John McCain’s campaign accused Barack Obama of making the presumptive Republican nominee’s age an issue after his Thursday remark that the Arizona senator was “losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination.” - CNN

When I first read Obama's comment, I didn't think of it being a reference to age, but now, after reading this, I can see how someone might see it that way. Does anyone else see it as making age an issue?

If Obama had used the phrase in relation to, say, McCain's repeated confusion about Sunni and Shia factions, it could be taken as a reference to befuddlement in old age.

But Obama was talking, apparently, in the context of McCain saying that Hamas wants Obama to be president. That makes it sounds to me like a reference to 'moral bearings' - it echoes the idea (also often repeated) that McCain has abandoned his principles - for example, opposition to torture - in his bid for the Presidency.

quote:

Originally posted by newnickname:
If Obama had used the phrase in relation to, say, McCain's repeated confusion about Sunni and Shia factions, it could be taken as a reference to befuddlement in old age.

Senator Obama has no place to talk. He apparently can't even tell the difference between Iraq and Iran.

During the Petraeus/Crocker briefing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Obama said, "Do we feel confident that the Iraqi government is behind the aid to these special groups or do we believe they are just tacitly tolerating it?" [Emphasis added.] Every one else in the room was talking about the Iranian government at that time.

No need to check the coverage of this in the New York Times. They covered Senator McCain's mix up between Shiites and Sunnis, which, by the way, he immediately corrected himself. But the Times never quote the portion of Obama's testimony nor did they mention it in their news coverage. Gee, I wonder why?

By the way, unlike Senator McCain, Senator Obama never corrected himself. So I guess that means Senator Obama still doesn't know the difference between Iraq and Iran. And no fair saying Senator Obama just slipped up. Because if Senator McCain can't be cut any slack for a slip of the tongue, then Senator Obama can't be cut any slack either. Unless, of course, there is a double standard in place. But that could never be the case, now could it?!

uh... John, McCain corrected himself after Lieberman whispered something in his ear. This happened twice. But maybe you're right. Maybe Joe just told him that he forgot to zip up or that he didn't tuck the back of his shirt in.


(Nice to see you again.)

quote:

Originally posted by JohnGalt:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by newnickname:
If Obama had used the phrase in relation to, say, McCain's repeated confusion about Sunni and Shia factions, it could be taken as a reference to befuddlement in old age.

Senator Obama has no place to talk.

Hey Obama didn't say that - newnick said "if Obama had used the phrase..."

McCain repeated his Sunni/Shia mistake. And it couldn't really have been just a slip of the tongue. His correction - “I’m sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda.” That's not the same kind of mistake as saying 'Iraqi' instead of 'Iranian' once; it's a confusion of concepts, not words or sounds.

McCain tends to stick to the White House script on what's happening in Iraq - for example his silly market walk - and it's possible he just got the Bad-Guys-Du-Jour muddled. Iranians are the Bad Guys, al Qaeda are the Bad Guys - so they must be in cahoots? It's the kind of mistake that happens when you try to reduce complex, real-life situations to movie script terms.

On the other hand, I guess it would be naive to expect no digs, sly and subtle or otherwise, at McCain's age in the campaign. The Republicans are maybe right to be sensitive about it. I wonder if, every time Democrats say that McCain is mistaken on some point or another, the McCain camp will cry 'ageism'. That could backfire.

Do any of you watch "The Daily Show" or
"The Colbert Report"? They're constantly making cracks on McCain's age. Why? Because he's OLD and not just in chronological years.

He's buddied up with bush, isn't supportive of women's rights, and talks like he will continue many of the policies that have damaged the US in the recent past. More and more I feel he's seeking the presidency because he can and not because he's got a game plan. It's like he has to have this or he won't feel successful as a person.

quote:

Do any of you watch "The Daily Show" or
"The Colbert Report"? They're constantly making cracks on McCain's age. Why? Because he's OLD and not just in chronological years.

I agree.
I watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Didn't one of them interview McCain this week?

quote:

Originally posted by dg:

quote:

Do any of you watch "The Daily Show" or
"The Colbert Report"? They're constantly making cracks on McCain's age. Why? Because he's OLD and not just in chronological years.

I agree.
I watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Didn't one of them interview McCain this week?

