Migraines not the real issue

Her policy stances and public gaffes may give voters headaches, but they aren't the only ones with achy heads. It turns out that Michele Bachmann, one of the early front-runners for the Republican 2012 presidential nomination, suffers from migraines. This morsel from an anonymous former aide is now a feast for her rivals.

Though 36 million Americans who live with migraines navigate their everyday lives without difficulty, it has suddenly become a window to denounce the qualifications of Bachmann. But would migraines, which mostly afflict women, still be an issue if a male candidate suffered from them?

Past presidents have successfully served while suffering from ailments much more severe than a headache -- from Franklin D. Roosevelt's polio to John F. Kennedy's Addison's disease. Political candidates should disclose any health concerns; voters will decide just how much of a concern each one really is.

So is it health, sexism, or just a coded way to raise suspicions about a candidate?

Whatever the motivation, the result is the same: a waste of time on nonsense and a distraction from honest evaluation of a candidate's merits and the issues facing the nation.

Whether Bachmann is fit to serve as president is still an open question, but it should be determined by her congressional record and platform.

Whatever problems that we imagine could arise from her migraines, they would only be in our heads. hN