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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Hillary’s serious illness changes everything in 2016 presidential race

Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2013 at 06:19 AM

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Hillary Clinton (AP)

Though she has been released from hospital after treatment for her blood clot Hillary Clinton’s political future has changed dramatically.

At 65 she has been struck with an illness that doctors agree is a serious one and that could have caused a major stroke.

A blood clot in an area close to the brain is not good news for anyone, but especially someone who is the winter favorite for the 2016 nomination.

If this were a horse race I’d say Hillary Clinton is far more likely to scratch than to line up in the Democratic demolition derby in 2015 or so for the 2016 nomination.

She will be close to 70 then, but unlike the woman with the robust health record and seemingly tireless political persona, she is now a weakened candidate with a major health question looming over her.

Another illness of this kind between now and then will certainly rule her out and it seems certain that her opponents and the media will ensure that her health is an issue.

But for Hillary herself the illness will surely make her stand back and think.

There are few things more sobering than a glimpse of your mortality and she has certainly seen that.

Will she have the stamina and commitment to come to the races in four years time full of the same energy she expended in 2008?

That hardly seems likely. It will be her decision I know but the events of the past week will certainly shade how she decides.

Me? I’m betting it is a thumbs down, a feeling that she has done more than enough in a spectacular political life and it is time to leave the field to the next generation.

And that will set off the political scramble of a lifetime among Democrat wannabees if and when it happens.

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ciarajoyce | Apr 14, 2013, 09:58 PM EDT

You are overreacting to Hillary's illness. You make it sound like she's at death's door. She's fine and as long as she follows her doctors orders, she'll be fine for many years to come. She actually got lucky when she got gastroenteritis, the virus that caused her to dehydrate to a point that she fainted and bumped her head at home. Because Hillary has such good insurance, she got all the tests she needed to make sure there was no permanent damage from the knock on her head; evidently either she or her doctor thought there was something more going on and ordered more tests, and they were the right tests to find a blood clot before it caused any damage. She probably won't have a stroke because she'll be taking anti-coagulants for the rest of her life. Doctors will do blood tests and get the dose at the right level where it prevents blood clots but doesn't cause her to bruise too easily or bleed for days from a paper cut. Hillary isn't suffering from a fatal illness, not the way you describe one. She has a condition that, untreated, caused a blood clot that was found because she fainted and hit her head. The cause of her blood clot will be treated for the rest of her life. (There are other causes of strokes that we all need to discuss with our doctors.) To SeamusOh: I'm not a big fan of abortion, but there are times when an abortion is the best of a lot of really bad choices. "Savita" died because of malpractice, malfeasance, or stupidity in the ER she went to when she started to miscarry. Nothing would have saved her daughter once there was a tear in the placenta; terminating the pregnancy would have saved Savita. I've only known two women in my life (and I've been around since before Roe v Wade) who didn't have some misgivings about terminating a pregnancy. Do you think those two women would make good mothers?? Would you want either to raise your child, or to raise you?

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SeamusOh | Apr 09, 2013, 03:55 PM EDT

An ailing Hillary, as principal disciple of Margaret Sanger's euthanasia philosophy, should volunteer to be 'put-to-sleep' - perchance in coordination with Chelsea's first abortion?

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Seanmor | Apr 07, 2013, 08:05 AM EDT

We know of at least one Mayoman who was bburied at Arlington, Brigadier General Bill O'Dwyer in Nov. of '64. The Bahola man's political career is well known: elected D.A. for Brooklyn, Mayor of N.Y.C. (1945) and appointed Ambassador to Mesico in 1952, O'Dwyer was also an Army reservist and reached the rank of Brigadier.

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awoken32 | Mar 20, 2013, 04:25 PM EDT

The devil will be waiting on her when she dies,the quicker the better for this evil power driven physco

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Christisall | Mar 19, 2013, 06:35 PM EDT

Old hag Hilly who is the equivalent of the devil. . .yes karma is a good thing.

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texasespana | Mar 17, 2013, 03:01 PM EDT

Sorry to read of her illness, and hope for a good recovery. However, think she will be up before Congress and questioned about Benghazi. One or more of the top 4 or 5 positions in the White House dropped the football, and this person or these people have to be held accountable for their actions.

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johan | Mar 12, 2013, 09:26 AM EDT

Karma is a great thing.

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Smyrnian | Jan 08, 2013, 08:18 PM EST

Useless as useless as she was as NY State Senator .... Utterly useless.

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jetsnoone | Jan 04, 2013, 05:31 AM EST

Once she heard that a long hospital stay would have an effect on her Presidential look she high-tailed it out of there....she will continue to hide, er recooperate, from her home until the coast is clear. Then we'll hear how this super-women beat cancer, er, I mean a blood clot (so unromantic but it'll work)

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Nicomax | Jan 03, 2013, 10:27 PM EST

If HRC will be required to lie when she testifies about Benghazi, then she should study the tape of Condi Rice squirming and lying before the 9/11 Commission to see just how it should be done.

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durtymurphy | Jan 03, 2013, 08:18 PM EST

Old bag

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katiemac | Jan 03, 2013, 05:56 PM EST

It would be serious if it were real. It will impact her 2016 chances because sooner or later she is STILL going to have to testify about Benghazi, at which point it will be clear that she lied about the video, lied about the concussion and lied about the blood clot. Hilary is America's version of the Dragon Lady. She seems to have a winning strategy though - delay, delay, drag feet, lie, delay, lie, drag feet, repeat.

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pilib04 | Jan 03, 2013, 01:55 PM EST

Patrick Roberts the IC house reactionary just had to take his aim at Hillary.

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Nicomax | Jan 03, 2013, 01:02 PM EST

Well maybe we can recycle Richard, 'Darth Vader' Cheney to run in 2016, against the equally medically impaired Hillary Clinton. And based on some comments here, the old fellow would be championed as just what we need "to get our country back".

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FastEddy | Jan 03, 2013, 12:30 PM EST

LOL ... The Hildabeast is now contained. Hope she recovers enough to turn in her resignation.

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