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WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) issued the following statement after the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) attacked him in a statement yesterday.
"As an apparent tactic to draw attention from my opponent’s support for privatizing Social Security, the NRCC claims that I also supported privatization, when just the opposite is true. As chairman of the Budget Committee, I organized the opposition in our caucus to the Bush Administration’s proposal.
"The NRCC accuses me of 'amnesia,' a sly, underhanded reference to the fact that I am in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. I found their assertions beneath contempt, and did not reply, but given the coverage of this story, I need to respond.
"I did not decide to run for re-election until I had seen my neurologist, Dr. Marc Stacy at Duke, and asked for his evaluation. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease vary greatly from case to case. Mine consist of a tremor in my right hand and a slightly stooped posture, and do not include any loss of mental capacity, and especially amnesia.
"Dr. Stacy was pleased with my status and the slow progression of my illness, and found me mentally and for the most part, physically fit. He told my wife Jane that 'if she was looking for a reason for me not to run again, this was not it.'
"There are many reasons to run again, but I would never consider it if I did not have the energy, motivation, and mental ability to do this job, and do it well."
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