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Presidential candidates being required to disclose their health records has been posed as a possibility since Franklin Delano Roosevelt progressively lost his health while in office? There is little these days that remains hidden from the prying media during a presidential campaign unless the media chooses not to reveal it. Even so, there may be someone who will publish on the internet anything he knows or suspects about a candidate.

In America's presidential history only eight presidents have died in office and only four of those died of illness: William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia; Zachary Taylor died of what at the time was called "acute indigestion"; Warren G. Harding died of a heart attack; and Franklin Delano Roosevelt died of cerebral hemorrhage (he also was a polio victim, had cardiovascular problems, and may have had cancer according to many historians). Not one of those conditions could necessarily have been predicted. The other five of the eight were assassinated, which is not predictable. Ronald Reagan developed Alzheimers late in his presidency, but we are just now learning about identifiers of this heinous disease.

Being the President of the United States is a job that would produce stress in the most serene individual. He literally carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. Every decision he makes affects a multitude of people for good or for bad - from the economy, to health care, to war. He is the Commander in Chief of the largest military force in the world. Consequently, medical history is unlikely to tell us much about how he would handle the job.

The aforementioned Franklin Roosevelt went through nearly three terms in office that included a World War, an economy that was stretched to the max, and during that time he had several major health issues. He is today beloved by many for the way he served.

Perhaps we are too nosy as a people. We are so accustomed to having tabloid news at our fingertips about anyone who has any celebrity at all. Occasionally that very news pushes people over the edge. Others seem to manage and cope with the total invasion of privacy.

John F. Kennedy in the short time that he served as President was often in dire straits physically. He had tremendous back problems that created almost unbearable pain. He also had Addison's disease which is akin to Diabetes in that both are endocrine malfunctions. Most people will say that in spite of his health issues, he served well.

Our President, whomever he is at any given time, has the best possible medical care in the world. Regular check ups are a matter of fact. Our Presidents in the past have been of an age that generally precludes perfect health.

Television has made the run for office all about presentation, personal life, and personality rather than about preparedness and integrity. It is my very strong belief that it is time to get back to looking more at the stance of candidates on important issues and whether or not they are consistant and persons of integrity. Charisma is not indicative of the ability to handle running this country of ours. It is not a bad thing, but it cannot be the only thing, or even the most important thing. Far more important than the release of medical records is the perusal of voting records and where our candidates stand on policy, both domestic and foreign.

Finally, an incredibly important factor in the big picture is who the vice presidential candidate is and what kind of president he would make. We cannot ever know when our President may succumb to a medical problem; we therefore must be aware of who will take over, should the worst case scenario occur.

Learn more about this author, Linda Burleson.
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