I agree it was an underhanded jibe at McCain's experience. I was thinking the same thing, the minute I read that phrase about "bearings." Just how "disoriented & confused" can Obama become? If he wants to point out how much more experienced his opponent is, it will not do him much good with intelligent voters. Most people with any foresight recognize that someday, if they don't go for the alternative, they will get older.

Losing his bearings is like losing a grip on reality. It has nothing to do with age. This is so far fetched.

"Getting bearings," and hence "losing one's bearings" is a navigational term. It is akin to saying "has lost his moral compass" or "strayed from the high road."

Get a grip, people. He didn's say "lost his ballbearings" or "lost his marbles." If those are the first things you thought of, then maybe you ought to examine how YOU really feel about McCain's age.

Pray tell us what he did mean by that phrase "losing his bearings"? Sounds like an old car to me. As we already know, Obama can use a phrase like "bitter....so they cling to their guns and their religion"...WE GET IT! It's called hit and run tactics. He makes a hit, then his surrogates try to clean it up for him. Pennsyvanians have not forgotten the "bitter" remark, and neither have we.

Obama's problem is that he is green. It is too much information to remember every detail. He forgets, then says something so satirical, if not stupid.
That is exactly why he cannot and does not want to debate. He needs a speech, even if it is one someone else already gave.

Come on, the guy is OLD. He would be the oldest guy ever elected. IT IS AN ISSUE. mc-more-war should retire with his millionaire wife and enjoy the time he has left. Obama 2008!!!

He has lost his bearings, From the Maverick to the Republican mouthpiece. Since his lost to Bush and his capitulation to the Republican Party, I have lost all respect for the man.

His continued support for the Bush Policies shows, no proves, he he has lost his bearings

Let's talk about the issues. Enough of this he said she said. What's the price of gas? What's going on with this war?

Ageism, Pilots have to retire from flying at age 60. That's not ageism is it. Would you want an 80 year-old flying your plane or doing your triple bypass? Age is an issue. A president has to be on top of things. Remember Reagan in his second term? Besides have you heard the stories about his temper? Most senators have a story about how mccain lost-it one time or another. This country does not need an OLD, HOT-TEMPERED guy dealing with this country's problems.

ok, let's talk about how here in Illinois when obama was in the Illinois Senate, he was approached by a Village of people (near Chicago) who were worried because the nearby Nuclear Powerplant decided that it could dump nuclear waste near their Village and not have to even tell them.

They asked for help from Senator obama. His calls in the Villagers' defense in the Legislature got more dim with time, until obama finally caved in and actually signed a bill that supported the Nuclear power plant, instead.

Geez......

What else can the McCain camp say to distract voters' attention from McCains clumsy insult on Obama? It was a strong indicator that McCain is really not all that committed to deliver on his pledge to run a respectful campaign.

I find it interesting that everybody has instantly assumed he was talking about McCain's age... Is it not all of us that had the 'age factor' trigger in our heads when the phrase was muttered??? Is it not a fact? He is saying what we are all thinking. It was no great leap for anyone to think this was an age reference... It is just not nice to pick on an old man... think about it.

oh, PT, come ON. "Loosing it" and getting hot-tempered has NOTHING to do with getting older; it implies that you have passion for something. I'll bet Senator Ted Kennedy has gotten plenty hot-tempered in his LOOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG career.

Age, people, is NOT indicitive of "losing one's facilities". THAT IS A MYTH. Just as some younger people get Alzheimer's at an early age, there are MANY older people who are still VERY MUCH WITH IT, even at age 99. Age has NOTHING to do with a person getting "rotten in the brain": DISEASE DOES. Let this be your FIRST LESSON about AGE, people. You have a lot to learn.

As for the comment, it seems clear he was making another reference to the 'straight-talk express' losing its wheels. He has been consistent in that message; if you don't care for him or this supposition, that's fine but it wasn't an "ageism" attack.

On the other hand, it does not help McCain to bring up his age. I do not think he is too "old" like Jack Murtha said, but being President ages you (look at Bush and Clinton before and after). And McCain has had cancer as well. Don't think that matters? Well, you don't have to go back very far to Paul Tsongas. This is going to be an issue (spoken or otherwise) until he chooses his VP candidate.

Age has nothing to do with it. McCain has always been this way. One of his symptoms is that he doesn't consider what the reaction might be to his actions or comments. They have medication.

It will be incredible this fall to see how many fired-up democrats of any age will have 'lost their bearings' along with Rush, Hannity, and Coulter, and go to the polls to vote for Republican McCain and his pledges for unlimited continuation of the Bush war in Iraq, his pledges to appoint multiple conservative judges, his pledge to leave health care alone, and his pledged support for the continued heavy Bush tax breaks for the rich. Really, it's not rural whites that are bitter, it's scorned and angry Hillary supporters. Thanks Hillary, for doing what the party elders feared- tearing the democratic party apart at the seams. Hope you can salvage the party in a few weeks- it's all up to you.

@Vietvet: My point is that gauging their intentions is problematic. It seems silly that they would signal their preferred candidate. It makes more sense that they would think that whomever they "support" would get negative blowback. Continuation of Bush's non-policies and wars in the area helps Hamas.

Ah i see its the general election time. Please GOP suck it up. You wanted someone to be tough and someone who wasnt soft and he throws a little shot at youre whinning? looks like this election might be a cake walk. if rev wright is somehow a legit issue for a job application then age sure is too. you cant enter the military if youre older than 30 something and you cant run for president if youre younger than 36. now age isnt an issue? why is the drinking law 21 the voting law 18 and the driving law 16? hmm think about it. Toughen up repubs

He's 71? I didn't know that he was so old.

It's funny- if Hillary or Bill had said that McCain had 'lost his bearings' on an issue, no one would have said anything! Why? Everyone wants to parse anything Barack says. He can't win for losing with this bitter crowd.

McCain's a Navy man, if he does not know that 'losing his bearings' means then he is just lying. Everyone in the Navy knows that phrase means that you have lost your way. "Bearings" is a navigational word in that context.

People, if you think it means anything else then your arguement is foolish. So if the Navy man wants to say this is anything else than a person saying "you have lost your way" then they are....