<p>I don’t think this is a good sign. The reporter last week asked him two questions and he completely spaces out and forgets both of them.</p>
<p>John McCain seems too old to be President. </p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - What happened?](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfkKk2C1W1c]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfkKk2C1W1c)</p>
<p>I’ll give him a pass on this. Campaigning is tiring. I’ve seen candidates at job interview Q& A sessions forgetting what the question was and they were in their 20s and 30s.</p>
<p>I bet it’s tiring! Especially for someone in their 70s. I have to admit that I enjoyed watching Gov. Crist’s face in the third camera angle. I bet he wished he could jump in and answer the questions.</p>
<p>I wish the clip were longer and I could see what McCain actually said in response to the question. Did he essentially recover & come back up to speed? or did he continue to hesitate? If he did in fact answer the #1 question, did he also remember to answer the #2 question?</p>
<p>I don’t think the question should be framed in terms of whether he is “too old” but rather whether he, as an individual, is showing symptoms of cognitive decline. (Even if age related, I think that one 72 year old is not necessarily the same as another). </p>
<p>But this particular question was an interesting test of short-term memory because of it being presented as a 2-part question – so it would indeed be a sign of a problem if McCain typically has difficulty remembering point #1 after point #2 has been stated. (Definitely a sign that a neurologist would probably look for). </p>
<p>It’s also somewhat complicated because the question is obviously hostile, so we don’t know whether McCain was simply knocked off stride by being challenged as opposed to the memory issues. Again… it would be nice to have a video in context that shows more of the press conference.</p>
<p>I did find another clip that does have his response with the 3rd camera angle: [YouTube</a> - What happened? (Extended)](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVgT__TZNdQ]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVgT__TZNdQ)</p>
<p>I’m more concerned with his long-term memory loss (Packers v. Steelers; his briefing on Al-Qaeda in Iraq, etc.) I do think he is in clear cognitive decline - you never saw stuff like this in 2000.</p>
<p>mini - his campaign didn’t last this long in 2000. You can’t even imagine the pace of his entire year - 3 or 4 Town hall meetings PER DAY - or more! (And more events on top of that! And the TRAVELING! Several stops per day - how do YOU feel after just ONE flight?).</p>
<p>He’s practically Superman to have been able to do everything he’s done so far. It is truly incredible - POTUS will be easy comapred to the campaign he’s been running.</p>
<p>But how do we know that his memory loss is attributable solely to the rigors of the campaign trail and not to his advancing age? It seems like a huge roll of the dice.</p>
<p>Well, he recovered and answered the question–but not to the liking of some. I still give him a pass on the “short term memory loss.” Heck, I’ve been known to look for my glasses when they were on my nose!</p>
<p>[Crooks</a> and Liars McCain Lies About His Support For MLK Jr. Day in Arizona](<a href=“Page not found | Crooks and Liars”>McCain Lies About His Support For MLK Jr. Day In Arizona | Crooks and Liars)</p>
<p>NO, bz, the problem is that being President is NOT “easy” compared to campaigning. It also requires long hours and is actually far more stressful with much more serious consequences if the President makes a mistake or has a lapse due to mental exhaustion. </p>
<p>This isn’t the only thing I have seen that gives me concern. The thing I noticed about a week or so ago is that McCain was carrying cue cards and reading off of them for very short statements with public appearances. He had one when he met with the Dalai Lama for a statement about Tibet; he had one when he was in a grocery store for a statement about the price of milk. These are cases of not being able to remember what he is supposed to say for very simple matters. How is a guy who can’t remember the approximate price of a gallon of milk without reading from a cue card going to handle himself at a G8 conference when he has to meet with other heads of state?</p>
