What is wrong with the President? (Long but devastatingly good)

[Mortos]

I watched the debate last night and was bothered by something that no one on the right and not too many people on the left are talking about. What is wrong with the President? I don't mean his foreign policy failures or his infantile belief in his tax cut and spend economic stimulus package, I mean physically. Something is seriously physically wrong with the President of the United States of America.

Watching him attempt to take on John Kerry last night as he slipped into his third persona in as many debates, I began to be very concerned for the physical well being of a fellow human.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like Bush. I think he is the worst president in my memory. I also think he is not the "common man" his advisers would like us real commoners to believe he is. George W. Bush is the stereotypical rich kid, who, as Molly Ivins pointed out, "... was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple." He is an arrogant, intellectual ignorant, cocksure policy simpleton who has allowed religious and neoconservative ideologues run roughshod over his presidency.

No sir, I don't like him one bit. But...he is still a human being, one of my fellow men and, as such, deserves my compassion and sympathy if he is suffering.

The President has had a noticeable degradation in his speaking ability. He has deteriorated to the point that it is often uncomfortable to watch him attempt to answer questions without the aid of teleprompters. His speech defects have been played down by his handlers and actually promoted as a sign that he is a simple man who speaks plainly. The first debate was painful to watch, the second better. The third one presented a situation that inspired a whole new level of concern.

The first thing I noticed last night was that President Bush's face had a noticeable droop on the left side. The entire left side of his mouth was pulled down and it did not change no matter what expression he made. He was also apparently drooling and had to wipe his mouth several times during the debate. He seemed very thirsty and he also produced copious amounts of spittle on both sides of his mouth. He blinked constantly. His speech was slurred, worse some times than others. I am no doctor but these symptoms would seem to indicate a need for medical diagnosis and treatment.

Surely the President of the United States has access to the best medical care in the world. If something is seriously wrong with President Bush, his doctors would discover it and treat it, right? Wrong. At least publicly. The President has postponed his normal medical checkup this year until after the election. For the past three years, President Bush has had a medical checkup like clockwork every October. The results of this physical are then distributed to the media who then disseminate it to the public. Not this year.

The internet has made amateur diagnosticians of all of us. The ease of use and 24 hour availability makes it the first place to go for the identification of symptoms, so that is where I went.

From the information available (i.e. physical description of symptoms) I have been able to identify the following conditions:

Aphasia - Aphasia is a language disorder caused by damage to the temporal lobe or higher up in the frontal lobe. It causes problems with receptive and expressive functions. Aphasia is an impairment in understanding and/or formulating complex, meaningful elements of language. It causes problems with words and word order making difficulties in reading and writing.

Behaviors of Aphasic Patients

1. Anomia-problem with word finding. They know what they want to say but can't find the words to say it. Sometimes they can be cued or recall by gestures.
2. Paraphasia-use of word substitutions; may use a word that sounds like the target word, or may use a word that means something similar.
3. Neologism-Use made-up words confidently as though they were the correct word.
4. Agrammatism-Leave out the function words, use broken speech; common in non-fluent aphasic patients.
5. Jargon-Convincing, fluent speech; irrelevant and has no meaning.
6. Verbal Stereotypes-have a few words or sentences that they use over and over again to answer every question.

Another diagnosis may be:

Acute Idiopathic Facial Palsy

Bell's palsy is a disorder caused by damage to cranial nerve VII, involving sudden facial drooping and decreased ability to move the face.

Bell's palsy is an acute form of cranial mononeuropathy VII, and it is the most common form of this type of nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy). Statistics indicate that the disorder affects approximately 2 in 10,000 people. However, the actual incidence is likely to be much higher (around 1 in 500 to 1 in 1,000).

The disorder is a mononeuropathy (involvement of a single nerve) that damages the seventh cranial (facial) nerve, the nerve that controls movement of the muscles of the face. The cause is often not clear, although herpes infections may be involved.

The disorder is presumed to be associated with inflammation of the facial nerve where it travels through the bones of the skull. It may also be caused by head injury, tumor, hypertension, sarcoidosis, Lyme disease, or infarction (tissue death) of the nerve.

