I touch on this subject with some hesitation because almost always there turns out not to be anything to this sort of thing. But the story just doesn’t add up to me.
In 2001, 2002 and 2003 the president had his annual physical in early August. And after each he’s gotten a clean bill of health. To all appearances the president is in excellent health.
But this year, according to AFP, he’s decided to postpone his physical until after the election.
On its face, the explanation makes a certain amount of sense. “This has been a busier travel period for the president than the previous three years,” Scott McClellan told the AFP.
But can the president really not afford one day?
And another thing occurs to me.
What was the president doing in early August this year? Right about then is when he was taking the traditional hiatus from campaigning during the Democratic convention. It seems like then of all times he had some time free.
It occurs to me that the president’s campaign officials might not have wanted the contrast of Kerry’s coronation with a doctor’s visit for the president. And that may be a reasonable point.
But still it strikes me as odd.
I hunted around a bit on Nexis to see whether Clinton had postponed his physical in 1996. But I couldn’t find anything. Whether or not he did would probably shed some helpful light on this question. If he did, then perhaps I’m just underestimating how disruptive it would be to the campaign.
Late Update: A reader sends in this link that shows that President Clinton did have his physical in 1996. But his annual visit was in May, rather than August. So it’s not a perfect comparison.
