The Trail

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

MEDICAL HISTORY RELEASED

'No Known Health Problems,' Palin's Doctor Writes

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Just hours before voters nationwide were to head to the polls, GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin released a two-page summary of her medical history Monday night.

The letter, dated Nov. 3 and signed by her family physician, Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, who is on staff at the Providence Alaska Medical Center, says that the Alaska governor is in "very good health" and has "no major medical problems."

Baldwin-Johnson has served as the governor's family physician since 1997, and Palin has sought medical attention from the clinic since 1991. "Her visits have been related to routine women's health care and pregnancy," Baldwin-Johnson writes.

The bulk of the letter describes how Palin learned in the second trimester of her most recent pregnancy that her youngest son had Down syndrome. The doctor writes that, after Trig's condition had been detected in utero, Palin underwent "follow-up perinatology evaluations to ensure there was no significant congenital heart disease or other condition of the baby that would preclude delivery at her home community hospital."

"In summary," the letter concludes, "Governor Palin is in excellent health and has no known health problems that would interfere with her ability to carry out the duties and obligations of Vice President of the United States of America."

-- Juliet Eilperin

OBAMA'S GRANT PARK RALLY

Chicago Braces for Crowds

CHICAGO -- Tents are going up in Grant Park. The stage is nearly finished. On election eve, it looked as though the circus were coming to town.

Barack Obama will hold his election-night rally in Grant Park, a historic patch of downtown green famous for 19th-century political conventions, 16-inch softball games, and the legendary 1968 clashes between antiwar protesters and Chicago police outside the Democratic National Convention.

The Obama campaign alerted about 65,000 supporters on Monday that they would receive tickets to the open-air event. But the combination of history, an unprecedented grass-roots campaign and unseasonably warm weather is causing Chicago authorities to brace for hundreds of thousands more in the parks and boulevards nearby.

As foreign television correspondents framed their live shots against Chicago monuments on a 71-degree afternoon, three young women shouted happily to passersby, "Who you going to vote for?"

Whenever someone called back "Obama!" they laughed and cheered.

At the same time, the prospect of a big crowd is creating worries about security. Acknowledging a sporadic history of hooliganism at music festivals and other events, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis intoned, "We can't have mischief." Weis canceled days off for all Chicago officers.

No alcohol will be served inside the fence that will encircle the ticketed supporters -- only hot chocolate, a menu choice made long before anyone saw that lemonade might be a more appetizing beverage on what is expected to be a balmy night.

The gates to the rally enclosure will open at 8:30 Central time, with Obama certain not to appear before the West Coast polls close at 10 p.m. Central and perhaps much later.

One sign of the security concerns that accompany the Illinois Democrat wherever he goes is the bulletproof glass panels installed at each end of the stage from which he will address the crowd and the nation.

-- Peter Slevin and Kari Lydersen

OBAMA'S LATE FUNDRAISING

Big Checks, Big Haul

Over the past two weeks, Barack Obama's campaign has raised $11 million in donations of $1,000 or greater, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

That $11 million figure doesn't include all the small contributions generated by e-mail solicitations, which had the potential to raise tens of millions more for Obama to spend during the final days of the campaign. How much money arrived in smaller donations won't be reported until after the election, as the FEC requires candidates to report only contributions of $1,000 or more during the final 20 days of the campaign.

One interesting tidbit emerged from the reports: On Oct. 29 and 30, during the 48-hour period surrounding Obama's half-hour infomercial, the campaign reported having collected more than $1.2 million in checks of at least $1,000.

-- Matthew Mosk