Symptoms

* Pain
o Behind ear
o In front of ear
o May precede weakness of facial muscles by 1-2 days
* Loss of taste
* Sensitivity to sound (hyperacusis) on the affected side
* Headache
* Face feels stiff
* Face feels pulled to one side
* Difficulty with eating and drinking
* Change in facial appearance
o Facial droop
o Difficulty with facial expressions, grimacing
* Facial paralysis of one side of the face
o Difficulty closing one eye
o Difficulty with fine facial movements
* Drooling due to inability to control facial muscles
* Dry eye secondary to being unable to close eye properly because of facial
weakness


Herpes Zoster Oticus (Ramsey-Hunt Syndrome)-

Ramsay Hunt syndrome, also called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome type II, is a common complication of shingles. Shingles is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles occurs in people who have had chickenpox and represents a reactivation of the dormant varicella-zoster virus. Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which is caused by the spread of the varicella-zoster virus to facial nerves, is characterized by intense ear pain, a rash around the ear, mouth, face, neck, and scalp, and paralysis of facial nerves. Other symptoms may include hearing loss, vertigo (abnormal sensation of movement), and tinnitus (abnormal sounds). Taste loss in the tongue and dry mouth and eyes may also occur.

The worst possible diagnosis would be:

Pre-Senile Dementia (early onset Alzheimers disease) -

Symptoms


* confusion

* disturbances in short-term memory

* problems with attention and spatial orientation

* personality changes

* language difficulties

* unexplained mood swings

Now, as I stated earlier, I am not a doctor but I am a reasonably intelligent and curious person who is genuinely concerned about the possibility that the leader of the free world may be having serious physical and or mental issues that are being hidden from us. The fact that this President has been less available to the public in unstructured situations, is exhibiting signs and symptoms of a number of serious illnesses, and has postponed an otherwise routine checkup indicates to me that there may be a problem with our President. A problem that could endanger our country and the institution of the Presidency itself.

The best thing for all of us would be that the people around Bush come clean. Submit the President for a complete and thorough physical exam prior to the election. The American people have the right to know if the President is healthy enough to fulfill his obligations. It would be irresponsible and even traitorous to knowingly foist a seriously ill man into a 4 year commitment to the office of president that he is physically and mentally unable to keep.

[liberalmuse]

1. Exactly!

I mentioned it briefly last night. The man does not look well at all. He'll either be a drooling vegetable, or dead within the decade. That's how bad he looked.

[Carla in Ca]

45. I agree...he is different

And I don't mean coaching. I read a lot of comments here and on other blogs. Most used the word sad.
Not to take pity, but I think there is a reason he postponed his physical until after the elections. Some have mentioned Bell's Palsy as a possibility.
I think they are trying to keep something a secret, get him (re)elected and then replace him. That way the repugs retain power.
Whatever it is, it needs to be exposed...now!

[Darby]

2. my grandmother had drooping left side of face resulting from brain tumor

this is not a joke - and in addition to paralysis on the left side of her face, her left eye stopped producing tears and was very dry

she actually used to put a piece of cellophone over her eye to keep it from being uncomfortably dry - is that why Bush is blinking? is the external pack chemo? God that's scary. I hope not. Thankfully my grandmother's tumor was not malignant, but obviously the location produced bad effects.

[elf]

3. That was the best I've read about all our observations

Thanks for that, BUT what can we do now?

[TimeToGo]

4. Why is the media silent?

[Mortos]

5. Start asking the question

What is wrong with President Bush?

Not in a mocking or critical tone, but one of concern for a fellow human being who is suffering.

Write a letter to the editor, call a talk show, mention it to friends.

This is something that needs to be discussed in the mainstream media. Just like the "hump". This is much more important.

[LisaL]

6. Well, the hump and what is wrong with Bush

could be related issues. Could the hump be some sort of medical device?

[Mortos]

7. Good question.

We won't know unless someone asks.

[Sandy 0]

53. The Bulge Under Bush's Jacket at the Debates

Have a look at the photo and short text in this link

http://www.lifecor.com/about_lifevest/when_to_use.asp

[Vox_Reason]

8. Something is seriously wrong with this guy

I think it's pretty clear that something is seriously wrong; and his refusal to take a physical is made all the more curious after the observations made in the 3 debates.

Lack of emotional control; physical impulsiveness; uncontrolled drooling (as a result of loss of facial muscle control?); poor articulation; speech derailment; inappropriate affect and pauses in speech.

Stroke? Pre-senile dementia? What could it be?

[Nevernose]

9. Excellent post -- but definitely NOT aphasia

I had a close relative with aphasia, and Bush ain't got it -- it's usually far more pronounced (unless it's the very earliest onset?).

I honetly wouldn't doubt a case of pre-senile dementia, though, or one of several hundred neurological disorders closely related.