<p>calmom - I respect what you say about the job of POTUS v. campaigning, but I tend to believe that the campaign has to be rougher - my goodness, these canidates are taking sometimes 3 or 4 short flights a DAY! POTUS won’t require that - maybe sometimes, but not for months on end like it’s been for McCain. No way. He’ll have regular hours for the most part & most often sleep in the same place every night. Even rock stars don’t tour for more than a few months! I’m telling you, McCain’s been going HARD for over a year now! It’s really amazing when you think about it.</p>
<p>Town hall meetings are especially demanding as the candidate has to be prepared to address ANY subject posed by anyone in the audience. And I’ve never seen JM use cue cards in the TH format. He’s awesome at that & Obama is pretty smart not to accept his challenge to debate him in Town Halls. (Why do you think he wants the Lincoln-Douglas format which are basically the candidates taking turns giving speeches).</p>
<p>I think JM’s cards in the grocery store were just a few notes he’s taken on prices and such. I would’ve referred to them too.</p>
<p>And given how the public & press are ready to pounce on any little gaffe, I applaud the candidates for keeping their notes handy! One wrong word these days & it will be discussed ad infinitum (as nauseum!) on the blogs & t.v. programs and is potentially campaign-ending. I respect the fact that he wants to keep his facts straight - I would too!</p>
<p>Calmom:</p>
<p>That meeting with the Dalai Lama raised concern for me, too. There was nothing of substance that McCain could not adlib. He did not even have to discuss Tibet’s geography! ;)</p>
<p>I’m not sure what to make of it. Sometimes I think he’s playing daft so that he can duck the question.</p>
<p>P.S.</p>
<p>When you find these things make sure to send them to newspapers, etc. so that these stories can enter the news cycle. I really hope that “Seal” Ad makes it in tomorrow.</p>
<p>I am also very concerned about the overall health and vigor of McCain. He just doesn’t seem that sharp anymore. I will admit that I don’t know anyone who is 72 that I would want to be our president during these very important times.<br>
He needs to pick a youthful VP who is familiar with technology and the business world. And soon.</p>
<p>Is there a company in this country that would hire a 72 year old man or woman to be their CEO?</p>
<p>It seems to me that these days Presidents do a lot of traveling all year round. And personally, I don’t really want another president who takes as much vacation time as GW Bush. </p>
<p>I’m not trying to dump on McCain. I think its a concern.</p>
<p>I’m only in my 50’s but there are things that I feel less qualified to do because of age-related issues and I let people know. For example, when my daughter got her learner’s permit 5 years ago, I immediately handed the car keys to her and let her do ALL driving after dark because I know that my night vision and reflexes aren’t what they once were. I am a very experienced driver and also (at least according to my insurance company) a very good driver - I qualify for really cheap insurance – but I avoid driving after dark and I do feel that is an area where youth trumps experience. I could stubbornly insist that I am just as good a driver as ever – but that wouldn’t be fair to others on the road. </p>
<p>I think that issues such as stamina and mental competence are important. I also do recognize that stress takes its toll – Obama’s statement that “Israel is a friend of Israel” is an example – and on the same trip when asked how he was feeling, Obama commented, “I could fall asleep standing up.” </p>
<p>But at the same time it seems to me that McCain seems to be having more of these “lapses” – spots where he kind of stares off into space and seem so have really lost focus.</p>
<p>Anyone else notice that every time McCain is asked about affirmative action he starts talking about quotas–which were declared unconstitutional 30 years ago?</p>
<p>McCain doesn’t have short term memory loss. He’s just not that intelligent.</p>
<p>Oh brother.</p>
<p>Pretty soon with the demands of this media-centric culture, we’ll need twenty year olds running for president: more energy, better looking, just out of college, in tune with the latest, a mind for the future. Why not.</p>
<p>McCain has been the media darling for the last 10 years. He has been a “celebrity” for as long as I can remember, long before Obama came on the scene. It’s kind of odd that he is criticizing Obama for his celebrity. Seems kinda desperate to me.</p>
<p>His answer to the first question is pretty lame: “Because of what he (Obama) said.” Huh?</p>
<p>I’m curious what his answer to the 2nd question was. Too bad the clip ends where it does.</p>