The status of Senator John McCain’s health over the course of the last eight years or so will be a primary topic of discussion today, as some of his medical records have been made available for the media to review. Mr. McCain, at 71, would be the oldest president to assume office were he elected; his history of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, and degenerative arthritis are two major illnesses that emerge from the documents. (He is reportedly cancer-free now.)
And inasmuch as the details are likely to dominate today’s news cycle, the timing window is interesting, given that attention will likely shift suddenly to Mr. McCain’s weekend plans. He’s hanging out on his ranch with a few prominent Republicans whose names are being bandied about as possible vice presidential picks.
The Times and other media have been seeking full access to his medical records for some time now. Neither Senator Barack Obama or Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton have released theirs.
This set follows the reams of paper Senator McCain’s campaign released during his presidential bid in 2000, in part because of a shadowy set of rumors about the psychological damage he might have suffered during his years as a P.O.W. The records showed no lasting effects.
The Associated Press was given advance access for hours last night, and its reporters pored through documents listing the senator’s bouts with melanoma. The most recent examinations show no new cancer recurrence.
The records also indicate a doctor’s admiration for his cardiovascular health after a series of stress tests. His cholesterol’s not great, though.
Senator McCain’s campaign is making the documents available in a limited way (they cannot be copied or taken out of a room at a resort in Phoenix; and only certain media organizations — not The Times — were allowed in as pool reporters). And they can only be reviewed for a few hours today. The campaign does intend to make summaries of these records available on its Web site.
Elisabeth Bumiller and Dr. Larry Altman of The Times reported today on the tight controls imposed by the campaign on access to the records. The campaign says it organized this format for review to prevent wide dissemination.
Later today, the campaign has organized a conference call with Mr. McCain’s doctors to discuss the records. Our colleagues will be updating developments as they occur today.