After the pneumonia diagnosis heard 'round the world, Hillary Clinton's campaign team has been making the rounds Monday to assure the public that their candidate is perfectly healthy, aside from a minor bout of the common lung infection. Campaign spokesman Brian Fallon acknowledged Monday on MSNBC that Team Clinton "could have handled [the diagnosis] better in terms of providing more information" after it emerged that Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia Friday, even though that information was not disclosed until Sunday, while campaign manager Robby Mook said Clinton would be releasing more detailed health records later this week.
But for those looking for a reason for Clinton's dehydration beyond pneumonia, the real answer may not be so nefarious: Clinton reportedly really hates drinking water. Two Clinton staffers revealed to Politico on Monday that getting the candidate to abide by the body's basic hydration needs is shockingly difficult:
Clinton's pneumonia isn't severe, according to two people with direct knowledge of the candidate's condition, and she is expected to return to the campaign trail as early as this week. The real issue is chronic dehydration, exacerbated by her lung problem and Clinton's reluctance to drink water, which has become a source of tension with her staff. "She won't drink water, and you try telling Hillary Clinton she has to drink water," said a person in her orbit — who described a frenzied rehydration mission that included multiple bottles of water and Gatorade. [Politico]
Clinton's personal physician Dr. Lisa Bardack revealed Sunday that Clinton has "been experiencing a cough related to allergies" for some time. Bardack said Clinton was prescribed antibiotics to treat the pneumonia and advised to temporarily curtail her campaign schedule — but it appears Clinton could benefit from a formal prescription for Poland Spring, too. Read the whole inside story of Clinton's health sputter at Politico.