to therapy. He is the right age for this aggressive variant as it tends to present in the 70-80s and is almost uniformly fatal.

Can anyone verify the tracheotomy story.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041025/pl_nm/court_rehnquist_dc_6

[AntiCoup2K4]

83. Hope this isn't one of those CIA-inflicted cancers

Like the one that gave Bill Casey a brain tumor, ensuring he wouldn't talk about Iran-Contra.

I hate to think these bastards would stoop so low as to kill someone who has served their political machine for decades, but you never know.... they might think this is Junior's one and only shot at a SCOTUS appointment.And while it's arguable that replacing Rehnquist with another right wing judge would change little, the likelihood of Junior naming Scalia the Chief Justice is more than any rational mind can bear.

Needless to say, I'm praying for old Billy to make a full recovery and not consider things like retirement - at least until January 20th :)

[Name removed]

85. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.