Reply #6: Well lets see, the Constitution answers their question

[jamesinca]

Will Condi be the VP? The 25 Amendment addresses this. Section 2 states: Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

So, if Dick vacates his position then it would be for George to pick somebody, then it would be for the Repug majority in both houses to vote for them. The question right now is this, who do Roy Blunt and Bill Frist want as the VP? Would they try to set up the '08 candidate of the repugs now?

Lets look at Dicks condition, we know his history of heart attacks and aneurysms in the knee. He is old and fat. He has a stressful job. I do not know if the SOB has any reported cases of SOB in the past so I can only assume this is acute SOB. So the differential on this is

Pleuropulmonary causes:
Upper airway obstruction (Heimlich maneuver would have fixed it)
Acute tracheobronchitis
Foreign body aspiration ( most likely would have been reported as him inhaling his food)
pneumothorax
pneumonitis
pulmonary edema ===> fits in nicely with his cardiac history, bad veins, and what he was in for
asthma
gastric or other fluid aspiration
pulmonary thromboembolism =======> blood clots to the lungs, possible with his cardiac HX.
collapse of a lung
pleurisy
pleural effusion
acute bronchiolitis ======> it is winter time
pulmonary contusion or flail chest ( it would have been reported as trauma, not SOB)
noxious gas inhalation (other people would have been effected unless it was in his secret bunker)

Non pulmonary causes:
decreased pressure of inspired oxygen, i.e high altitude
acute neuromuscular dysfunction
shock
fever
increased intercranial pressure
metabolic acidosis
psychogenic ====> anxiety related to Jack Abramhoff, Scooter and wire taps.

Some of the chronic causes for SOB are obesity, which he is, lung cancer, asthma and COPD. Does Dick smoke? That would definitely put him on track for COPD. Psychogenic disorders are also a cause for chronic SOB.

I think unless he has a real bad disease, he will get a inhaler, a diuretic, and some home oxygen and be back on the job by Tuesday. So much for the VP replacement talk IMHO.