LIZ PEEK: Biden cancer announcement has my sympathy and my skepticism
Former President Joe Biden announced over the weekend that he had just recently been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. A statement from the former president’s office identified the cancer as "aggressive" but also "hormone sensitive," indicating the possibility of "effective management."
The news generated an outpouring of sympathy from friends and foes alike. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden's recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery." We share that concern and optimism; we hope the former president beats the disease.
But, like much of the public, our initial sympathy has turned skeptical. Doctors say that it is highly unlikely anyone could be "suddenly" diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Especially one which, according to Biden’s statement, had metastasized into his bone.
Nearly every man over 50 gets checked regularly for prostate cancer. Certainly, a U.S. president, and especially one under close surveillance for age-related illnesses, would have been examined rigorously for a disease that strikes one in seven men during their lifetime.
Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel, an oncologist and Democrat policy-maker, told Joe Scarborough on MSNBC, that Biden had certainly had the disease for "more than several years." "He did not develop it in the last 100, 200 days. He had it while he was president. He probably had it at the start of his presidency in 2021. I don't think there's any disagreement about that."
Pressed by Scarborough on whether Biden would have been tested for prostate cancer, Emmanuel said most White House doctors would likely recommend the test. During their administrations, as he pointed out, Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both got the test, even though they were younger than Biden.
MEDICAL EXPERT 'ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED' BY TIMING OF BIDEN'S PROSTATE CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Dr. Steven Quay, a board-certified anatomic pathologist, noted on X: "Prostate cancer is the easiest cancer to diagnose when it first starts and to watch it progress to bone metastases… For even with the most aggressive form, it is a 5-7 year journey without treatment before it becomes metastatic."
Some observers have noted that in 2022, then-President Biden gave a peculiar speech about pollution causing oil slicks on his family’s car window, saying "That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up with have cancer and why…for the longest time Delaware has the highest cancer rate in the nation."
BIDEN SPEAKS OUT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE CANCER DIAGNOSIS
At the time, this was dismissed by the White House as just another of Biden’s famous "gaffes," with his staff denying he had cancer. In retrospect, the president may have been telling the truth, for once.
Why would President Biden and his inner circle have withheld his cancer diagnosis from the public? And why come out with it now?
When Biden ran for the Oval Office in 2020, at the age of 77, critics questioned his health and his ability to serve in the toughest job on earth for four years. Many cited his evident cognitive challenges; political opponents argued that Biden’s handlers kept him largely hidden in his basement during the campaign to hide his mental lapses, using COVID as a pretext.
In the Democratic primaries, opponents used his age against him. During one 2019 debate, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro accused Biden of forgetting something he had just said, implying he was too old for the job. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also vying for the nomination, expressed concern about Biden’s age as well.
If Biden had acknowledged at that time that he was ill with a life-threatening disease, he would probably not have won the nomination and he almost certainly would not have beaten Donald Trump in what turned out to be a very close election.
After just one year in office, with Biden still ducking interviews and press conferences, doubts had grown about Biden’s fitness, with a poll revealing that only 40% of voters agreed that Biden "is in good health," while 50 percent disagreed.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
Biden, Inc. has plenty of reasons to go public with his cancer diagnosis today. Axios recently released audio tapes of the former president being interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Hur, which shows the president struggling with serious memory lapses and unable to answer simple questions. The recordings make Hur’s famous description of Biden as an "elderly man with a poor memory" appear generous.
In addition, on Tuesday, the much-heralded book "Original Sin" by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, goes on sale. The book exposes the frantic efforts by Biden’s inner circle to hide his decline hidden from the public.
The book’s revelations raise anew charges that it was not only the White House that lied to the American people about Biden’s decline, but that the Democratic Party and their media allies did as well. Partly because of that coverup, approval ratings for the party are at all-time lows, and trust in the liberal media has collapsed.
Democrats are furious with Joe Biden, critical of his decision to stay in the race which, they say, cost them the election. They would prefer he retire to the sidelines, but the former president apparently wants to remain in view, making speeches and also making money. His few recent outings have not gone well, with signature lapses and stumbles reminding the nation of – yes -- the Big Lie that he was, to quote one admirer, "sharp as a tack."
Democrat ally David Axelrod told CNN that conversations about the coverup of Biden’s decline should be "more muted and set aside for now" because of his cancer diagnosis. If that was the motivation behind the announcement -- if revealing the cancer diagnosis was meant to elicit sympathy, and distract from the torrent of bad publicity flowing from ex-staffers and disillusioned Democrats, it looks like a bust.
People can be sorry the former president is ill but remain angry that he and his inner circle perpetrated the greatest political scandal of our lifetimes.
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
