CNN

If she could retract those words I think she would.

Interesting article...

Carmelo Lisciotto

Can we trade? My husband can have Romney's multiple sclerosis and she can have my husband's multiple myeloma
(bone marrow cancer). At least then maybe he'll get to see our 3 kids graduate from high school.
What a stupid comment Romney made (and has, amazingly, made more than once!). She should know better.

I'm a liberal Democrat. But I know from where Anne was speaking from. she said in the people magazine interview she was going through a rough period and was very depressed when she said this. What she said about wishing to die, was from her past. I am thankful that she was honest about how she was feeling. How it really was for her living with MS. I have MS and so many times I get people telling me that "it's not that bad", etc.
I would like to add to those who know very little about MS. That Depression is very common in those with MS. That MS can cause the MS, as well as just living with MS can cause Depression. Not to mention that it's one of the side effects of some of the medicines for MS. Also, the suicide rate w/people with MS is higher than those w/out it.
For more info about MS one can vist the National MS Society.

Charles I am from Mass and I can assure that they NEVER made this a focal point of any campaign and NEVER used it to gain sympathy. NEVER.

She is a hero to anyone that wishes to grace that upon her, but she isn't looking for that to be bestowed either.

[...] What the hell? The wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is facing criticism from some cancer patients and survivors for saying in a magazine interview that, rather than continue living with multiple sclerosis, she once wished she could “just have cancer and die.” [...] The comment received an angry reaction from Leroy Sievers, a journalist who has been chronicling his own battle with cancer on National Public Radio. [...]

Depending on the type of MS she has, she may have it easy and nobody can tell that she has MS. I speak from experience, I have MS. The type I have is the relapsing/remitting. I was diagnosed also back in 1998 and have been in the hospital three times due to my MS. I also understand the depression that comes with the news of having a life altering condition, but you learn to deal with as best you can. If you can't deal with it on your own, turn to your friends and family, if that doesn't work then you seek professional help. Having MS does not shorten your life span as a rule, where cancer on the other hand can and often does. If she is lucky she will have few exacerbations and is on some type of treatment. I do wish her luck with her treatment and life, but I also agree with the people who have cancer who were outraged by her comments. She may want to think before she speaks again regarding her MS and how she feels about having it and what it has done to her life.

I echo the other commenters here who are totally surprised that this was somehow considered news. I'm a liberal and I don't support Romney but this is really reaching for controversy here. Seriously CNN, posting this reflects much more poorly on your priorities than it does on Mrs. Romney's communication abilities.

As for her comments, people are often irrational when they face death, especially the long drawn out death that MS brings. It was poorly phrased but it was a reasonable sentiment and I, for one, appreciate her candor.

Francis Turner ~ Delaware

You wrote, "She probably is not getting enough support from her husband for MS. She has angered every cancer patient in the world and her husband will not get my support on anything now for what she just said."

I can GAURANTEE hearing your words Mitt and Ann both would trade your pathetic vote in exchange for Ann being authentic about what she was feeling when diagnosed with MS.

I sincerely hope Karma gives you the chance to experience what Ann has – so we can all judge your words.

And it's Romney not "Roomey".

Looking for Scandal anywhere you can find it eh guys? Musta surprised you when people werent calling for her head on a platter..

I fully support her statement. Until you have been down the path of a serious illness, you cannot imagine some of the feelings you will experience. Her statment sounded genuine and honest. I understand what she is trying to say. i wish her all the best for some kind of recovery.

However, her husband is still a whacko. Happy to see that someone in the household is in contact with the real world.

Get a grip! This woman obviously is as dippy as her husband...there is nothing to get too excited about here! What would you expect from this couple?

My mother had MS. Funny, she never said she wished she would just have cancer and die. And my father who worked in the coal mines since he was thirteen years old had to care for her because we didn't have the financial resources of a Presidential candidate. Trust me, her life could be a lot worse. She should be thankful for everything she's got.

He lost me when he strapped his dog to the top of his car for 12 hours.

Isn't it okay for her to have these feelings? Can she not admit them publicly? We all seem to want more honesty and authenticity from politicians (and their associates)until we hear something that we don't agree with. Cry the beloved country.

People need to back off. If someone was in that much pain, they may very well wish to die, and she is not a coward for saying so, she was telling the truth. I'm not a cancer patient, but I've read several books written by those who were, and accoring to them, some people do get to that point. It's a hard place to be at. My sympathy is with any one in pain, but not when you use it for political purposes. So good for you if you haven't, but lay off those who have.

I think Mrs. Roomey had better wake up and realize what she just said. I have just finished breast cancer treatment after a year and 4 months. Cancer was worst on my husband then on me and he gave me more support than anyone. She probably is not getting enough support from her husband for MS. She has angered every cancer patient in the world and her husband will not get my support on anything now for what she just said.

"State" 3, huh?

Look, MS is a horrible condition. I empathize with anyone who has it. But let's be real. I know people with MS in my family, and I have known people with cancer in my family. Those with cancer are no longer with us. Those with MS are coping, surviving, and leading productive lives. Her comment was said in the moment, but it was pretty stupid. I promise Mrs. Romney, she wouldn't want to have cancer over MS.

Other than that, move along, kids. Nothing to see here.

