What's Up With John McCain's Left Eye?

AmericaBlog:

Joe and Rob both mentioned this to me in the past week, and now several readers have brought it up. I also just noticed that Atrios picked up on this too today. Something wrong, changed, droopy or puffy with McCain's left eye. Anybody else notice anything? I just searched Google a bit more and found references to his eye being droopy in April and May of this year as well. But whatever it is, it seems to be intermittent. (McCain has had 4 bouts of melanoma, and did in 2002 have a benign growth removed from under his left eye.)

I decided to take a look at McCain's Herbert Hoover Speech, as Rob calls the economic speech McCain gave last Friday in Wisconsin, and tried to see what it was that Rob was noticing wrong with McCain's left eye. It was only a 15 second video, so I pulled it up in my iMovie movie editor and checked out each frame (see a selection of still shots above). What you see is apparently McCain's left eye more closed than this right, and/or when he blinks, his left eye is lazier, or blinks slightly out of phase with his right. Either way, it does look like something's up. Perhaps McCain has always had a bad left eye, though it's odd that so many people just noticed this week.

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Comments

[USALover]

And with his physical appearance telling on his health...d­o you want her representing your country...­..
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/25/palin-bailout-healthcare/

[Gotcha54]

Could you imagine if there was video of a priest with his hand on Obama praying for him about "witchcraft"? Do you think this would be on a 24 hour loop for the next 2 weeks?

[Gotcha54]

I'm amazed that I haven't heard anything on the MSM about this? Just like the priest of Palin that was praying over her about "witchcraft". Has anyone seen this except on Oberman or Maddow?

[ljmoffice]

Well melanoma is a particularly deadly and nasty cancer. it certainly would not be outside the realm of possibilities that he could have a re-occurance. He has had them before. I think his last one was particularly well advanced. This should be a serious consideration for anyone who is voting for him. To think that he is aware of a possible re-occurance and still picked Palin...wh­o couldn't run this country for even one second amazes me. So much for "Country First".

[BillCarson]

More than fifty percent of patients with melanoma develop brain metastases. http://neurosurgery.mgh.harvard.edu/abta/mets.htm

For patients with a melanoma like McCain's (Stage IIa) who remained free of the disease for the first five years after diagnosis, the probability of recurrence during the next five years was 14 percent and death 9 percent. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/09/america/mccain.php

It's tragic, but people need to know.

[carriellbee]

Brain metastases.

Might that explain the seemingly insane behavior?

[BoulderSue]

Rrcurrence is quite likely, since he has had it it four times already. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about it when my Mom died from it.

[Totto]

According to my doctor, McCain has a ninety percent chance of a recurrence.

[Steve69]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here...

He won't release his medical records.

Are you REQUIRED to do that if you are going to run for president?

[JulieSA]

No, you are not required to. Obama has not released his. McCain has released his records, in 1999, and in May 2008.

[Steve69]

I thought I heard a news report recently that Obama had released his records.

[whit4brains]

Obama DID release his medical records! And McCain "released" his 1,000+ page of medical records for a group of reporters to look at for 3 hours only and without being able to make any copies of anything.

[BoulderSue]

If it isn't, it should be. Mental acuity should be in there, too, maybe, though once you get into brain function on any level, you have to be pretty careful. FDR was terribly ill for much of his presidency. Chronic illness often leads to depression, sometimes debilitating. But he and Lincoln, and a few others seem to have dealt with severe problems quite well. I do wish he would release his medical records, though. My Mom died of melanoma. It was stage IV by the time it showed up because it first occurred internally, less than six months after a "clear" colonoscopy. Melanoma is a a strange, quixotic disease, I learned. As for his left eye, I haven't noticed yet, but will look. I have always wondered why he blinked so much. They say liars blink more often than normal, but his blinking is different, I think.

[08politicaljunkie]

It's not only that his eye is drooping, he blinks often -- at a rate of nearly 60 times per minute. Yeah, I counted in a Fox news broadcast about the bailout.

Not only this though, the left side of his face appears to drooping -- his earlobe looks as if it's going to drip off his face. Was his earlobe damaged when he was a POW? I Googled him and almost each photo is his right profile -- except when he was photographed in the hospital bed.

[CostaMesaJoe]

Health-wise, I actually feel sorry for the guy. He doesn't look well.
I disagree with his politics, but his choice in Palin makes me all the more concerned about his health....

[alan7388]

1) Can someone find sharp enough photos to show whether the pupils of his eyes are the same size? If they differ, this is a sign of a serious brain involvement.