Edit: temporarily had typing aphasia

[Mortos]

24. The symptoms of aphasia

so closely match some of the symptoms bush is exhibiting. Maybe one too many falls?

[aquart]

50. Uh, about those falls.

NOBODY conscious falls on his face. I've fallen off a bicycle more times than I can count and I've hurt everything EXCEPT my face. A conscious person will do anything to protect the face and head, including get really hurt in other places.

[Pachamama]

10. I noticed it too - I just figured he's always been ugly & creepy, but last

night as I watched, I kept noticing the drool in his right corner of his mouth glistening and noticing how the left side of his mouth definitely drooped and was "lopsided" in proportion to the rest of his face....I just figured I hadn't noticed on previous occasions because I can't stand looking at him usually longer than 1 minute, but since I wanted to watch the debates, I got longer doses than usual....

Great observations....so, maybe this is the October surprise????

[FlaGranny]

36. The drooping left side and

the drooling right side don't jive - if he had a stroke or Bell's palsy, I believe the drooling would be on the same side as the drooping.

[WilliamPitt]

11. Great work. One small mistake about Ann Richards

Ann Richards said George Herbert Walker Bush was born with a silver foot in his mouth. She said it at the '88 convention, and it brought the house down.

If you need a similar Texan phrase about Junior, try the description Molly Ivins offered: "He was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple."

[Mortos]

12. Thanks

Edited to reflect the proper snap against the correct Bush.

[Kazak]

13. Well, it's a legitimate concern...

I think.

[Tansy_Gold]

14. The left side of his mouth has always drooped

Check the TANG portrait from early 70s.

Whatever is wrong with boosh -- and I believe there is something wrong -- the left-side tilt has always been there.

[Mortos]

18. I have never noticed it to that extent before

[Tansy_Gold]

26. I don't watch boosh very much.

The mere sight of him makes my stomach lurch.

Therefore, when everyone was posting during the debate about how the left side of his face was sagging, I took a glance at the tv to see if he looked markedly different. I expected to see a dramatic difference, akin to what happens when you see someone you haven't seen in a long time.

I didn't see a dramatic difference. I've always been aware of his extremely asymetrical features, and I didn't see anything alarming.

If there's something wrong with him, I don't think there's sufficient "droop" to the left side of his face to constitute evidence.

However -- I did watch most of the Frontline "Choice 2004" dual biography of boosh and Kerry. From the early recordings of boosh -- 1970s? early 80s? -- his "twang" has intensified dramatically. The speech he gave after losing the Texas congressional seat contained completed "-ing" suffixes and standard syntax. By Wednesday night's debate, he was almost entirely into "-in'" mode. "Wasn't" had morphed into "whuddn't." "I" had become "Aah." Listening to him is worse for my blood pressure than looking at his face, so I'm not prepared to do a detailed analysis of the changes in his diction, but he is far less articulate that he used to be, and the twang is far more pronounced. This might be a result of many years hangin' around wi' rural Texans, but somehow or other I don't think he ever spent much time with rural Texans. Is it phony? :shrug: Maybe. Is it a sign of deteriorating mental capacity? :shrug: Don't know that either.

But he has aged at least as much as Lincoln did in four years in the presidency. Look at the pic currently being used in the DU fake ad for Viagra and compare it to current photos.

I think he's sick, seriously sick. I think he has been for a year or two. But imho, it's not a stroke and it's certainly not Bell's Palsy. Early-onset Alzheimers? ALS? :shrug:

Tansy Gold, doin' a helluva lot o' shruggin' today

[fshrink]

15. Nope

He's in good health allright. What we saw was a plain idiot working very hard to stick to his coaching: "keep a small slightly condescending smile", without having, as usual, the minimum of understanding required to improvise. Hence the cramping and the drooling.

[shelley806]

16. Excellent discussion Mortos

There have been several posts on this subject with a great deal of speculation, but you seem to have pulled all of the observations and diagnoses together. I am a doctor (pathologist), and I think all of your diagnoses are good, but I'm doubtful about Bels Palsy. Aphasia is very common after strokes, so is drooling (due to the facial drop), which I didn't notice (my eyes were glued to his back, his blinking eyes and his ears looking for electronic devices!). Many people have discussed his drooling though, so I imagine it is real. There has also been a lot of speculation that he is once again on drugs or alcohol (also a drug). This could also explain his postponement of his physical until after the election. (And he has a history of this)

I want to try and relate all of his symptoms to the device on his back. I heard the Chirac speech live, and I remember being so angry. It was obvious to me that he had been cheating with someone reading a speech which he parroted. When I heard the same portion of the speech later that night on CNN, it had been doctored up. I was disappointed, but forgot about it until this whole back wiring issue came up during the debates. It makes rumors about dyslexia, aphasia, and his malapropisms less likely than his just not always being able to hear the speech through the audiofeed. It also explains why photographers were not supposed to shoot their backs during the debate, and why the debate was more difficult for him. Two minutes to answer unknown questions while listening to the responses from the earphone would be much more difficult than a preplanned speech to his supporters. It also would explain how he seemed to do better on rebuttal; while Kerry was speaking he was taking notes on the answers being fed to him. All of this has been discussed. to be continued...

