Mr. Putney may or may not know something about gout, but he sure doesn't seem to be able to use the English language properly. A "Bush-Cheney monarchy" is as nonsensical as his tortured logic. One can only have one monarch, Mr. Putney, hence the formation of the word from mono + archy. Sheesh.

According to the New York Times, Vice President Cheney is taking medication for, among other things, gout:

Mr. Cheney has been taking a long list of medications for a number of conditions, including heart disease and gout.

The article is careful, however, to not say that he has the disease:

Mr. Cheney had long suffered periodic pain in his heel, which has been diagnosed as tendonitis, and in his big toe, which has led to a murkier diagnosis: gout or osteoarthritis.

See the full article at the following address:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9906EED81F30F933A25752C0A9609C8B63

Just felt the need to point this out:

A good friend of mine has gout. He's 24. He's also a penniless grad student. The reason why? A genetic predisposition. He can get an attack if he has a glass of wine and a burger at the same meal. Of course, because of stigma like this, he's embarrassed to admit it. This isn't meant to be a flame or anything, I just think there's a lot of ignorance about the disease. Dick Cheney frightens the crap out of me; I just don't want to make his medical condition the issue.

Currently having to deal with a parent with this condition, I am almost positive Dick Cheney's symptoms are of classic Congestive Heart Failure [CHF]: feet and legs swelling and rapid water retention coupled with extreme fatigue and breathing difficulties.

My father too has had open heart surgery, a by-pass operation and an embedded pacemaker. CHF is what often results when you don't modify your diet, take your medicines, and exercise after such surgical procedures. It seems reversible if caught in time, although it creates an emergency situation for a heart patient.

My guess is that they put Cheney into the hospital and megadose a drug, probably Lasix, intravenouslly. Lasix is commonly prescribed in smaller doses and pill form to increase water elimination from the system and prevent a CHF crisis. Swelling is reduced, signiificant weight is quickly lost, and breathing is eased.

When I first heard the term, I thought it was the fatal condition or plain old heart failure, as in "He died from heart failure." I think the White House suspects the firestorm that would erupt when Cheney's true condition is learned and described by name.

My question is why no reporters are consulting WebMD, if not actual cardiologists, to figure this out. They again are giving this administration a free pass and abetting their propaganda line that Dick Cheney is just fit as a fiddle, mentally and physically, to be vice-president., when the reality is that he is a very, very sick man.

I'm surprised we don't soon see doctored photos of Dick smiling and swimming across the Potomac, like the progpaganda photos of Chairman Mao swimming across the YangTse River at 80 or whatever. Vigorous, vibrant leader, rebounding in good health. Stout fellow.

Please, some truth for a change. And, Press, do your homework.

I'm a phyisician and I detest Dick Cheney. However, the Vice-President's medical problems which have no bearing on national affairs are private and confidential as are those of any other citizen's. Salon looks cheap and petty gloating over this irrelevancy, and it is in very bad taste. In a time when the President's disregard for the Constitution's implicit right to privacy threaten's our democracy, I think any patient's medical confidentiality ought to be respected, at the very least. Cheney's heart disease is of consequence to the nation. Whether he gets painful joint swelling which may or may not be related to a rich diet, is not.

Alan Weissburg MD

Providence RI

The idea that the Big Dick is having trouble with the gout is highly unlikely. Have we seen him limping or hobbling about anywhere? Gout is easily controlled with medication and a number of natural treatments, including ingesting canned sour tart cherries, is very effective. So ixnay on the goutnay.

No, I believe there is something far more sinister going on with our humble Veep. His mechanical parts may need frequent lubrication, or he may be going through spark plugs like an old 3.8 liter Jaguar. Maybe, just maybe, it could be another disease of kings - like syphillis. This is a possibility as syphillis, in its later stages, eats away at the brain and makes its victims appear to be brain dead. Yep - I'm going with syphillis! Help me Jesus, just think of the closet pervert possibilities in that! Was he ever spotted down on Airline Highway outside NOLA hanging out with Swaggert?

I also think Dick Cheney is one step above the anti-Christ, but this potential diagnosis actually makes me feel bad for him. My stepfather has attacks of gout. When he first started getting them I thought it was pretty funny, because I associated it with 18th century British artistocrats who drink a barrel of wine a day. But, as I quickly learned from him, it's really an incredibly painful and frustrating condition. In fact, I only recently found out that he was recovering from a bout of gout at the rehersal dinner before my wedding ... the dinner was at this amazing family-style seafood restaurant, and he loves seafood but couldn't have any because it would have set off another attack.

Taking Cary Tennis' advice that we should pray for our worst enemies, I do sincerely hope that Dick Cheney doesn't have gout.

jf

Is this some revelation? Didn’t anyone pick up on this? Or are there no gout sufferers in the press corp.? Ok...his foot hurt, a lot it seemed, as he was walking with a cane...he suffers shortness of breath because of taking 'anti-inflammatory' medicine...duh!

I said it to my wife the moment the whole thing came up! “Dicks got gout,” I laughed! My kid and I were chanting it on the way to day care! "Cheney’s got gout! Cheney’s got gout!" Now, I’m not wholly unsympathetic, I know it hurts. I’ve had a touch of the gout myself. But I couldn’t help thinking “good!”. Obviously his conscience isn’t working; perhaps another body part stepped in to supply the ‘pangs’.

Hey Dick! Lay off the scotch and drink more water! And when ya feel another 'touch of the gout' coming on, just take four ibuprofen with your water and that should head 'er off at the pass! And if it gets past that, and yer walking with a cane try the steroid treatment (if that’s allowed in politics…do we have testing yet for the elected?) and it’ll clear it right up!