George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

Bush's doctors announced that he had ingested a dose of radioactive iodine on the
morning of May 9. Bush drank this iodine at Bethesda. One thyroid expert, Dr. Bruce D.
Weintraub of the National Institutes of Health, told the Washington Post that as a result
of this thyroid cocktail, which was designed to destroy a large part of Bush's thyroid, the
public might henceforth see "a slower and less frenetic George Bush." [fn 32] As a result
of the radioactive cocktail, Bush was "mildly radioactive" for a few days, and was told to
refrain from hugging his grandchildren for their protection.
Some experts called attention to the allegedly bizarre anomaly that Barbara Bush had
been diagnosed as suffering from Graves' disease in January, 1990, in the immediate
wake of the Panama crisis. One of the antibodies associated with Graves' disease triggers
abnormal deposits of fat behind the eyes, leading to the bulging eyes that are associated
in the popular mind with hyperthyroid disorders. For some time after she was diagnosed,
Mrs. Bush suffered from disturbances in her vision. In addition, during the summer of
1990, the family dog Millie, a springer spaniel, was found to have contracted lupus,
another autoimmune disease. Millie was treated with the steroid drug prednisone, and
apparently recovered. Finally, it turned out that Bush's son Marvin, a resident of
Alexandria, Virginia, was also afflicted by an autoimmune disorder, this time regional
enteritis.
As will shortly become clear, there would have been good reason to investigate Bush's
frequent episodes of apoplectic rage as a causal factor in the autoimmune disorders of his
immediate family circle. The most likely explanation for the afflictions of Millie and
Barbara is that they were both driven frantic by George's obsessive and rage-filled
outbursts in the White House family quarters. This may have included various forms of
mental and even physical abuse. The emotional trauma of living with George would be
more than enough to produce autoimmune problems in those around him. Perhaps in an
attempt to distract attention from this highly plausible path of investigation, Marilyn
Quayle was sent forward to tell CNN of a plan to test the water at the vice president's
residence at the Naval Observatory, where George and Barbara had lived for eight years
before moving to the White House. Mrs. Quayle told the media that Bush's White House
physicians had "ordered all sorts of tests" on the water in the vice president's residence,
which is over a century old. "Obviously there is a little bit of concern," said Mrs. Quayle.
"It seems a little bit much of a coincidence. I don't worry overmuch about it, but I think
it's something that does bear looking into." Mrs. Quayle added that she hoped the results
of the tests "relieve a lot of people's minds-- definitely, I hope they relieve mine."
What Marilyn Quayle was referring to was part of a program to test the water at the
White House, the Naval Observatory, Camp David, and Kennebunkport. Sanitary
engineers were said to be looking for concentrations of iodine and lithium, two chemicals
which had been linked to thyroid disorders. Bush's doctors later said that they had
ordered the tests in the hopes of uncovering clues to the remarkable coincidence of three
autoimmune disorders in the Bush household, including the dog Millie. Bush's pose was
one of studied skepticism: "You're kidding," he told reporters. "I'm not going to lose
confidence in the water at the White House until we know a little more about this," Bush
said. In any case, the water at the White House "tasted fine to me." [fn 33]