Sharon jokes with aides after stroke

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon joked with aides and discussed affairs of state today after suffering a mild stroke, but his illness raised questions about his ability to lead the country if elected to a third term in March elections.

It also left his brand-new centrist Kadima Party scrambling. Without the 77-year-old Sharon, Kadima wouldn’t likely amount to much, as the prime minister’s popularity is the overriding factor behind the party’s commanding lead in polls.