Full Disclosure of Hillary Clinton’s 2012 illness(es), including a fall, a concussion, a blood clot and a 4-day hospitalization; and in 2013, her six month recovery to get over a very serious condition is a VERY BIG DEAL
KARL ROVE STILL SAYS — Hillary Clinton suffered “a serious health episode” in 2012 and needs to be more forthcoming about it — Rove originally had mentioned Hillary Clinton’s public appearances wearing thick glasses indicated a “traumatic brain injury”
BILL CLINTON RESPONDS — Says “there's nothing to” Karl Rove’s claims, but then added that his wife Hillary's concussion “required six months of very serious work to get over.... It’s something she never low-balled with the American people, never tried to pretend it didn’t happen.”
There is no dispute that Secretary of State Clinton was hospitalized for a “blood clot” which was discovered after a fall that caused “a concussion,” followed by her appearances in public wearing therapeutic eyeglasses with very thick lenses — There is a dispute as to the period of Mrs, Clinton’s disability and the time required for her recovery
Karl Rove is still asserting that it is apparent Hillary Clinton suffered "a serious health episode" in 2012; and that if Clinton runs for president in 2016, "she is going to have to be forthcoming" about the details of where, how and when it happened (See “Rove on Hillary Clinton: ‘Of course she doesn’t have brain damage’” by Karen Tumulty, 5/13/14, Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/05/13/karl-rove-hillary-clinton-has-to-be-forthcoming-about-her-2012-health-episode/]). That article goes on to state that was Karl Rove’s position that Hillary Clinton “didn't feign illness" when she failed to show up for early congressional hearings concerning Benghazi (an absence that some other conservative commentators called Clinton’s "Benghazi flu." It had been reported that Rove recently made remarks raising the former Secretary of State’s health when he spoke at a conference in Los Angeles on Thursday May 8th. Rove made special mention of contemporary reports that Clinton had suffered a blood clot after a fall in December 2012. Rove also made these a rhetorical points: “Thirty days in the hospital? And when she reappears, she’s wearing glasses that are only for people who have traumatic brain injury? We need to know what’s up with that.”
Tumulty’s Washington Post article pointed out that earlier news reports had indicated that Secretary Clinton was hospitalized for three days, not 30; and that the Secretary of State was admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center for a blood clot that developed after a fall from dehydration related to a stomach virus, according to Clinton aides and hospital officials. The New York Times gave a detailed report on the “blood clot” when Mrs. Clinton was released from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia hospital (See “Clinton Out of Hospital After Treatment for Clot” by Denise Grady & Mark Landler, 1/2/13
[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/us/politics/hillary-clinton-is-discharged-from-hospital-after-blood-clot.html?_r=0]). According to this Times report, “Mrs. Clinton, 65, was admitted to NewYork-Presbyterian /Columbia hospital on Sunday after a scan discovered the blood clot. The scan was part of her follow-up care for a concussion she sustained more than two weeks earlier, when she fainted and fell, striking her head. According to the State Department, the fainting was caused by dehydration, brought on by a stomach virus. The concussion was diagnosed on Dec. 13, though the fall had occurred earlier that week. *** The clot was potentially serious, blocking a vein that drains blood from the brain....”
BILL CLINTON’S RESPONSE TO KARL ROVE ACTUALLY THREW GASOLINE ONTO THE STILL-HOT COALS OF THE CONTROVERSY
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, former President Bill Clinton brought out on Wednesday that it took former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton “six months of very serious work” in the first half of 2013 to recover from a fainting spell in December 2012 that resulted in a concussion and blood clot. The former president also said that her long recovery was “something she never low-balled....” However, the information asserted by Bill Clinton during his Wednesday interview contradicts prior State Department's PR statements made immediately after the conclusion of Hillary's treatment in January 2013. It was on Clinton's first day back in the office on January 7th that State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “...[J]udging by the woman we saw this morning and the workload that she’s got she seems to be fully recovered....” ( See “Bill Clinton reveals it took Hillary 'six months of very serious work to get over' her concussion after accident - so why did State Department claim that she 'fully recovered' a month later” by Francesca Chambers, 5/15/14, Mail Online [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2629288/Bill-Clinton-reveals-took-Hillary-six-months-work-accident.html]).
