McCain Is Too Old: He Said It, Not Me

Yesterday McCain called Barack Obama "young man" and it raised a collective ear but of course no reply from the Illinois Democrat. Age is a touchy issue, one that no one wants to really bring up but is on the minds of voters and political strategists on both sides of the partisan divide. Yet sometimes the best way to talk about it is to let the center of attention say it in his own words.

From ThinkProgress:

On Aug. 1, 2000, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) appeared on PBS’s Newshour with Jim Lehrer. When asked about the possibility that he might run for president in 2008, McCain said that he would probably be too old:

LEHRER: Finally for the record, you have not lost your desire to be President of the United States have you?

McCAIN: Certainly it’s been put in deep cold storage. haha..

LEHRER: You haven’t lost it?

McCAIN: Well, in 2004, I expect to be campaigning for the reelection of President George W. Bush, and by 2008, I think I might be ready to go down to the old soldiers home and await the cavalry charge there.

McCain can use whatever metaphor he deems fit, but the message there is set. Sure, people change their minds, heck, McCain can do it in just a few short hours or days when it comes to the issues the American people care about (like campaign finance reform, Iraq, the economy, Iran, etc etc). So I'll just sit back and let McCain's cavalry comment speak for itself.