I saw the ad in question that O'Reilly was referring to -and what the heck do you mean O'REILLY was running scared here anyway? MANY people are outraged that NBC chose to run that ad. That ad wasn't a demand that McCain release his medical records, it wasn't about his medical records at all, wasn't about ANY relevant issue to the campaign.
It showed close-ups of McCain's face with stitches in it immediately after his surgery in 2000. While it discussed the fact the man has been treated for cancer 4 times -leaving the purposeful impression that all four times it involved a deadly form of cancer too. But without bothering to mention that all four times it involved skin cancer. Only one was for melanoma which is the dangerous form of skin cancer. The other three were for the very easily treated and most common form of skin cancer that is cured by simple removal of the lesion -nearly always right there in the doctor's office. That kind of skin cancer does not grow fast at all, poses no threat to life unless a person NEVER has it removed and even then not for many decades after a person is well aware he has a lesion that just won't ever heal up. So three of those skin cancers were NOTHING of importance at all -he had them easily and quickly removed.
Only the melanoma would have been a potential risk to his life.
But even with melanoma, if surgery did not get rid of the entire cancer, that person is likely going to be dead within 5 years. And even if not dead yet, then he will be undergoing nonstop extensive, vigorous chemo and radiation as he gets sicker and sicker. Treatment is just to buy them more time at that point because they are extremely unlikely to ever be cured at that point. Melanoma is extremely aggressive once it metastasizes and unlike the other two types of skin cancer - it metastasizes fairly early in the process. It is highly resistant to treatment once it does but is rapidly detected in the lymph nodes - so it is quickly known if surgery didn't provide a total cure. The fact McCain isn't undergoing chemo and radiation EIGHT YEARS later means something far more significant than what his face looked like after the surgery -which only tells you how extensive surgery is to make sure they get it all.
The fact McCain is alive EIGHT YEARS after that surgery, undergoing no further treatment for it whatsoever (or he couldn't be constantly on the campaign trail instead of in the hospital every few weeks for a few days while he dwindles away from the cancer) - is proof positive he was cured of it entirely. In other words, this is NOT an issue today whatsoever.
Apparently these leftwing extremist character assassination teams want people to believe that because we can all see how extensive surgery is when a melanoma is removed since it had been on his face -we shouldn't vote for the guy. Even though the fact he is alive and requires no further treatment 8 years after that surgery means he is cured. That kind of cancer doesn't have a "remission". With melanoma it is an all or nothing kind of situation -if surgery didn't get it entirely, the cancer is quickly detected elsewhere (usually in the lymph system) within a very short time. Two years after surgery for melanoma, the level of concern surgery didn't get it all -starts rapidly dropping. Five years after doctors consider the person to be entirely free of melanoma and cured by the surgery. EIGHT YEARS later, the man IS cured. If it had been on his back, no one would see how extensive surgery is to remove it because the scars would be hidden. His scars are not the issue on that kind of cancer -the number of years after surgery without any signs that surgery was too late to prevent its spread is.
The whole point of the ad was to show how extensive and ugly looking McCain's surgery had been, show his face with all those stitches in it -and hope to make people decide to cast their vote NOT on the issues -and not even the fact that this cancer is considered definitely cured by that surgery now - but on whether this guy's ugly SCARS means he is unfit for the Presidency. It was truly THE most revolting ad -like nothing I've ever seen in ANY past Presidential election. Only NBC agreed to run this ad -every other station turned it down flat and refused to air it. For a REASON.