[Mortos]

17. It is nice to have the input of a medical professional

like I said, I am not but I am growing more and more concerned about this president. My mother had a small stroke last year and her mouth drooped the same way. Do you know of any medications that may cause the same symptoms?

[Maiden England]

19. There are some medications which can cause similar effects

Atypical Antipsychotics: some of the side effects include dry mouth, confusion, speech disorder, thirst.
The older antipsychotics can cause parkinsonian like symptoms.
High dose steroids can also cause a myriad of effects, in particular, there's been mention of bruising on the Prez's face, and other skin irregularities, and that's one of the most common s/e of steroids, thin skin and easy bruising.
Regular anxiolytics, such as Valium can cause salivation changes and confusion and also amnesia.
Of course pretty much any drug can give you any side effect.

[lawladyprof]

20. I fully agree taking notes

Making a crib sheet on the fly. I think the practice sessions were devoted to fine tuning--LOL--how he was going to use the "feed" b/c the parroting he had done in other venues wasn't to be successful and he had handled it poorly during the first debate. Glad to see the doc and I agree.

[ArkDem]

21. Yes! We are really going to get somewhere with this diagnosis!

Shout it from the mountain tops!

[nickinSTL]

22. I'd generally discount all this as tinfoil-hat-land, except...

Bush has refused the physical.

That is what I keep thinking...if he's healthy, why not take the physical and prove to the American people he's healthy enough for a 2nd term? It's standard practice for Presidents and presidential candidates.

[ejcastellanos]

28. He's being consistent

He didn't show up for his physical when he was in the National Guard. Why should he show up now?

[Stuckinthebush]

23. When you hear hoofbeats, don't assume a Zebra is coming

My wife says that this is a common med-school saying.

That being said, perhaps none of these exotics are the reason for Bush's behavior. He could just be an incompetent boob with limited intellectual ability. He has been propped up all of his life. He was an idiot in college and high school, he was an idiot in graduate school, he was an idiot in business. He's an idiot now.

But he is an idiot with very, very dangerous people surrounding him.

[Raven]

25. Drowning Man's Syndrome

In way over his head, gasping for air, trying to tread water, going down fast. :-)

Seriously, I think it may just the enormous pressure he's under.

[misterphelps]

27. NeoCons been slipping something in his water...

... to keep him pliable to their wishes.

We're most of these guys around Reagan too??

Hmmmmmm....

[yardwork]

29. I've noticed these things and posted about this before

This is a good summary of the many issues the president is exhibiting.

Other symptoms: Rashes on his chest, neck and face and his odd gait, which has become so obvious that he's been "joking" about it lately as "just the way people walk in Texas." No they don't.

Is it stress? Frontal lobe dementia? Cocaine addiction? Alcoholism? Shingles? Stroke? Brain tumor?

We don't know, but millions of us have noticed that the president is not well.

If he gets re-selected and is found unfit to serve, then Dick Cheney immediately becomes president.

If Dick Cheney were to have another heart attack or some other event that made him unfit to serve, then the Speaker of the House becomes president, as mandated by the Constitution. Currently the Speaker is Dennis Hastert, but it's entirely possible that Tom deLay would grab the position.

Want Dick Cheney for president? Dennis Hastert? Tom deLay?

Encourage the press to ask questions about what is wrong with the president. It would better to find out now rather than after the election.

[shelley806]

30. (continuation of above #16) Jaw implant for audio feed?

The response about medications was good. Steroids would explain a "hump" on his back (hahahaha) but not a rectangular one! (Buffalo hump due to steroid treatment) He doesn't look like he's on steroids, although he has an old history of back injury. One of the European papers last weekend (after Google search for is Bush Wired), said that the most sophisticated spy equipment was a molar implant of the audio device rather than earphones. I don't know how to search for this, and forgot the one of many articles I read about Bush being wired which mentioned this molar implant. (Seems as if Europe and the rest of the world was more interested than we were) But, when I saw his facial droop, I wondered about a molar implant; this might also explain reason for avoiding the physical exam. I'm sure this is a zebra, and not the common horse, but I am certain that he was wired, and cheated. This is so repugnant to me I don't want to let the issue die. But all of the lies of this administration are ignored. What can we do? If anyone has info on the molar (jaw) implant, please post. Let's keep this thread going.

