A few weeks ago we learned that Elizabeth Edwards, wife of presidential candidate John Edwards (D), has had a recurrence of her cancer, in a deadly form. Conservatives and even the “mainstream” media pounced on the Edwards’ decision to continue on with Sen. Edwards’ presidential campaign. The Edwards’ view the presidential campaign as a calling to a higher good but attack hacks barked about opportunism (or worse).

Now we find out that much-discussed presidential candidate possibility Sen. and actor Fred Thompson (R) has lymphoma but is not showing symptoms.

You’d expect the Rush Limbaughs and Katie Courics to go nuts yapping ‘How could he possibly be even tapdancing around thinking about running for the White House when he has cancer?!?!’

…Ummm, no.

Thespian Thompson receives sympathies and adulation instead. Goldni at Daily Kos says it better than I:

[...] But I’m wondering if we’ll now hear the same criticisms of him for staying in the race that we heard of the Edwards family. What do you have to say, Tennessee GOP?

The head of the Tennessee Republican Party said former Sen. Fred Thompson’s announcement today that he is being treated for cancer shows that he is the kind of straightforward person who would make a good president.

“To me it takes a big man to be totally honest with American people and I think that’s the kind of leadership that America is thirsting for,” said Bob Davis, chairman of the Tennessee GOP and a friend of Thompson’s.

Yeah, that’s what I thought. The same old, blatant hypocrisy.

[...] There you have it, folks.  John Edwards stays in the race after his wife is diagnosed, and the media blathers on and on about how it’s “callous,” a case of “insatiable ambition”, and how “their religion is politics.”The same thing happens to Fred Thompson…and not a peep. The hypocrisy is mind-blowing.

I wish both Mrs. Edwards and Sen. Thompson well (as well as Tony Snow, White House press secretary and former pundit). But I also wish this blatant hypocritical BS would just whither up and turn to dust already. “Town Called Dobson” has a great cartoon illustrating the point. Cancer ain’t politics … and we as a people shouldn’t let it become a partisan football.

(h/t to Goldni at DKos)