Some issues in this election can be compared to the elementary school game “Hot Potato.” Nobody wants to touch certain topics, so when they come in contact with them, the issues are tossed to the next recipient.

One such issue is the health of each candidate.

This is a little alarming though. It is imperative that this issue is addressed because the role of the presidency and its demands are much different than they were fifty years ago. With an ever-changing world full of terrorists and rogue nations, a nation that lives and dies by the 24-hour news cycle, there is more pressure and stress than ever on the president.

This issue has pushed the vice presidential candidates into the spotlight more so than ever before. But each ticket has a different reason for the attention.

At age 72, John McCain would be the oldest president sworn into office, if elected. His health record has made many wonder whether his body can handle the daunting task of being leader of the free world. A recently released New York Times article states that Mr. McCain has released 1,200 pages of medical records, many dealing with his encounters with melanoma. However, the records were “released in a restricted way that leaves questions, even confusion, about his cancer.”

His age and medical history made his vice presidential candidate pick extremely significant. Because of this, Sarah Palin has been under an intense spotlight. People have constantly been judging her, especially in interviews and the vice presidential debate, since she signed onto the ticket. Much is not known about her health other than the fact that she had her fifth child recently.

Even though Barack Obama is a youthful 47 years old, his ticket has still not escaped scrutiny from doctors. His running mate, Joe Biden, has been highlighted in this issue. He survived two aneurysm operations in 1988 and while he has not had any problems since the surgery, his medical records remain curious. They do not indicate whether Biden has been tested recently for a new aneurysm.

Dr. Robert F. Spetzler of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix was quoted in the article. “Over the past two decades we have learned much more about aneurysms, and the fact is that when you have had one aneurysm, you are more likely to develop another one.

Although the likelihood is very low, it does exist,” he said.

It seems statistics are on Biden’s side, though that doesn’t necessarily ease the public’s nerves. If Obama is elected and something happens to him, the public wants to put their confidence in the vice president. Part of this includes making sure the vice president’s body is apt to deal with the demands of filling the nation’s highest office.

Meanwhile, Obama has disclosed only a one-page letter from his doctor (released last May) and test results (released earlier this month).

But it is known that he smoked and whether or not he still does remains pertinent because risks of tobacco related diseases do not start declining until after a person has stopped smoking.

Overall, it seems neither campaign has been straight with the American people about their candidates’ health. All of their other skeletons are out of the closet; why not inform the American public of their complete medical history so a wise decision can be made?

Each camp has promised to get rid of “business as usual” in Washington. However, I still have yet to see either campaign take the high road on this issue.

Andrew is looking for a doctor. Send him recommendations at andrew.hedlund@asu.edu.