[FlaGranny]

37. One thing is certain -

facial droop is definitely symptomatic of SOMETHING. You don't just get it without a cause - usually a stroke or nerve damage. His strange walk and the facial droop together might indicate he has a degenerative neurological disease like Huntington's (probably not likely) or ALS or even be MS.

[chookie]

31. Alternative explanation for the "drooping mouth"

The only way they can keep him from smirking or sneering is to spray his face with liquid nitrogen before the debate.

Bush? Or Chimp?

[geniph]

32. Antabuse can cause those symptoms

so can wet-brain from too much alcohol and coke use in the past (and quite possibly, present).

[TrogL]

33. I think he's had a stroke.

We've seen symptoms of that.

• Facial drooping
  
• clumsiness (fell off an "idiot proof" Segway)
  
• difficulty eating (the pretzel thing)
  

I'm wondering if he had a stroke the night of the pretzel thing and collapsed and hit his face on something. He hasn't really be "with it" since. Granted, it's hard to tell.

[ROH]

34. Imagine This Scenario...

Part 1: Bush wins election somehow.
Part 2: Shortly afterwards, he becomes too ill to continue in office.
Part 3: Cheney becomes president.

[shelley806]

35. Too frightening to imagine

The pretzel incident--drinking again. The most likely explanation given his history and character.

[FlaGranny]

38. I'm beginning to go for MS.

I have MS myself and clumsiness and difficulty eating are two of my main symptoms. I have to be very careful when swallowing or I'll choke. I don't have facial drooping though. At times I stagger like a drunk until I regain my balance. Difficulty with word finding is also a symptom which I have to some extent. MS doesn't explain his lack of intelligence and lack of curiosity though.

[gristy]

48. I'm sorry, Granny.

'bout your MS. :hug:
My mom has Parkinson's.

[noonriser]

39. got this from a friend

Interesting short video (4.5MB) that juxtaposes Bush's quite capable
performance in a debate during his 1994 Texas gubernatorial campaign with excerpts from recent debate footage. The suggestion is that Bush is suffering from "pre-senile dementia."

http://www.adbuzz.com/bushbuzz/BrainTenYrs*.mov

(From the video's website:
Brought to you by Advertising Veterans for Truth We had to post this. This Before/After video dramatizes a problem that the regular media is not currently covering.
Watch it and you will see our deep concern. You may download this video or note the link. Send it to anyone you wish.
We will remove this piece after the election.)

[noonriser]

40. Bushisms associated with medical problem?

Good article:

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/09/14/a_medical_cause_for_bushisms?mode=PF

[shelley806]

41. Response to MS, Boston.com, presenile dementia, etc and new theory

That was a good link from Boston.com. Copied below is another speculation about Bush's misspeaks being related to a sociopathic personality disorder...Funny and frightening. (But for any of you who saw the Frontline piece recently, he seems to have no empathy, documented again and again.) I still think his misspeaks are due to mis feeds in audio.. But see below for yet another theory:

Published on Thursday, November 28, 2002 by the Toronto Star
Bush Anything But Moronic, According to Author
Dark Overtones in His Malapropisms
by Murray Whyte

