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Is McCain To Old to be President? Obama Doesn't Think So

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April 20, 2008 11:02 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: If elected president, Sen. John McCain would be 72 when he first takes the oath of office. No president has been older at his first inauguration.

Recently Congressman Jack Murtha, a Clinton supporter, was critical of McCain's age, himself being in a position to speak at age 75.

"This one guy running is about as old as me," Murtha said. "It's no old man’s job."

DNC Chairman Howard Dean said that in focus groups swing voters were bringing up McCain's age as a worry, unprompted.

What does Barack Obama think? At a rally in Scranton a voter interrupted his speech to find out.

"I respect John McCain, I respect his service," Obama said, reciting a typical line from his stump speech. "But John McCain –-"

Then a wayward voice called out from the crowd attempting to finish Obama’s line for him: "Is too old!" a man shouted.

Obama responded saying, "No, no. That’s not the problem. There are a lot of wise people who –- the problem is he is running for George Bush’s third term."

At 46, Obama is the youngest of the three candidates left in the race.

April 20, 2008 in Bush, George W., Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis | Permalink | User Comments (19)

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Is this a joke? What's the point? I can't believe I stayed up for this boring topic.

Posted by: Owen | Apr 20, 2008 11:06:36 PM

Remember that Obama wasn't going to pay "street money" to local organizers in Philadelphia? Remember how supposedly noble the Obama campaign was made to look for not engaging in the practice?

Well, it's just the latest in a long line of campaign lies from the Obama camp.

"Then she let me in on a fact of political life. The Obama people are asking for names of people they can pay to canvass for the candidate. "Any way you look at it, they are paying people." So no street money, but a little canvassing money.
l

Posted by: sd | Apr 20, 2008 11:14:26 PM

Other than Hillary Clinton, Obama is truly good at heart.

Posted by: maria | Apr 20, 2008 11:15:29 PM

I thought all of Obama's people were volunteers?

Posted by: dgh | Apr 20, 2008 11:18:37 PM

Mc Cain isnt 'too old' . If so, why dont they have an age maximum? They have an age minimum.

Perhaps they should. But he is certainly young enough to be prez.

The only reason he gets elected is because Obama is the nominee. So it would only last one term anyways.

Posted by: tomdavie | Apr 21, 2008 12:13:32 AM

Obama has been doing more than his share of sucking up to McCain supporters. This is similar to his comments patronizing Ronald Reagan. Does Obama even know that he's running in the Democratic Party? Just one big empty suit, brush, brush.
=======================================
Obama, ain't he too cool, flipping off Clinton?
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Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Apr 21, 2008 12:17:17 AM

A classy comment from a classy guy!

Posted by: reaganfan | Apr 21, 2008 12:28:55 AM

Owen - paying street money means giving major cash to campaign bigwigs to throw around any way they want. Obama has not done that.

Hiring individuals to canvas has NOTHING to do with street money. It is paying some little guy in the campaign wages to do a specific job (canvassing).

Posted by: Fred | Apr 21, 2008 12:39:09 AM

John McCain is old, but not too old to be president. Remember fifty is the new thirty. So John McCain is the new fifty.

Posted by: Dee Rich | Apr 21, 2008 12:44:17 AM

I am supporting Obama in the Primary and look forward to the policy debates between he and McCain for the General. I disagree with Obama and think that McCain is too old. It's not ageism - it's the cold, hard facts of knowing many his age and their limitations; especially when you add an enormous amount of stress into the mix.

Posted by: Paige | Apr 21, 2008 12:54:59 AM

Funny how the media loudly trumpets this when Clinton has said outright that McCain was better than Obama. Where was the expectation of public outrage then.

Posted by: themorgans357 | Apr 21, 2008 1:25:14 AM

He is outspending in every state .
That's why even he got lots of donation he already spent it most all of them.
He got left $ 9 millions for the GE.
He even owe some vendors for $600,000.
It just came out on the other blog.

Posted by: crisis08 | Apr 21, 2008 2:00:18 AM

@Hillarious,

He is outspending in every state .
That's why even he got lots of donation he already spent it most all of them.
He got left $ 9 millions for the GE.
He even owe some vendors for $600,000.
It just came out on the other blog.

Posted by: crisis08 | Apr 21, 2008 2:00:22 AM

I have noticed in our own local elections that older voters have been more likely consider old age of a candidate problematic than younger voters.

Apparently, old age is more debilitating than young people think. Those experiencing old age are keenly aware of its limitations.

Posted by: saraz | Apr 21, 2008 2:17:27 AM

Like anything else, age can be a factor in determining a good leader. However age in years is less relevant than how worn out the candidate is. Are McCain's ideas on the war old and tired? Yes. What about his ridicule of woodstock? Wow we haven't heard THAT one before, very tired... Save the economy by reducing the tax on the wealthy? Another tired old president tried that - Reagan - and it created a major decline in our middle class. Very old. Very Tired.

Posted by: young at heart | Apr 21, 2008 2:40:36 AM

Can anyone bring a lawsuit against John McCain for breaking campaign finance laws?
How corrupt is the system when John McCain can operate outside of the law and no one questions this action?

Posted by: Questions | Apr 21, 2008 4:37:10 AM

he doesn't want to beat him because he is old, Obama wants to beat him because he is wrong.

Posted by: Louis | Apr 21, 2008 1:41:12 PM

This is just Obama's way of looking good for the public. Just the same as he was saying it was OK for Hillary to stay in the race. He isn't going to say ANYTHING to offend McCain. Afterall, McCain called off the REPUBS addressing Barak with his middle name. Sounds like politics to me.

Posted by: Darla | Apr 21, 2008 5:10:50 PM

Obama may or may not think McCain is too old, but he's wise to focus on the policy differences. It's pretty easy to pull examples of effective older leaders to blunt that criticism (ie. Churchill), but McCain's stance on the war or tax cuts for the rich are going to be much harder to defend.

Posted by: Michael | Apr 23, 2008 10:03:00 PM

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