I suppose Obama's comment could have been some sort of a back-handed compliment though it wasn't hitting below the belt or even close.

With the average male life expectancy in the U.S. being 75.15 I think age is a legitimate issue to consider for a Presidential candidate.

John McCain will be 72 on inauguration day and 76 at the end of his first term should he win. If something happens to him we end up with whoever is VP which at this point is a wild card.

He will need to choose a running mate very wisely or his age could work against him.

I'm pretty sure Father Time played that card first.

Wow, I had no idea that McCain is old! Did you know that Obama is black and Hillary is a woman?

/Obama '08!

I don't buy milk 2 days before the expiration date either.

pretty weak link there. You call THAT an attack?

If only we had an elderly black woman we could vote for.

Christ, look at the pic of TFA's author: It's Lowell from Wings.

DimensionalPunk: If only we had an elderly black woman we could vote for.

Mother Abagail FTW.

Shrugging Atlas: Christ, look at the pic of TFA's author: It's Lowell from Wings.

Holy shiat! I always wondered what happened to him.

/GObama

Just like a Mohammedan to attack an American icon.

_/jk

"Get off my lawn!"

That sounded like a genuine compliment to me. Sensitive babies IMO.

Jesus Christ, boo hoo. Shut the fark up, you're LOOKING for an insult at this point.

Brettster808: With the average male life expectancy in the U.S. being 75.15 I think age is a legitimate issue to consider for a Presidential candidate.

John McCain will be 72 on inauguration day and 76 at the end of his first term should he win. If something happens to him we end up with whoever is VP which at this point is a wild card.

75 is life expectancy at birth. It doesn't apply to people at arbitrary ages. The remaining life expectancy for a white male age 75 is about 11 years. Now, the presidency is very stressful, no doubt, but also he probably already has exceptional medical care, and as president would have the best medical care possible. So, it's not like he would die of a stroke because some paramedic farked up and got lost trying to find his house, or would have a heart attack and there's no defibrillator around.

People were saying Cheney was one foot in the grave when he took office. 7 years later and he is fine.

McCain's age IS an issue...ESPECIALLY if someone like Huckabee is his veep running mate.

It's perfectly ok if McCain is old, he's a war veteran which in the Democrats opinion makes him a lot more qualified than Obama and most Democrats will vote for him.

What? They said a war veteran makes a better president in the last election! Surely they were will not be complete hypocrites now.

That was the weakest accusation of an "attack" or jab at someone I've ever heard. I read and listened, and I don't see it one bit. Not even a LITTLE bit.

Talk about reading way too far into a comment... Anyway, he's been using this line all week, so it's hardly something new.

randomjsa
Surely they were will not be complete hypocrites now.

Maybe they am could but or soon.

/Proofread you must

randomjsa: It's perfectly ok if McCain is old, he's a war veteran which in the Democrats opinion makes him a lot more qualified than Obama and most Democrats will vote for him.

What? They said a war veteran makes a better president in the last election! Surely they were will not be complete hypocrites now.

Wouldn't that mean that the Republicans would vote for the non-war veteran? So Obama is your man then? Wouldn't want you to be a hypocrite.

Oh wait. It doesn't work like that, does it? No. Not at all. The difference is in the ideology of the war veteran. Kerry was campaigning against the war, yet the far right wing was launching a base attack against his military service in order to discredit him by implications of poor leadership, lying, and deception. McCain is a pro-war candidate. They are not discrediting him based on his military service, but on his stance on the current war. There's nothing hypocritical about the ideology in question, just the tactics of the far right.

Recall all Repuglikkkans Quote 2008-02-10 01:40:32 AM

I know. Besides, Hillary's Obama's done much more in her 35 years his eleven years of experience in politics than McCain Clinton has done with her 35*


*And by 35 we really mean 16, half of which were in the prestigious position of "first lady"...

Clinton should not be trying to argue with experience.


Fixed that for truth value.

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and
prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this
world. Yes we can.

And so tomorrow, as we take this campaign South and West; as we learnthat the struggles of the textile worker in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas; that the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are
the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can.

The skin on McCain's face looks like a ballsack. The man should really consider catching some rays.

You call that an attack? McCain gets it worse from his own party.

randomjsa:It's perfectly ok if McCain is old, he's a war veteran which in the Democrats opinion makes him a lot more qualified than Obama and most Democrats will vote for him.

What? They said a war veteran makes a better president in the last election! Surely they were will not be complete hypocrites now.

They said a veteran would be a better president than Bush, not that a veteran is automatically better than anyone, ever.

Try to keep up.

Recall all Repuglikkkans Quote 2008-02-10 01:59:49 AM
Bill Frist: *And by 35 we really mean 16, half of which were in the prestigious position of "first lady"...

So, you are saying that housewives don't do any real work and shouldn't receive alimony? I thought we would had move past that by this point.

Housewives do plenty of work, but it doesn't qualify them to be president... at least not anymore than being a state senator or a community organizer.

Recall all Repuglikkkans: Party Boy

Goddamn you, I'm going to wake up my roommate with your nonsense.

heh.

Recall all Repuglikkkans: How about we say that both parties play the military every card like cheap whores when it works for them?

FTFY

Recall all Repuglikkkans: So, you are saying that housewives don't do any real work and shouldn't receive alimony? I thought we would had move past that by this point.

Careful, you're moving into Whoopty Whoo territory.

So what? McCain is old.

I wouldn't vote Nader for the same reason.

