Melanoma is an extraordinarily dangerous form of cancer which usually kills its victim by spreading into the brain. The resulting tumor causes mental problems of various kinds, ending in disability and death. I know this not only from reading about the disease but also in personal form: a dear friend of mine died after melanoma spread to his brain.
More below the fold.
Ten day ago, in this article at Huffington Post on September 19, Dr. Paul Abrams, an oncologist (cancer doctor), argued that there is good reason to be concerned that John McCain might now be suffering, or might soon suffer a recurrence of melanoma in his brain. Abrams wrote [emphasis added by me]
John McCain is 72 years old, and despite showcasing his 95 year old mother and his own protestations to the contrary, 72 is, well, 72. Couple that with the aging process that inevitably occurs under the stress of 5+ years of deprivation and torture in prison, and there is enough reason why anyone professing to put "country first" would have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the brain to assuage that country's concerns.
McCain has also displayed many signs of inattention. The 'expert' on national security and Iraq could not get straight the relationships among the Sunnis, Shia, al-Qaeda and pro-Iranian militias on several occasions close in time. He makes statements absurd on their face such as "Sarah Palin knows more about energy than anyone in the United States". The Chairman of the Commerce Committee did not know that the SEC is an independent entity, not subject to being fired by the President. He rolls from one inconsistency to another, and he has no anchor.
McCain's most recent episode of unusual behavior took place only last night, when according to the New York Times, McCain behaved in a very unexpected way in the meeting he himself had called to discuss the credit bailout measure now under consideration by Congress.
At the bipartisan White House meeting that Mr. McCain had called for a day earlier, he sat silently for more than 40 minutes, more observer than leader, and then offered only a vague sense of where he stood, said people in the meeting.
It's my impression that sitting in silence when interaction might be expected would be consistent with a brain lesion of some kind. Of course it's very possible that John McCain might be in full control of his faculties and is working out a plan to help the country while gaining points against his opponent.
But right now I'm not feeling very confident.