Irresponsible claim (and wrong medical diagnosis)
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During a campaign stop in Iowa on July 4, the six-term senator declared, "This guy is brain-dead."
It's an extreme charge, since brain death is defined as "irreversible unconciousness with complete loss of brain function" (Encyclopedia of Death and Dying).
Needless to say, we find the charge ridiculous. There's no evidence Biden performed the necessary medical tests to make such a diagnosis. We would have accepted the results of a cerebral blood flow study or proof that Biden had examined Bush to see if he had an oculocephalic reflex.
Indeed, even people who disagree with the president about Iraq and assorted other issues will acknowledge that the president has spontaneous respiration and is responding to stimuli.
Published: Friday, August 24th, 2007 at 12:00 a.m.
Subjects: Bush Administration
Sources:
Biden talks tough, New York Times political blog
"How Brain Death Works," How Stuff Works
Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, Brain Death
Written by: Bill Adair
Researched by: Angie Drobnic Holan
Edited by: Scott Montgomery
Articles about this statement:
The Truth-O-Meter on Biden
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Goodbye, Joe
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Biden wrong about Bush's brain
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