So, I've been thinking about McCain's age a bit more since he announced Palin. Honestly, it wasn't something that concerned me a whole lot before, but the more I think about it, the more I start to become concerned about it. Yes, I know he's supposedly been given a clean bill of health by his doctors and all, but there are a few factors that affect my thinking around his currently clean bill of health. The first is that he's had four bouts of cancer. Yes, he's beaten them, but if it comes back and takes him down (not out of the realm of possibility)? The second is that he was tortured heavily as POW. That takes years off of a person's life and affects their long-term health, no matter how you look at it. The third is that, at that age, health can turn south very quickly with very little warning, even when a person is in otherwise great health. And the fourth is that the stress of the job of POTUS is immense (and that's understating it). Look at how much Bush aged, even in just his first four years. Look at Bill Clinton as he progressed through his Presidency. The amount of stress that position comes with is incredible and clearly ages a person faster than what would otherwise be normal. This could also have adverse effects on McCain. If any of these very easily occurring things were to come to pass, Palin's in the big chair and frankly, that scares me a bit.
jag