Former President Clinton’s remarks on behalf of his wife received similar treatment from other news organizations, including ABC News and The Daily Caller (See “Hillary Clinton Took 6 Months to ‘Get Over’ Concussion, Bill Says of Timeline” by Mary Bruce & Dana Hughes, 5/14/14, ABC News / The Note [http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/05/hillary-clinton-took-6-months-to-get-over-concussion-bill-says-of-timeline/]; “Hillary Clinton took 6 months to get over ‘terrible concussion’ but she’s totally fine, Bill Clinton swears” by Eric Owens, 5/15/14, Daily Caller [http://dailycaller.com/2014/05/15/hillary-clinton-took-6-months-to-get-over-terrible-concussion-but-shes-totally-fine-bill-clinton-swears/]). Both ABC News and The Daily Caller detailed how Mr. Clinton’s comments contradicted the earlier statements by the State Department.
IN JANUARY 2013, EVEN NY TIMES SAID CLINTON WAS AFFLICTED BY MEDICAL PROBLEMS FOR A MONTH THAT INTERFERED WITH HER JOB AS SECRETARY OF STATE
This is how the NY Times put it when Mrs. Clinton was released from the hospital: “The news of her release was the first welcome sign in a troubling month that grounded Mrs. Clinton — preventing her from answering questions in Congress about the State Department’s handling of the lethal attack on an American mission in Libya or being present when President Obama announced Senator John Kerry as his choice for her successor when she steps down as secretary of state....” ( See “Clinton Out of Hospital After Treatment for Clot” by Denise Grady and Mark Landler, 1/2/13, NY Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/us/politics/hillary-clinton-is-discharged-from-hospital-after-blood-clot.html?_r=0]). This article by “NY Timesmen” Brady and Landler goes to great lengths in providing the full context of Secretary of State Clinton’s physical condition, the current diagnosis and the possible causes of her [ up to that time] month-long affliction, and her prognosis going forward. (Note: For related information, also see the detailed “Time Line” provided in the ABC News article cited above).
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UPDATE: THE “YES, IT’S ALL ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON’S AGE AND HEALTH, AND FITNESS TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT” EDITION
“KARL ROVE QUESTIONS HILLARY CLINTON’S HEALTH...” AGAIN
According to the left-leaning, Hillary-supporting Huffington Post, “All of the Sunday morning politics shows were chattering about Karl Rove's effort to inject Hillary Clinton's health into the 2016 presidential race -- but only Fox News had [a pejorative reference t Karl Rove] himself on to further push the issue into the mainstream.... ( See “Karl Rove Questions Hillary Clinton's Health, Says He Isn't” by Matt Sledge, 5-18-14, Huffington Post/ Politics [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/18/karl-rove-hillary-clinton_n_5347711.html]). Sledge’s post/article went on to state the following: “Speaking on Fox News on Sunday, Rove started by giving a lengthy, detailed breakdown of Hillary Clinton's late-2012 concussion and hospitalization. Sounding like a cross between a Wikipedia article and a district attorney, Rove examined where Clinton was on Dec. 15 and on Jan. 7, what the State Department said about her condition, and how many words were in the department's statement....”; adding “... that Rove could barely control his chuckling when fellow [Fox News] panelist Juan Williams pointed out the obvious: ‘You are talking about her health.’ ”
ABC News reported on the same remarks, even though they had appeared on the news program of a rival network (See “Karl Rove Wants Hillary Clinton to ‘Cough Up Those Medical Records’ ” by Alexandra Dukakis, 5/18/14, ABC News [http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/05/karl-rove-wants-hillary-clinton-to-cough-up-those-medical-records/]), stating, “GOP strategist Karl Rove doubled down Sunday on his doubts about Hillary Clinton’s health... *** Despite the Republican strategist’s stated confidence in Clinton’s health, he said the American people need some proof to confirm her condition.
‘Let’s be clear: She is going to have to cough up these medical records and describe this....” Alexandra Dukakis’ report for ABC News also contained quotes by other Republican notables, who commented on Hillary Clinton’s health on the Sunday Morning shows.
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY AND GOP CHAIRMAN LANCE PRIEBUS JOIN IN ROVE’S CALLING ON HILLARY CLINTON TO DISCLOSE HER HEALTH RECORDS
On Fox, Dick Cheney said, “I think any presidential candidate or vice presidential candidate is going to have to answer questions about their health.... I wouldn’t want to pre-judge Mrs. Clinton’s health. I don’t know about it.... I felt responsible to be open about my health when I was vice president and a candidate,” he added. “[It's] expected of anyone running.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that if Clinton did suffer a brain injury, it would bring into question her capability to perform her duties as commander-in-chief. “I’m not a doctor,” Preibus said, “What I do know is that the issue is going to come up, as it does for any person running for president.”
