http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=3&u=/nm/20040305/ts_nm/people_ashcroft_dc Ashcroft in Intensive Care with Pancreatitis By James Vicini WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) is in intensive care at a local hospital because of a painful illness that involves inflammation of the pancreas, the Justice Department (news - web sites) said on Friday. Ashcroft, 61, who became the top U.S. legal officer in 2001 after a bitter confirmation battle following his appointment by President Bush (news - web sites), was suffering from a severe case of gallstone-caused pancreatitis, spokesman Mark Corallo said. "He was admitted to intensive care for careful monitoring and is being treated with antibiotics," Corallo said. The illness usually begins with pain in the upper abdomen, and Ashcroft initially thought he had stomach flu, Corallo said. Ashcroft has been a target of criticism by civil liberties groups and some Democrats in Congress over the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies adopted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Ashcroft has defended the policies as necessary to prevent another attack and has strongly supported a sweeping anti-terror law that gave the government the power to tap phones, track Internet usage and cell phones and detain immigrants. The illness can occur when a small gallstone moves far enough into the bile duct to block the flow of pancreatic enzymes into the small intestine, causing sharp abdominal pain. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach. According to the National Institutes of Health (news - web sites), about 80,000 cases of pancreatitis occur in the United States each year, and about 20 percent of them are severe. "Acute pancreatitis can be a severe, life-threatening illness with many complications," it said in its information clearinghouse on digestive diseases. ASHCROFT CANCELED APPEARANCE IN VIRGINIA On Thursday afternoon Ashcroft canceled a scheduled appearance in Alexandria, Virginia, to applaud the guilty verdict in a so-called "Virginia jihad" terror case because he believed he had a stomach flu. "He went home and when the condition worsened, he was visited by White House Physician Daniel Parks, who advised that he go to the emergency room," Corallo said in a statement. He said Ashcroft went to the George Washington University Hospital early on Thursday evening for an evaluation of his stomach complaints. The illness was diagnosed after a full medical examination in the emergency room, Corallo said. "Doctors expect to know more within 48 hours." Justice Department officials said Ashcroft was expected to be in the hospital for at least several days, and that medical updates will be released as soon as they become available. Ashcroft, a conservative Republican who previously had been state attorney general, governor and U.S. senator from Missouri, won Senate confirmation after a bruising battle. Of all of Bush's Cabinet appointees, Ashcroft encountered the most opposition and had the most votes against him. He was eventually confirmed by a 58-42 Senate vote.
Sorry to hear, hope he gets fully healthy, and then leaves politics. I kind of resent people apparently more or less subtly jubilating about someone apparently having a life-threatening disease, though.
Totally agree. Not quite sure what the "karma" in this is though. May he regain his health and enjoy his coming years playing golf -- far away from politics and anything remotely able to influence policy.
I agree entirely. He's warped but well-intentioned, and I wish him a speedy exit from his current post, not his life. Get better, John, and then take a well-deserved, er, well-needed vacation.
The Karma reference had me looking for something ironic in the article. But, I couldn't find it until rimrocker pointed it out:
So now the liberals are resorting to giggling and making snide comments when Republicans are hospitalized with life threatening diseases? This is pretty darn pathetic, although certainly not unexpected. For some reason it is a joyous event when a politician is hospitalized? That's just awful. This entire thread is in extremely poor taste.
You apologize, then you repeat the same insult? What comes around goes around? You act like Ashcroft is purposefully trying to make people's lives miserable. This is just insane. He has intentions of protecting Americans, even lunatics like yourself, from terror. He is acting in YOUR best interest, and here go you making fun of him when he is hospitalized. You are a disgusting human being.
T_J, over 50% of the posters in this thread (yourself excluded) wished Ashcroft a speedy recovery. You failed to express any sympathy for your favorite AG, actually, which is shocking to me. You seem to take the most confrontational and negative stance here, which leads me to worry about your bile ducts. Please have them checked. Again, good health to Mr. Ashcroft.
Karma is not an insult. He has intentions of protecting Americans, and he takes a giant sh*t on the United States Constitution in the process. He is not acting in my best interest. He is acting in his own best interests....those of himself and his fellow reactionary idealogues. So, I am a "disgusting human being", eh? If those words come from someone like yourself, I wear them as a badge of honor! HYPOCRITE
Lighten up people. It's gallstones. Yes, complications can arise, but usually they don't and in this case, it looks like the language is another example of MD's protecting themselves. Here's a more recent write-up via WaPo... If he has to go for the sphincterotomy, there should be some really good jokes on Letterman and Leno. ______________ Attorney General Ashcroft Hospitalized By Dan Eggen Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, March 5, 2004; 1:00 PM Attorney General John D. Ashcroft has been admitted to the intensive care unit at George Washington University after being diagnosed with a severe case of gallstone pancreatitis, which is painful but usually clears up on its own, the Justice Department and medical experts said today. Ashcroft went to the emergency room Thursday night after calling off a planned appearance in Alexandria to announce convictions in a terrorism case. Justice spokesman Mark Corallo said in a statement that Ashcroft initially thought he had the stomach flu. But as his condition continued to worsen, he received a visit from a White House physician, Dr. Daniel Parks, who advised him to go to the hospital, Corallo said. Corallo said Ashcroft, 61, was being treated with antibiotics and that "doctors expect to know more within 48 hours." Ashcroft has had no serious health problems since becoming attorney general and is an avid pick-up basketball player who is known to keep fit. Medical experts said Ashcroft's condition, in which a gallstone blocks a duct that exits the pancreas, will usually clear up in about a week and is commonly treated with antibiotics and intravenous fluids. In about a quarter of such cases, however, the stone remains in place and must be removed through a procedure known as ERCP sphincterotomy, according to Dr. Michael Jay Schwartz, a Washington gastroenterologist who is also an associate professor at George Washington University's medical school. The 48-hour waiting period is aimed at watching to see if the stone moves on its own, Schwartz said. In extremely rare cases, perhaps fewer than 1 percent, Schwartz said the effects of gallstone pancreatitis can lead to fatal consequences, such as multiple organ failure. "Gallstones by themselves can be painful when they're passing, and pancreatitis can be even more painful," said Schwartz, who is not involved in the treatment of Ashcroft. "But in the majority of cases, the stone will pass and the inflammation will subside on its own."
I just want to address misconceptions about karma. It has nothing to do with "coming around". In Buddhist teaching, the law of karma, says only this: for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause was skillful or unskillful.' A skillful event is one that is not accompanied by craving, resistance or delusions; an unskillful event is one that is accompanied by any one of those things.
I second Sir Jackie Chiles comments and hope Ashcroft makes a full recovery. While I don't agree with him politically as a fellow human he deserves our concern. As for Trader_Jorge you obviously have overlooked comments like SJC's which reflect what most posters think here. FYI since you think Liberals are so ghoulish here in MN there were conservatives happy when Sen. Wellstone died and a conservative political group even went so far as to make bumper stickers that said In response to the outpouring of grief over Wellstone's death.
I don't wish death on anyone, but I hope Mr. Ashcroft continues to suffer intense pain for the next few days, or as long as this illness is supposed to last. The guy is a fascist prick, and he deserves everything he's getting.
