Obama and McCain: The Wrinkly Issue of Age

McCain mentions his mother, Roberta, when talking about his age. His 95-year-old mother has joined the campaign at various junctures. But I'm not sure the parallel works. The other highlight he uses on the campaign comes from his experiences in Vietnam. He was shot down and badly injured. His crash led to nearly six years in captivity by the North Vietnamese. During those years, he was tortured.

It is unclear what effects the time in prisoner of war camps has had on McCain's health. Furthermore, he has had a form of melanoma that presents a serious health issue. In 2000, the melanoma was treated by doctors leaving a mark on his face. His campaign recently issued a press release from the Mayo Clinic to assuage concerns about his health:

"Senator McCain visited the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, yesterday for a routine check of his dermatological health. The biopsy that was performed did not show any evidence of skin cancer. No further treatment is necessary."

A recurrence of cancer could seriously hamper his chances. McCain's friend and supporter Rudy Giuliani pulled out of the 2000 Senate race against Clinton due to cancer-related health issue.

Perhaps health, not age would be McCain's biggest problem.

Age and politics don't always go together. McCain may want to reassess his attacks on Obama, and Obama has to be careful not to mention McCain's age as well. People never like to be reminded how old they are. It could be interesting to note whether the media does the work for Obama as we get closer to McCain's 72nd birthday.

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