Editorial: The Clamor for the Scoop on Cheney's Heart
Editorial: The Clamor for the Scoop on Cheney's Heart
Jan. 19, 2001 -- Heard the one about George Bush being a heartbeat away from being president?
The heartbeat, of course, belongs to Vice President Dick Cheney. It is a heart that beats despite having four confirmed heart attacks. We now have the spectacle of another high-level political figure's personal life being the subject of speculation. Prominent physicians are suggesting treatments, some are even second-guessing Mr. Cheney's own doctors.
The media keeps an eye on his weight, reporting that he has gained 40 pounds and implying that he is not doing enough to maintain his health -- meanwhile ignoring his protestations that he leads an "extraordinarily vigorous lifestyle" by exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and taking a long list of medications regularly.
The next time Mr. Cheney has a burger, he can expect to have the picture plastered on the front page of newspapers, accompanied by some very sanctimonious editorials by well-wishing newsfolk. The same newsfolk likely will ask him at a press conference in the near future what his triglyceride count is. This is, after all, an important issue and, goshdangit, the public has a right to know!
All of the media's questions and speculations are variants of one question -- when is Dick Cheney going to die? Can you think of an answer Mr. Cheney can give that will do him, or us, any good? But the speculating, questioning, second-guessing and, in some quarters, oddsmaking, can only do harm.
As a doctor, I know that a patient's attitude toward his disease is a key factor in his recovery and cure. It seems Mr. Cheney has a positive, optimistic outlook on his condition. Will he still have the same attitude after we are through with him?
So on the one hand, I'm a doctor and would argue for what is best for the patient -- leave him alone and let him, his family, and his doctors deal with his disease. On the other hand, I'm a member of the insatiable beast known as the media and know full well that the beast must be fed. And a story on a vice president who has the very real possibility of suffering another serious heart attack is just too juicy a tidbit for The Beast to resist -- even if it did not have a First Amendment defense.
Editorial: The Clamor for the Scoop on Cheney's Heart
Jan. 19, 2001 -- Heard the one about George Bush being a heartbeat away from being president?
The heartbeat, of course, belongs to Vice President Dick Cheney. It is a heart that beats despite having four confirmed heart attacks. We now have the spectacle of another high-level political figure's personal life being the subject of speculation. Prominent physicians are suggesting treatments, some are even second-guessing Mr. Cheney's own doctors.
The media keeps an eye on his weight, reporting that he has gained 40 pounds and implying that he is not doing enough to maintain his health -- meanwhile ignoring his protestations that he leads an "extraordinarily vigorous lifestyle" by exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and taking a long list of medications regularly.
The next time Mr. Cheney has a burger, he can expect to have the picture plastered on the front page of newspapers, accompanied by some very sanctimonious editorials by well-wishing newsfolk. The same newsfolk likely will ask him at a press conference in the near future what his triglyceride count is. This is, after all, an important issue and, goshdangit, the public has a right to know!
All of the media's questions and speculations are variants of one question -- when is Dick Cheney going to die? Can you think of an answer Mr. Cheney can give that will do him, or us, any good? But the speculating, questioning, second-guessing and, in some quarters, oddsmaking, can only do harm.
As a doctor, I know that a patient's attitude toward his disease is a key factor in his recovery and cure. It seems Mr. Cheney has a positive, optimistic outlook on his condition. Will he still have the same attitude after we are through with him?
So on the one hand, I'm a doctor and would argue for what is best for the patient -- leave him alone and let him, his family, and his doctors deal with his disease. On the other hand, I'm a member of the insatiable beast known as the media and know full well that the beast must be fed. And a story on a vice president who has the very real possibility of suffering another serious heart attack is just too juicy a tidbit for The Beast to resist -- even if it did not have a First Amendment defense.
