Add Tourette Syndrome To The Prez Problems

People are once again remarking on the President’s jawjerking/chinducking tics. They seem to come and go depending on his approval numbers. The more stress, the more he jerks his jaw. Ever since the chin jerks were noticed a few years ago, Bush watchers have suggested the president may have Tourette Syndrome. And TS would at least explain some of the president’s other anomalies. Those who have TS often are afflicted with Attention-Deficit Disorder, problems with impulse control, Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder, dyslexia and sleep disorders. A French doctor, Georges Giles de la Tourette, first described the condition in 1885. It’s genetic. TS can be inherited or it can occur during the development of the fetus in the womb. A problem develops with the way nerves communicate in the brain. Symptoms are usually first noticed in young children or teenagers. Most of the many and varied tics associated with Tourette Syndrome are involuntary. In its more severe form, TS can cause even a pious rightwinger to scream invectives, curse and use language that would make a sailor blush. TS tics can include gyrating, hopping, clapping, tensing arm or neck muscles, and repeated touching of people or things. Other TS symptoms are recurrent, persistent ideas, argumentativeness and stubbornness. Most people with mild TS do just fine without drug therapy. But some of the drugs used to reduce TS symptoms are anti-psychotics such as olanzapine (Zyprexa) and risperidone (Risperdal). However these drugs can cause drooling, muscular rigidity, tremor and lack of facial expression. Clonidine, a blood pressure medication also reduces tics, but its side effects are fatigue, dry mouth, irritability, dizziness, headache and insomnia. If George W. Bush has TS, apparently he has a mild form. But since his recent television performances have become so boring and predictable, the idea of a Bush speech laced with obscene gestures, hopping, clapping, gyrating and profanity is irresistible. It surely would be an improvement.