(WMR)—President Obama’s two medical examinations, both on December 6, has Washington buzzing. Any time the president of the United States has so much as a cold, speculation begins flying about the state of the president’s health. Obama has been suffering from a persistent sore throat and he was examined at the White House in the morning by an ear, nose, and throat specialist from the Fort Belvoir Medical Center. The Fort Belvoir doctor used a fiber optic endoscope to examine Obama’s throat.
Based on the findings of that specialist and Obama’s presidential physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, Obama was whisked off to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The throat endoscopy revealed “soft tissue swelling” at the back of the president’s throat. However, WMR has learned that the so-called “swelling” was compatible with an abnormal growth, which is a warning sign of cancer.
At Bethesda, where attending physicians and nursing staff are sworn to military secrecy, Obama received an almost 2-hour CT scan.
The White House stated that the president’s condition was related to acid reflux. However, the persistent sore throat, swelling or growth, and acid reflux are also associated with esophageal cancer. A persistent sore throat is a symptom of laryngeal cancer. For these reasons, Bethesda physicians performed a CT scan on the president. However, if acid reflux alone was the cause of the sore throat, the endoscopy alone would have been sufficient in making such a determination. Something else prompted the president to be rushed to Bethesda for the CT scan.
White House Press Secretary John Earnest made no mention of whether a biopsy to determine the presence of squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx/larynx being performed on the area of swelling. However, given the president’s past smoking habit, such a procedure would have been a prudent choice.
During his first few years as president, Obama, according to a Secret Service presidential protective detail source, smoked frequently. The president’s routine was to dispatch his “body man” Reggie Love to purchase cigarettes for him at a nearby CVS store. During this time, Obama switched brands from Marlboro Lights to Camel Lights.
Although Obama is a lame duck, his medical condition is already affecting the 2016 presidential feeding frenzy. On December 4, prospective candidate Hillary Clinton told a Boston women’s conference that being president in the 21st century is “stressful and unrelenting.” Clinton said, “Here’s what I worry about . . . The stress on anybody in a leadership position, multiplied many times over to be president. The incoming never ends.” There is some speculation that age and health may play a part in Clinton’s ultimate decision on running for president in 2016. She would be 69 if elected president and as far as age in concerned would be the second oldest president after Ronald Reagan. In 2012, Clinton fell and suffered a concussion and blood clot, prompting her husband, former president Bill Clinton, to call his wife’s condition a “serious issue.”
In 1893, President Grover Cleveland complained to his White House doctor about a sore mouth. Cleveland was actually suffering from a tumor caused by epithelial cancer that had a low potential for spreading further. The surgery that removed the tumor left Cleveland’s mouth and jaw horribly disfigured and he was fitted with a rubber dental prosthesis. The White House referred to the radical surgery as merely the removal of two teeth, covering up the actual condition of the president.
Given the worse presidential health prognosis that would result in Vice President Biden succeeding to the presidency, the 2016 race would be thrown into a free-for-all. Hillary Clinton’s comments about presidential health and stamina two days before Obama was hurriedly sent to Bethesda has many wondering what is happening behind the scenes at the White House. However, the person to keep a close eye on is the vice president. Biden will be 74 years old in 2016 and, if he were to be swept into office largely based on a sympathy vote, would become the oldest person to ever be elected president.
Previously published in the Wayne Madsen Report.
Copyright © 2014 WayneMadenReport.com
Wayne Madsen is a Washington, DC-based investigative journalist and nationally-distributed columnist. He is the editor and publisher of the Wayne Madsen Report (subscription required).