I use to work for Biogen Idec we made cures for People with MS, this woman is clearly not a progressive MS patient, meaning she is and can be in pain but she is not in a wheel chair or in bed 24/7 hooked up to a morphine pump. If she thinks cancer is the lesser of two evils than lets just send her to Iraq and she can breathe in some DU and then she will have cancer like %60 of our fighting force in Iraq will have in the coming century

PS Biogen Idec took the block buster drug “Tysabri” when it killed two people, ask an MS patient if they care, all drugs will kill a % of people but will also make life bearable

Can't anyone have an opinion, especially about themselves without getting criticized? Whatever happened to freedom of speech?

Ann probably had personal experience with someone who died quickly from cancer. My own grandmother went very fast from first discomfort and diagnosis to death, under two months.

Her remarks are innocent enough. The people who don't look so hot are the ones who use this as a platform for viscious attacks.

Do you not see the huge hypocrisy? They are faulting her for not being sensitive enough, and do so by being quite offensive and abrasive. A simple, graceful correction to a graceful lady would have been appropriate.

The getting all bent out of shape says more about Sievers than about any one else.

I can't possibly understand how an editor found this to be newsworthy. The wife of a politician is suffering from debilitating illness and, here's Cnn's news about it: she said something borderline politically incorrect relating to her disease.
Here's a thought: Let's have REAL news. Let's have a section devoted EQUALLY to all candidates. Many people don't know who Kucinich or Ron Paul are, much less what they are about, but they do know that Obama's wife is a fashion icon. How about supplying links to candidates' webpages. How about outlining what each candidate has chosen to represent, instead of attacking the frontrunner's spouses over crap like this. It is the responsibility of the media to shed light on candidates so that we the people can decide for ourselves who is best to run for the country. Its not that Americans aren't intelligent enough to make informed decisions relating to something as important as who runs the country, its that we're not informed! DO YOUR JOBS RIGHT AND LIKE WE TRUST YOU TO DO!

I'm a Democrat who wouldn't vote for Mitt Romney at the point of a gun. I think he's about as phony as it gets, and I wouldn't trust the man farther than I could throw him.

But I also have multiple sclerosis, and I absolutely understand the sentiment behind Mrs. Romney's words. What she said should not be a political issue. Whoever is going after her for this should BACK OFF. Now.

At the same time, let's hope the Romney campaign doesn't use this as some sort of political issue either. Mrs. Romney isn't any sort of "hero." She's a woman with a nasty disease. There are all kinds of people who have it bad in this country. No one calls them heroes, so no one should be calling her a hero either.

Get a grip. The woman was suffering with MS and looking at a bleak future, and like many of us who have had cancer, looked for alternatives. Having had cancer four times, the last being State three lung cancer, I wanted to go to the ocean and just lay down and die. But I perservered and here I am. Congratulations to Mrs Romney for perservering to find ways to manage through.

I agree with most of the comments here, this isn't something to get all upset about. The only comment that I have a problem with is "she isn't running, Mitt is" well, niether are any of the other wives (and neither was Hillary Clinton when her husband did) and they have all been scrutinized. I don't think Ms. Romney should be any different.

She should apologize for using bad example and end it.

I take exception to her comment, but will give her the benefit of a doubt in that she was reacting to her own emotional strife at the time.

I was once a person with cancer and beat it a long time ago. One never knows how one will react when diagnosed with a serious disease.

I wish her well and continued courage in her battle.

First we want our polititians to be honest then we are angry when they are.

I am sure that Mrs. Romney felt that way momentarily and I admire her honesty in relating something so personal to the public forum.

Now she nor a lot of other public figures will be so forth-coming in the future. Why do so just to be attacked.

Disibilities in any form are stressful and hard to deal with. Instead of attacking her give her some support.

As for the reporter with cancer, my heart goes out to him. I wish him the best in his battle. He has not had MS and has no clue how Ms. Romney felt during that black moment. I am certain she did not know what she was wishing for when that thought flitted through her mind.

Disease is a hard thing to live with in any form. All the healthy people that want to be critical should instead be grateful it isn't them!

Everyone knows that Ms. Romney did not mean it in a vicious way. Why is everyone so ready to attack everyone else over such a simple faux pas? Our society is becoming very vengeful.

"Cancer survivors angered.."

Good grief – the woman is dealing with MS. She was emotionally expressing the weight of realizing a life of dealing with a slowly debilitating illness.

"Cancer does not bring a quick death. Cancer is painful and debilitating"

Not always true, Mr Sievers. Certainly there are many who suffer and deal with pain for years. Likewise there are many (such as my grandmother) that are diagnosised – and dead within 6 months.

You should be thanking God you have the breath and ability to express your overly sensitive outrage!

Will the Political Correctness Police please give it a rest!! Although, I'm a Democrat, and would oppose Romney's election even if I were a Republican, his wife's statement is so understandable, even if it's a bit thoughtless. Censorship, which is what political correctness sounds like much of the time, is so much more distasteful than Mrs. Romney's comment.

Everybody simmer down and get a grip! This is a sorry excuse for a "scandal" if I've ever seen one. Ann isn't the one running for president, anyway.

Yeah that's a pretty tacky thing to say. I'm sure she didn't mean it the way it was taken though.

Unlike other people, she has not made this a major issue now or when Romney was Governor. She used a poor analogy and should be forgiven for the choice of words.

She is wonderful, strong and heroic woman, who should be applauded not reveiled.

Wait a while, she'll flip-flop on her quote.