Fred Thompson announced today on various websites and during his commentary during the Paul Harvey Show that he was diagnosed two and a half years ago with an indolent lymphoma, a very treatable form of cancer. Since that diagnosis, he was treated for the cancer and is fully in remission. This type of cancer, if it returns, is extremely treatable and most people who do have it die of natural causes rather than from the lymphoma.
Thompson is healthy and his prognosis is excellent. This type of cancer, from my discussions with those in the medical field, is a ‘good’ kind of cancer to get. It is almost ‘curable’ with drug treatments, especially with new drugs that are available. In all likelihood, Fred will live a long healthy life with this lymphoma never returning.
This is a serious subject and should be treated as such. However, this announcement is very encouraging. This admission by Thompson of this condition is not just good because he is healthy; this is good because this is just another sign that Fred is running for president.
Fred is vetting himself as a candidate with his own words, by his own hand, in venues of his own choosing. He is putting out the skeletons that he believes might derail a run before he announces just to make sure he can win if (when) he runs. He wants a fair shot at the White House. Fred wants to be the one setting the agenda for the media, not the other way around.
Let me illustrate this point. Fred is a very smart man. I just got done watching Neil Cavuto’s interview with Fred on FNC. Cavuto was the perfect choice to air this topic since Cavuto himself is in remission of lymphoma-type cancer. Cavuto is also a very straight interviewer. His style of questioning fits Senator Thompson’s honest direct answers. Cavuto asked the right questions, giving Fred time and the ability to answer all the potential criticisms that Fred’s cancer announcement may raise.
Lets look at the main potential hit Fred might face. Neil brought up the Tsongas question. In 1992, Paul Tsongas announced he was in remission from cancer (a more aggressive type of cancer) and shortly after lost support for his bid for the democratic nomination. Bill Clinton won and Tsongas cancer eventually returned. (I know some of you are thinking Clinton had something to do with the release of the Tsongas cancer information, but I don’t think so. I think Tsongas released that info because he thought he had it beat.) If Tsongas had been elected, he would have died in office.
This is the one criticism that Fred will get from the MSM and the liberal operatives. Fred is sick, they will say. Fred cannot be trusted to make it through his presidency, they will charge. Fred easily countered this argument today. First. On his terms with Cavuto, he laid out that he is fine and produced a note from his doctor to prove it. (On a side, the doctor he has is a really, really good doctor.) The MSM will have a tough time creating doubt now on this issue.
Thompson is healthy and his prognosis is excellent. This type of cancer, from my discussions with those in the medical field, is a ‘good’ kind of cancer to get. It is almost ‘curable’ with drug treatments, especially with new drugs that are available. In all likelihood, Fred will live a long healthy life with this lymphoma never returning.
This is a serious subject and should be treated as such. However, this announcement is very encouraging. This admission by Thompson of this condition is not just good because he is healthy; this is good because this is just another sign that Fred is running for president.
Fred is vetting himself as a candidate with his own words, by his own hand, in venues of his own choosing. He is putting out the skeletons that he believes might derail a run before he announces just to make sure he can win if (when) he runs. He wants a fair shot at the White House. Fred wants to be the one setting the agenda for the media, not the other way around.
Let me illustrate this point. Fred is a very smart man. I just got done watching Neil Cavuto’s interview with Fred on FNC. Cavuto was the perfect choice to air this topic since Cavuto himself is in remission of lymphoma-type cancer. Cavuto is also a very straight interviewer. His style of questioning fits Senator Thompson’s honest direct answers. Cavuto asked the right questions, giving Fred time and the ability to answer all the potential criticisms that Fred’s cancer announcement may raise.
Lets look at the main potential hit Fred might face. Neil brought up the Tsongas question. In 1992, Paul Tsongas announced he was in remission from cancer (a more aggressive type of cancer) and shortly after lost support for his bid for the democratic nomination. Bill Clinton won and Tsongas cancer eventually returned. (I know some of you are thinking Clinton had something to do with the release of the Tsongas cancer information, but I don’t think so. I think Tsongas released that info because he thought he had it beat.) If Tsongas had been elected, he would have died in office.
This is the one criticism that Fred will get from the MSM and the liberal operatives. Fred is sick, they will say. Fred cannot be trusted to make it through his presidency, they will charge. Fred easily countered this argument today. First. On his terms with Cavuto, he laid out that he is fine and produced a note from his doctor to prove it. (On a side, the doctor he has is a really, really good doctor.) The MSM will have a tough time creating doubt now on this issue.
Unfortunately, he is not the only candidate that has cancer as a potential issue. McCain, Giuliani and Edwards are dealing or have dealt with cancer. If Fred were the only one, I would say it was a potential issue. With Fred joining three main candidates in this, I think he will be ok.
Neil also brought up the question about why Fred released this information now. Fred responded, correctly, that the American people needed to know about this. Fred said he would judge their response and weigh it in his decision to run or not. He mentioned checklists he was working though in this process and how they were really small issues. From the interview...
Neil also brought up the question about why Fred released this information now. Fred responded, correctly, that the American people needed to know about this. Fred said he would judge their response and weigh it in his decision to run or not. He mentioned checklists he was working though in this process and how they were really small issues. From the interview...
"The American people have a right to know this. And they have a right to voice their opinions whether they think it's a big deal or not. And I know it's not a big deal as far as my health is concerned, as much as a person can know things like that. But other people have a right to look at it and weigh in and I have a need to factor that into my decision in terms of the reaction I get of that," he (Thompson) said.
Cavuto used this to chance to get more info on Fred decision process. That is exactly what Fred wanted. This interview will stoke the already burning fire for Fred’s candidacy into an inferno. People will be moving to his camp now more than ever. Neil helped by asking about money too, how Fred was already way behind. Fred looked like he knew something that the rest of us didn’t. I got the feeling that he knows that if he gets in the race, he will have all the money he need. He said the right thing too, (paraphrasing) 'It’s not about how much you have, it is all about the trust the American people have in you leading the country. If you have that, the money will come.'
Today we have seen the strongest indications that Fred is running for President. I think he is running for sure now. He is setting the tone, insolating himself from attacks and setting up his campaign as the right man for today’s world. Another candidate did this exact process as well. Back in 1979, and we all know how great that turned out.
Today we have seen the strongest indications that Fred is running for President. I think he is running for sure now. He is setting the tone, insolating himself from attacks and setting up his campaign as the right man for today’s world. Another candidate did this exact process as well. Back in 1979, and we all know how great that turned out.
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