When I first assessed the Presidential candidates, I quickly wrote off John McCain. If elected, he would be the oldest president to be inaugurated. I became concerned with whether or not his health would permit him to be an effective president and if he would live to see the end of his term. To a 21 year-old like myself, seventy-one seems old, but how old is it?
Age is relative and should not be a determining factor of whether or not a person is qualified to run for presidential office. With media coverage of elections constantly growing, image of presidential candidates has grown increasingly important. Many people argue that Franklin D. Roosevelt would never have been elected in a campaign with modern media technology. Seeing him in a wheelchair, people may have assumed that his health would make him incapable of being president. However, he served twelve years and guided the country out of the Great Depression and through War. Furthermore, being young and good-looking does not equal good health. At age 43, John F. Kennedy had the look, but he also had many medical issues that the public did not know about.
McCain is not afraid to address the issue of his age. In his campaign in 2000, he released a medical and psychiatric report to prove his health and sanity. While McCain would be the oldest president inaugurated to office for the first time, it is also important to note that advancements in medicine have increased life expectancy. Being 70 today is not what it was twenty years ago. McCain has the experience and wisdom necessary for the presidential office. Therefore, if people are not going to vote for him, it should be because of his policies rather than his age.
http://election2008.usc.edu/2008/01/mccain-age-factor.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702368,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22759611/
**This entry is not endorsing McCain. Simply stating that his age should not be the reason people do not vote for him.
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