When Mark Crispin Miller first set out to write Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder, about the ever-growing catalogue of President George W. Bush's verbal gaffes, he meant it for a laugh. But what he came to realize wasn't entirely amusing.
Since the 2000 presidential campaign, Miller has been compiling his own collection of Bush-isms, which have revealed, he says, a disquieting truth about what lurks behind the cock-eyed leer of the leader of the free world. He's not a moron at all - on that point, Miller and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien agree.
But according to Miller, he's no friend.
"I did initially intend it to be a funny book. But that was before I had a chance to read through all the transcripts," Miller, an American author and a professor of culture and communication at New York University, said recently in Toronto.
"Bush is not an imbecile. He's not a puppet. I think that Bush is a sociopathic personality. I think he's incapable of empathy. He has an inordinate sense of his own entitlement, and he's a very skilled manipulator. And in all the snickering about his alleged idiocy, this is what a lot of people miss."
Miller's judgment, that the president might suffer from a bona fide personality disorder, almost makes one long for the less menacing notion currently making the rounds: that the White House's current occupant is, in fact, simply an idiot.
If only. Miller's rendering of the president is bleaker than that. In studying Bush's various adventures in oration, he started to see a pattern emerging.
"He has no trouble speaking off the cuff when he's speaking punitively, when he's talking about violence, when he's talking about revenge.
"When he struts and thumps his chest, his syntax and grammar are fine," Miller said. "It's only when he leaps into the wild blue yonder of compassion, or idealism, or altruism, that he makes these hilarious mistakes."
While Miller's book has been praised for its "eloquence" and "playful use of language," it has enraged Bush supporters. Bush's ascent in the eyes of many Americans - his approval rating hovers at near 80 percent - was the direct result of tough talk following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In those speeches, Bush stumbled not at all; his language of retribution was clear. It was a sharp contrast to the pre-9/11 George W. Bush. Even before the Supreme Court in 2001 had to intervene and rule on recounts in Florida after a contentious presidential election, a corps of journalists were salivating at the prospect: a bafflingly inarticulate man in a position of power not seen since vice-president Dan Quayle rode shotgun on George H.W. Bush's one term in office.
But equating Bush's malapropisms with Quayle's inability to spell "potato" is a dangerous assumption, Miller says. At a public address in Nashville, Tenn., in September, Bush provided one of his most memorable stumbles. Trying to give strength to his case that Saddam Hussein had already deceived the West concerning his store of weapons, Bush was scripted to offer an old saying: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." What came out was the following: "Fool me once, shame on. . . shame on you. Er, fool. . . Uh, can't get fooled again."
Played for laughs everywhere, Miller saw a darkness underlying the gaffe. "There's an episode of Happy Days, where The Fonz has to say, `I'm sorry' and can't do it. Same thing," Miller said.
"What's revealing about this is that Bush could not say, `Shame on me' to save his life. That's a completely alien idea to him. This is a guy who is absolutely proud of his own inflexibility and rectitude."
If what Miller says is true - and it would take more than just obser- vations to prove it - then Bush has achieved an astounding goal. By stumbling blithely along, he has been able to push his image as "just folks" - a normal guy who screws up just like the rest of us.
This, in fact, is a central cog in his image-making machine, Miller says: Portraying the wealthy scion of one of America's most power- ful families as a regular, imperfect Joe. But the depiction, Miller says, is also remarkable for what it hides - imperfect, yes, but also detached, wealthy and unable to identify with the "folks" he's been designed to appeal to. An example, Miller says, surfaced early in his presidential tenure. "I know how hard it is to put food on your family,"
Bush was quoted as saying. "That wasn't because he's so stupid that he doesn't know how to say, `Put food on your family's table' - it's because he doesn't care about people who can't put food on the table," Miller says.
So, when Bush is envisioning "a foreign-handed foreign policy," or observes on some point that "it's not the way that America is all about," Miller contends it's because he can't keep his focus on things that mean nothing to him. "When he tries to talk about what this country stands for, or about democracy, he can't do it," he said.
This, then, is why he's so closely watched by his handlers, Miller says - not because he'll say something stupid, but because he'll overindulge in the language of violence and punishment at which he excels.
"He's a very angry guy, a hostile guy. He's much like Nixon. So they're very, very careful to choreograph every move he makes. They don't want him anywhere near protestors, because he would lose his temper."
Miller, without question, is a man with a mission - and laughter isn't it. "I call him the feel bad president, because he's all about punishment and death," he said. "It would be a grave mistake to just play him for laughs."
Toronto Star Newspapers Limited

[noonriser]

43. I completely agree, he's definitely a sociopath!

I had also thought that he'd had a stroke when I saw the third debate. I'm not sure I buy the pre-Alzheimer's theory either, but I did like the article.

[Kat45]

51. Interesting. Because I've been recently wondering if he's a sociopath .

The way he lies so easily caused me to wonder if he even always knows that he is lying. I thought perhaps he's lied so much that he even believes his lies; the kind of person who can pass a polygraph test while lying their butt off. I've known a couple of people who were pathological liars/compulsive liars (whatever the correct term is), and I was thinking bush might be the same type of person.

I thought sociopaths were intelligent, but I'm not sure if that's correct or not. But as was just said, the idiocy may not be the truth.

[goodwalt]

42. STD! STD!

STD! STD! STD! STD!- cancer also works for me.