BACKFILL: THE “FALLING FOR HILLARY CLINTON” EDITION
WHILE HILLARY CLINTON WAS SECRETARY OF STATE SHE SUFFERED MULTIPLE FALLS — AT LEAST TWO REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATIONS AND LED TO HER INABILITY TO PERFORM KEY FUNCTIONS
There were several instances in which Hillary Clinton literally fell down on the job as Secretary of State. Perhaps she is accident prone, perhaps it’s something else.
2009 FALL ON WAY TO BRIEF PRESIDENT
The first major falling incident happened early during Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State; it occurred on June 17, 2009. While attempting to get into a car for a trip to brief the President of the United States along with Ambassador Richard Holbrook, Secretary Clinton fell, was not able to get up and needed to be hospitalized several days for what was later described as a shattered elbow ( See “Clinton to Have Surgery to Repair Elbow Fractured in a Fall” by Mark Landler, 6/18/09, New York Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/us/politics/19clinton.html?_r=0]). It is notable that other reports gave different details as to the circumstances of that fall ( See e.g., “Hillary Clinton Falls, Fractures Elbow” Chris Rovzar, 6/18/09, New York Magazine/ Daily Intelligencer [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2009/06/hillary_clinton_falls_fracture.html]).
In any case, her recuperation from the injuries caused by that fall sharply curtailed her schedule, forcing her to cancel two overseas trips, including one to Russia in which she was scheduled to accompany the President ( See “For Clinton, ’09 Campaign Is for Her Turf” by Mark Landler, July 15, 2009, NY Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/us/politics/16clinton.html]).
Just like in the instance discussed in the main post above, Secretary of State Clinton was shown wearing thick glasses at a meeting with President Obama on June 22, 2009, several days after her fall on June 17th in which she fractured her elbow ( See “Hillary Clinton's Fracture May Serve as Osteoporosis Warning” by Dan Childs, 6/22/09, ABC News via Good Morning America
[http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/story?id=7896940] [photo accompanying article]).
2011 FALL ENTERING AIRPLANE IN YEMEN
Secretary of State Clinton can be seen taking a significant spill while boarding an airplane in Yemen on January 12, 2011 ( See “Hillary Clinton falls boarding plane – The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, falls over as she boards a plane in Yemen.” by The Telegraph, 1/12/11 [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8254688/Hillary-Clinton-falls-boarding-plane.html]). Although the text described Mrs. Clinton as tripping on a step, she had clearly reached the top of the stairway and had taken a few steps into the airplane.
BACKFILL: THE “BURIED IN THE BACKFILL” EDITION
“...DOES [HILLARY CLINTON] DRINK ? SOME SAY SHE DOES.... IN LIGHT OF MORE RECENT EVENTS IT IS A CAUSE FOR CONCERN....”
THAT PARTICULAR COMMENT ABOUT HILLARY’S HEALTH WAS BY R. EMMETT TYRRELL, JR., AND IT WAS PROMPTED BY THE SO-CALLED “FALL AND CONCUSSION” MENTIONED IN THE MAIN POST ABOVE THAT OCCURRED IN DECEMBER 2012 — NOTE: THAT'S WHEN THESE OBSERVATIONS BY MR. TYRRELL WERE MADE - AND THAT WAS BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF STATE WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR THAT CONDITION AND THE "BLOOD CLOT" WAS DISCOVERED — NONETHELESS, TYRRELL’S CONCERNS ARE NOT IMPERTINENT, THEY ARE QUITE PERTINENT
MOST NOTABLY FOR NOW, THESE:
“...Then there is again the chaos over Mrs. Clinton. How is she doing health wise? *** Why does she have no plans to appear before Congress? Does that mean ever? Will her health permit it? There are all sorts of rumors running through Washington. Some are absurd. Others are quite plausible. For instance, does she drink? Some say she does. Do you remember the picture of a sloshed Hillary balancing herself on her campaign plane during her primary race back in 2008? It was Hillary at her most convivial, but in light of more recent events it is cause for concern....” (See ““THE CURRENT CRISIS – HILLARY TAKES A FALL – Why hasn't she been hospitalized?” by R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., 12/20/12, American Spectator [http://spectator.org/articles/34227/hillary-takes-fall]).
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