2) If you cover up one side of his face, then the other in recent pix, you'll see that his right side is controlled and vigorous, and his left side looks tired and 10 years older. This might be a sign of a minor stroke rather than a brain metastasis.

3) Nerve damage can do the same thing to much of one side of the face, with no other effect whatever, and no change for the rest of one's life.

4) All of this is wild speculation and should be flagged as such.

[lola85]

You know I noticed it yesterday, in the press conference he held to "suspend his campaign". It happened as he was giving the reason, (the financial crisis) for suspending the campaign. I find that happens when someone is lying or uncomfortable with what they are saying. In fact I immediately thought he was lying. Nothing scientific--just my feeling.

Also, sometimes when you get Botox it can give you a "lazy" eye. Maybe he got a little Botox before the debates to look, you know, younger. Just a thought.

[LAB11]

This man is not well. That's why he would only let doctors glance at his numerous stacks of medical records for a few minutes. He's lucky if he makes it through the campaign season. Palin is a heartbeat away from a very sick heart.

[JulieSA]

They looked at the records for three hours.

[carriellbee]

That's 180 minutes, which should be considered to be 'a few' since we are talking about thousands of pages.

[whit4brains]

And they were not allowed to make any copies of anything.

[ImpressedByHonesty]

It's simple. Cindy McCain told John, "just one more look at Sarah Palin's rear, and, TO THE MOON, JOHN!"

[FaceYourFears]

Maybe he'll wear an eye patch during the debate.

[whillice]

As "David Bowie" said to Bret in Flight of the Conchords, "Wear the eye patch Bret, wear the funky, funky eye patch."

[lbcny]

LOL! Must be smoking astroturf too

[whit4brains]

I love that show!

Maybe McChicken could get a red, white and blue "patriotic" eye patch...

[AlwaysFairDem]

i REALLY DON'T THINK HE WILL LAST FULL TERM...THI­S IS A JOB THAT IS SO STRESSFUL ONE YEAR IS LIKE AGING 3YEARS. By the end of his second year, he is literally 80 years old.

Can you emagine Palin speaking on your behave?? O Lord, save me for that day!!

Vote OBAMA!

[Lemmiwinks]

wow, you need to work on grammar in so many ways, including what "literally" means. pick up a 4th grade english book. then you can spout how ignorant you are in proper english.

[BannedFromCommenting]

Awwww, Lemmiwinks cannot decipher blog speak. They are not writing an english essay for their English 101 class in college.

Lighten up Francis!

[TheOpus]

So appropriately, for many reasons, this is McCain's new theme song:
_________
Now everybody have you heard
If you're in the game, then the stroke's the word
Don't take no rhythm, don't take no style
Got a thirst for killin', grab your vile...

You put your right hand out give a firm hand-shake
Talk to me about that one big break...
Spread your ear-pollution both far and wide...
Keep your contributions by your side and stroke me,
stroke me
Could be a winner boy, you move quite well...
You got your number down...
Say you're a winner but man you're just a sinner now

You put your left foot out keep it all in place...
Work your way right into my case
First you try to bed me you make my backbone slide
But when you found you bled me-- skip on by...
keep on---stroke me, stroke me
Give me the business all night long...
You're so together boy...
Say you're a winner but man you're just a sinner now

Better listen now (said) it ain't no joke
Let your conscience fail ya, just do the stroke
Don'tcha take no chances keep your eye on top
Do your fancy dances you can't stop you just stroke me,
stroke me

- Billy Squier

[escorpion]

Now it all makes sense: McCain's team want to get out of the debate because they know (or at least seriously suspect) that something's gone haywire in his brain, and they're terrified of what he'll say when he doesn't have notes or a teleprompter to help him.

[Lemmiwinks]

is that why obambi has backed out of all those other town hall style debates?

[BannedFromCommenting]

Ah Lemmiwinks again... why would Obama go to Town Halls and drag his multitude of supporters to McCain's few hundred? McCain only wanted townhalls with Obama to boost his own coverage. Joint Town Halls are not the norm for campaigning. Since when have they been? Did Gore and Bush do them? Bush and Kerry? NO!!!!

So drop that dead horse.....

[jamie461]

McCain doesn't get to dictate to Obama what the terms of the debates should be, goober.

[whit4brains]

He agreed to doing 3, just not 10. He did not "back out" of them. And do you think Ob ama should be able to dictate how McChicken runs his campaign?

Poor Lemmiwinks. Your top guy is going down and your VP pick is getting trashed all over the web today by your own party after that awful "performance" in her interview with Couric.