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Between this announcement and Newt jumping the shark yesterday by endorsing both global warming and Kerry's book the GOP electorate needs to face the fact that we're stuck with just the candidates we already have.

Please.

Fred was treated successfully for this three years ago.

Let's not spin the politics of this, since we have no idea what the impact is on Fred's decision to enter the race. Let's hope he stays healthy, whether or not he enters the race.

Exactly.

Rudy = cancer survivor
McCain = cancer survivor

If anything, three high profile cancer survivors, along with Liz Edwards, will bring cancer treatment, etc. into the national spotlight after being sidelined by things like AIDS, Bird Flu, etc.

Thanks for your comments. Details were still incomplete when I posted. I'm glad that my concerns that Fred would be undergoing treatment now are inoperative, but I still believe this makes his potential Presidential run harder. As those of us in the medical field already knew, as some here have learned the hard way, lymphoma is a large complex group of diseases with quite varied prognoses and treatments depending on the fine print. Neither Hodgkins nor non-Hodgkins types area all created equal. Although not official I still like the first approximation I was taught way back in med school. Without treatment some lymphomas kill you quickly, the others are slow but might kill you eventually. Treatment for the former was rough, but could be curative. Treatment for the latter was easier and might extend the natural course of the disease beyond your natural death from something else. None of the above was best! Overall treatments have improved, but we still don't talk "cure" in the latter group. Fred's lymphoma apparently fell in the latter group, which is good... other than the "no cure" part. As a Dermatologist, those lymphomas I now diagnose have a different primary division: those who need to be sent to the Oncologist and those with cutaneous lymphomas that should be treated by me and protected from unnecessary overtreatment by Oncologists. Fred's lymphoma is Oncologist fare so I'm not up to speed on all the current details.

Unfortunately and perhaps unfairly, as a potential political candidate, the medical complexity of "lymphoma" translates for too many voters into uncertainty, and that is not a good thing for a candidate. Both Rudy and McCain have had significant cancers in the past, but they can plausibly claim to be cured whereas Fred can only claim to be "in remission" and to have a good prognosis. Even if that is true and he's backed up by a bunch of doctors there will be doubters. If any of the three are nominated the MSM will keep their health in the news - in contrast to Hillary. whose health records will stay filed with Bill's. In Fred's case the MSM can take things a step further. They can say nice things about him and compare him to Paul Tsongas. IIRC discussion of Tsongas's remitted lymphoma wasn't helping him in the polls prior to its sad relapse. Adding this to a late start and a large initial money gap behind those already in leaves potential candidate Fred with a large hill to climb. However I don't think this would hurt him as a VP candidate.

Some have interpreted Fred releasing this as advance spin control preceding a campaign launch. That is plausible. However it also is plausible that he heard the story was going to be leaked, either by somebody in the MSM or by some other candidate, and wanted to control the story for the sake of his own reputation. There are too many unsavory reporters, and politicians, in both parties, to rule out the latter possibility completely.