'Pump Head' Bill?

Physicians, nurses, chaplains and other hospital personnel who deal with cardiac patients on a regular basis are usually familiar with the term 'pump head.' The term is medical lingo for that minority of cardiac surgery patients who experience lingering mental ill effects from being on the heart-lung machine, or by-pass machine, during surgery.

These patients suffer with somewhat diminished brain function and may display mild confusion on a regular basis or experience a slowness in the ability to deduce or think logically. Sometimes the disorder is so mild that it appears the patient is merely agitated a great deal, leading those around them to conclude they underwent a mild personality change post-op.

Others may display a certain lack of judgment in decisions, including inappropriate behavior and speech.

The vast majority of cardiac surgery patients suffer no such lingering side effects. But a small percentage of these patients will exhibit at least some of the characteristics of 'pump head.'

Within the last few months as Bill Clinton has been out on the campaign trail, stumping for wife Hillary, many who know the former President describe a somewhat different Bill Clinton than what they knew prior to his heart surgery a couple of years back.

In fact, some Democrats openly describe some of Clinton's actions and statements as 'bizarre.'

Thus, the question is, are we dealing with 'Pump Head' Bill?

Is Bill Clinton one of the small minority of patients who emerge from heart surgery with pump head disorder?

Naturally, when it comes to Bill, one must be careful when using the terms 'pump' and 'head' in the same phrase. The aspiring comedians abound who are sure to claim that in Bill's case, 'pump head' refers to his penchant for sexual indiscretions.

Clearly, Bill's disorder involves the head with the brain.

For example, recently in a speech the former President stated that Barack Obama had 'used the race card on me.' The very next day on a radio program Clinton claimed he never said it. Yet the video and audio of the speech on the preceding day confirmed that he did, indeed, say it.

In addition, there are Mr. Clinton's numerous emotional outbursts at reporters, who traditionally have been viewed fondly by the former President.

And then there are his countless statements that have alienated Black voters, driving them to Obama, all in an attempt to appear more appealing to 'white folk,' when in the Democratic Party it is usually considered a MUST that a candidate win the Black vote to get the nomination.

These examples clearly indicate that Bill is not quite the same Bill post-op.

Surely the former President is more politically savvy than to do these things deliberately. Thus, perhaps we can chalk the whole thing up to the lingering effects of Bill's heart surgery.

Wonder if Hillary will begin to use this as the explanation for some of Bill's embarrassing moments which have actually hurt her in many ways.

But she had better tread softly here. Referring to a heart patient as a 'pump head' is usually not received positively. On the other hand, Hillary may use the term in the other sense if it is discovered that Bill has another woman on the side somewhere around.