[DemBones DemBones]

44. I know two women with Bell's palsy and it is quite obvious

that something "is wrong" with their faces. Having first known one of them, I knew what was wrong with the other when I met her. I also remember reading a novel in which the main character develops Bell's palsy and think I must have read there that it is most common in women over a certain age (fifty?). One woman I know developed it in her twenties following childbirth. The other woman is over fifty and I've never asked her when she developed it.

I suppose it may occur in more limited forms, but it wouldn't have occurred to me to think "Bell's palsy" while watching Bush* in the debates. "Smart ass frat boy" is my usual diagnosis of him, from the first time I ever saw his smirking countenance.

[A Brand New World]

46. Not Bell's Palsy

I had Bell's Palsy 23 years ago during pregnancy and it is quite noticeable. I still show effects even after this length of time. You cannot blink on the side affected, smile correctly, crinkle your forehead and if you drink it might come out the side of your mouth. Of course, the most severe symptoms are during the first few weeks. I really don't think it's Bell's Palsy. Definitely something neurological though, that excessive blinking of Bush's is quite neurotic.

[Jade Fox]

47. This is amazing. n/t

[Iceburg]

49. I am a card-carrying neurologist who,

frankly doesn't have the time or the inclination to read all the posts on this topic...however, since my beloved partner has nagged me into it, let me offer a few neuro-based thoughts...I think the likeliest diagnosis for GW Bush is "JPS "(just plain stupid)...however, i will address the other issues, since it is odd he's deferred his physical. Dementia is a possibility, as is, i suppose, a space occupying lesion . There is no question however, that he has Bell's palsy...he absolutely does not. although the original poster gave correct details about Bell's, i can guarantee you he doesn't have it (and anyway, Bell's is NOT associated with any cognitive issues, so who gives a rat's a** if he does have it...but he doesn't)...same goes for aphasia...he is not aphasic...perhaps has a little word-finding difficulty, but so do many people, and to my ear Bush's speech has not changed much over the last several years...he's always been hesitant, I suspect because the well is dry, intellectually.

a far more interesting question is whether he might have complex partial seizures...it could explain his choking episode (remember the pretzel?), his not flying so suddenly and expensively when he was a national awol guardsman, his falling off his bike and elsewhere, as well as his "mystery meds" and "speaking gibberish" reported at various places on the web. Seizures occur somewhat more frequently in alcoholics, but do also occur with some types of dementia and tumors(space occupying lesions)

anyway, bottom line is, i think there hasn't really been a deterioration in bush...simply the country is finally seeing him for what he is: JPS...see post #23

[Sandy 0]

54. The Life Vest

Tske a look at the photo and read the short text in the link

http://www.lifecor.com/about_lifevest/when_to_use.asp

Does that life vest look as though it might have made the bulge under Bush's jacket?

[Morning Dew]

52. Side effects from Ambien, maybe?

Isn't that what Powell said the whole WH was on?

http://www.ambiensleepingpills.com/ambien-side-effects.html

More common side effects may include:

Allergy, daytime drowsiness, dizziness, drugged feeling, headache, indigestion, nausea

Less common side effects may include:

Abdominal pain, abnormal dreams, abnormal vision, agitation, amnesia, anxiety, arthritis, back pain, bronchitis, burning sensation, chest pain, confusion, constipation, coughing, daytime sleeping, decreased mental alertness, depression, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, difficulty concentrating, difficulty swallowing, diminished sensitivity to touch, dizziness on standing, double vision, dry mouth, emotional instability, exaggerated feeling of well-being, eye irritation, falling, fatigue, fever, flu-like symptoms, gas, general discomfort, hallucination, hiccup, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, increased sweating, infection, insomnia, itching, joint pain, lack of bladder control, lack of coordination, lethargy, light-headedness, loss of appetite, menstrual disorder, migraine, muscle pain, nasal inflammation, nervousness, numbness, paleness, prickling or tingling sensation, rapid heartbeat, rash, ringing in the ears, sinus inflammation, sleep disorder, speech difficulties, swelling due to fluid retention, taste abnormalities, throat inflammation, throbbing heartbeat, tremor, unconsciousness, upper respiratory infection, urinary tract infection, vertigo, vomiting, weakness

Rare side effects may include:

Abnormal tears or tearing, abscess, acne, aggravation of allergies, aggravation of high blood pressure, aggression, allergic reaction, altered production of saliva, anemia, belching, blisters, blood clot in lung, boils, breast pain, breast problems, breast tumors, bruising, chill with high temperature followed by heat and perspiration, decreased sex drive, delusion, difficulty urinating, excessive urine production, e ye pain, facial swelling due to fluid retention, fainting, false perceptions, feeling intoxicated, feeling strange, flushing, frequent urination, glaucoma, gout, heart attack, hemorrhoids, herpes infection, high cholesterol, hives, hot flashes, impotence, inability to urinate, increased appetite, increased tolerance to the drug, intestinal blockage, irregular heartbeat, joint degeneration, kidney failure, kidney pain, laryngitis, leg cramps, loss of reality, low blood pressure, mental deterioration, muscle spasms in arms and legs, muscle weakness, nosebleed, pain, painful urination, panic attacks, paralysis, pneumonia, poor circulation, rectal bleeding, rigidity, sciatica (lower back pain), sensation of seeing flashes of lights or sparks, sensitivity to light, sleepwalking, speech difficulties, swelling of the eye, thinking abnormalities, thirst, tooth decay, uncontrolled leg movements, urge to go to the bathroom, varicose veins, weight loss, yawning

[Ladybast]

55. 17 October 2004--Guardian's alarm over Bush's mental deterioration--

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/comment/story/0,14259,1329540,00.html

Has Bush lost his reason?

The President's apparent mental fragility should give US voters pause for thought at the ballot box

Andrew Stephen
Sunday October 17, 2004
The Observer

It will, we are confidently told, be the most important American election for generations. In the words last week of Dick Cheney, the voice of what passes for gravitas in the Bush Administration, Americans will have to make 'about as serious a decision as anybody is ever asked to make' when they go to the polls in 17 days' time.
The prophets of doom, whom Cheney exemplifies, are precisely right about the importance of this election. But the momentous decision awaiting Americans is not whether they return to power a President who is uniquely qualified to protect the US against terrorism, as Cheney et al would have us believe. It is whether they re-elect a man who, it is now clear, has become palpably unstable.

The evidence has been before our eyes for some time, but only during the course of this election campaign has it crystallised - just in time, possibly, for the 2 November election. The 43rd US President has always had a much-publicised knack for mangled syntax, but now George Bush often searches an agonisingly long time, sometimes in vain, for the right words. His mind simply blanks out at crucial times. He is prone, I am told, to foul-mouthed temper tantrums in the White House. His handlers now rarely allow him to speak an unscripted word in public.

Indeed, there are now several confusing faces to the US President, and we saw three of them in the live, televised Presidential debates with John Kerry that culminated last Wednesday night in Tempe, Arizona. In the first debate on 30 September, watched by more than 62 million viewers, we saw Bush at his most unattractive: slouching, peevish, pouting, pursing his lips with disdain at what his opponent was saying. But he was unable to marshal any coherent arguments against Kerry and merely spewed out prepared talking points - in what, even his ardent supporters concede, was Bush's worst-ever such performance.


By the time of the third debate on 13 October, this one witnessed by more than 50 million people, Bush had adopted yet another baffling persona. This time, he was peculiarly flushed, leading a colleague to speculate whether he was on something. He had clearly been told to look positive - that was his main thrust of the evening, with frequent assertions that 'freedom is on the march' - and spent the evening with a creepy, inane grin on his face, as though he was red-faced after a festive Christmas dinner.

So what is up with the US President, and why is this election so crucial not only for America but for the world? I have been examining videos of his first 1994 debate with Ann Richards, the Governor of Texas, who he was about to supplant, and of his 2000 debates with Al Gore. In his one and only debate with Richards a decade ago, Bush was fluent and disciplined; with Gore, he had lost some of that polish but was still articulate, with frequent invocations of his supposed 'compassionate conservatism'.

It is thus hard to avoid the conclusion that Bush's cognitive functioning is not, for some reason, what it once was. I am not qualified to say why this is so. It would not be surprising if he was under enormous stress, particularly after the 9/11 atrocities in 2001, and I gather this could explain much, if not everything.

But I have heard wild speculation in Washington that he is suffering from a neurological disorder, or that the years of alcoholism might finally be taking their toll on his brain.


It does not help that Bush now lives in a positively Nixonian cocoon. He does not read newspapers; he sees television only to watch football; he makes election speeches exclusively at ticket-only events, and his courtiers consciously avoid giving him bad news. When he met John Kerry for their first bout on the debating platform, it was almost a new experience for the President to hear the voice of dissent.


A senior Republican, experienced and wise in the ways of Washington, told me last Friday that he does not necessarily accept that Bush is unstable, but what is clear, he added, is that he is now manifestly unfit to be President.

-------------------------
see deliciously full article on Guardian website!