In a letter Hillary sent to MSNBC chastising the suggestion she is "pimping" Chelsea this week, she said the following:

"I've been Chelsea's mother far longer than I've been involved in politics."

According to Wiki, Chelsea is 28 years old. Either HRC, like Huckabee, isn't into that whole "math" thing, or something doesn't add up here.

Well, we treat housewives as doing 50% of the work for a household when deciding in divorce proceeding, but you don't want to act like that matters

Are you even trying not to look like a troll anymore?

What next, you are going to tell me Bill Belichick's wife is qualified to be the head coach of an NFL team?

Recall all Repuglikkkans: RagingHamster: They said a veteran would be a better president than Bush, not that a veteran is automatically better than anyone, ever.

I know. In 1996, when Dole ran, Clinton was better than a veteran and that doesn't matter. How about we say that both parties play the military card like cheap whores when it works for them?

This. Clinton (a draft dodger) ran against two distinguished vets and won both races. Bush (a draft dodger in his own way) ran for reelection against a decorated vet and won, after beating a man in 2000 who was in Vietnam but, as far as I know, did not see combat. Still though, a vet nonetheless. Its amazing how the veteran card seems to get passed back and forth depending on the nominees.

As far as McCain's age goes, it is definitely an issue and makes his VP choice all the more important. It should not be the main issue, but it should be taken into account.

It's amusing that the far right wing has been making McCain's age an issue for several weeks now. Huckabee (along with Chuck Norris) played the age card against McCain (new window). Thomas Sowell played the age card Link (new window). Powerline Blogs, Human Events, and Townhall all mirror Sowell's article Link Link Link (new windows). Scourge of the internet, Free Republic, also had some choice comments about the Sowell article, Link (new window, although, you probably don't want to go there unless you need a good laugh).

Paedophile_Deluxe: Recall all Repuglikkkans: So, you are saying that housewives don't do any real work and shouldn't receive alimony? I thought we would had move past that by this point.

Careful, you're moving into Whoopty Whoo territory.



Awfully close there...

What's worse than being black or a woman? Being old. Bring on John McCain.

Good McCain is way too old.

What's wrong with that? This man has given half a century of service to his country! Seriously, it is something that should be respected.

The lack of ammo these pukes have is phenomenal.

/PHE--nomenal.
//RE--diculous.
///HYS--terical.
////COUNT--chocula.


/obscure slashies?

And what's up with his neck? Ewwwwwww

I think Obama slipped that comment in there as a subtle jab at his age. Those speeches are drafted, re-written, combed through so that nothing gets overlooked.

I am an Obama supporter, but I also have the sense not to idolize the guy. Hell, everyone knows that Obama has done drugs, but if an opposing candidate were to say something along the lines of "Well, I don't know from experience the effects of so-and-so drugs, but...", the Obamamentalists would have a shiat fit and cry "no fair". Which leads me to my next point:

There are some True Believers on Fark who, quite frankly, makes Obamas base the new Paultards. Please stop posting transcripts from speeches, bumper sticker slogans and the like. It makes the rest of us look bad.

Frank N Stein: I think Obama slipped that comment in there as a subtle jab at his age. Those speeches are drafted, re-written, combed through so that nothing gets overlooked.

I am an Obama supporter, but I also have the sense not to idolize the guy. Hell, everyone knows that Obama has done drugs, but if an opposing candidate were to say something along the lines of "Well, I don't know from experience the effects of so-and-so drugs, but...", the Obamamentalists would have a shiat fit and cry "no fair". Which leads me to my next point:

There are some True Believers on Fark who, quite frankly, makes Obamas base the new Paultards. Please stop posting transcripts from speeches, bumper sticker slogans and the like. It makes the rest of us look bad.

This. Thank you.

Brettster808:
With the average male life expectancy in the U.S. being 75.15 I think age is a legitimate issue to consider for a Presidential candidate.

That's the average age from birth. The average age of death for someone who's survived into their 60s is significantly higher, if I recall correctly. It will be rather surprising if the man doesn't make it into his 80s.

Also:
Obama: "Jonh McCain is awesome, and sincere in his service. Just look at how long he's served his country honorably."

The Article: "Are you calling McCain old? You bastard!"

WTF, blogboy? Are you going through menopause or something? That was a pretty unambiguously positive comment. Which is one of McCain's strengths as a candidate, really-- people in both parties have a good deal of respect for him, though liking him is of course another matter entirely. Obama's approximately the opposite, with people in both parties liking him, but respect being a bit here and there. Which is why Obama vs. McCain would be an interesting race. Plus, with neither Rove nor a Clinton around, it might actually be a relatively clean campaign with both candidates acknoledging that the other is, in fact, a human being and not necessarily a poor choice for the office.

//That's also why Clinton would be a poor choice. She has enough issues getting liked or respected even in her own party, where she as the full force of cognitive dissonance behind her due to Bill being moderately well-regarded.

McCain, Your doin' a heck of a job Bushie.

WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER

Jim_Callahan:
That's the average age from birth. The average age of death for someone who's survived into their 60s is significantly higher, if I recall correctly. It will be rather surprising if the man doesn't make it into his 80s.


Specifically, a 70-year-old man has an expected age-of-death of about 85. (As of the 1995 statistics for the US, anyhow: source)

//Bad form, quoting myself, I know. Just figured I should demonstrate that I wasn't pulling assertions regarding the distribution out of my arse.

phlegmmo: *scowlpic* 2008-02-10 01:07:43 AM

Can anyone tell me where this picture of McCain is from? I can't imagine why he would let himself be photographed making a face like that.