Yes, Jon Stewart did (and he never mentioned age . Well, I say 'never'...)

On the topic of smears in general, it seems that (while Clinton is getting very close to it) McCain hasn't, to his credit, made race an issue so far, by hint or otherwise. (McCain's a puzzling character; he obviously has many redeeming qualities, besides the tired old right-wing bluster. Unlike, say, Cheney, at least McCain seems to have a moral compass, even if he doesn't always follow it).

Anyway, the smear idea seems to be more to paint Obama as effete, over-intellectual and somehow 'European'. It worked against Dukakis and Kerry (but not Bill), could it work against Obama? Are Americans doomed only to have Presidents who can pose as 'one of the guys'?

I would imagine when Hohn McCain goes & visits his 95 year old mother, he does feel young

Let's just see if the media makes much of this idiotic statement by Senator Obama. Is he really that stupid?

Had Senator McCain said such a thing, the media would run it over and over again followed by stories on Alzheimer's Disease in a not-too-subtle hint that McCain isn't in the same world as the rest of us. But McCain didn't say it. Obama did. So the mainstream media won't touch it. They've picked their candidate, and that candidate is Senator Obama. So they will go out of their way to protect and promote him.

Yes, JG, Dean Swift used to note that if he ever forgot his hat somewhere when he was 20, people would smile knowingly and say that that showed the impetuous ,careless ,active mind of youth. When he did the same thing at 70, people would tut quietly and say that he was a poor soul whose mind was going with old age. What puzzled him was that it was the same error and the same mind , if not the same hat

Have any mainstream media hinted that McCain has Alzheimer's? I don't think the media frenzy about Rev Wright was evidence of their protecting and promoting Obama.

His supporters do maybe cut Obama a lot of slack, though. I guess there are many Obama supporters, new to politics, who will be (bitterly) disappointed when he turns out to be just another politician.

You know McSame's age is going to be an issue, his campaign must surely know that. Is this a glimpse of their strategy to deal with it, to yell 'ageism' at every opportunity?

As far as I can tell McCain is the one being treated with kid gloves by the mainstream media. There's lotsa questions about this guy that I hope will be asked when the election campaign starts in earnest.

quote:

Originally posted by Rakuchild:
He's buddied up with bush...

Are you buying into the "bush III" themes? How does that correlate with conservatives being concerned about him? And did you see him recently rake the administration over the coals in New Orleans?

I think the "bush III" theme makes for great and expected campaign rhetoric that people will buy into without thinking. After thinking, they may see enough similarity to vote for the other guy/gal whom they were going to vote for anyway, but McCain is certainly no George Bush. And that is probably a good thing.

quote:

but McCain is certainly no George Bush.

No, he's more chameleon than Bush.

quote:

How does that correlate with conservatives being concerned about him?

There's no doubt that a significant minority of the Republican Party don't like McCain. What is it, specifically, that they object to? His ideas on Iraq and the economy seem to be much the same as Bush's. He wants to bomb Iran. What would someone to the right of McCain have as a platform? Is it a question of establishing religion and the flat tax? Bush hasn't done much on either of those fronts.

Is 'conservative' a good word for those on the right concerned about McCain - they seem (from here) to be more like fringe idealogues?

quote:

Originally posted by newnickname:
Have any mainstream media hinted that McCain has Alzheimer's?

They are more subtle. They will harp on and on and on and on about Senator McCain's age. The underlying, yet implied, message is there.

quote:

Originally posted by newnickname:
I don't think the media frenzy about Rev Wright was evidence of their protecting and promoting Obama.

"Media frenzy"?! "Media frenzy"?! What have you been smoking?!

The media briefly touched on "Reverend" Wright, only because even they realized that they absolutely had to cover the story or else their bias would be obvious to even to Obama fainters.

But they only covered it long enough to claim they were doing their job. They weren't. For starters it took them over a year before they got around to mentioning the vile, hate-mongering, racist, anti-Semitic, America-hating "reverend" who believes the government created AIDS to kill blacks. Obama listened to this guy for 20 years and called this disgusting deranged person his "spiritual mentor." Guess what? That's newsworthy! Senator Obama had this nutjob on his presidential campaign! Guess what? That's newsworthy! The media is still going on and on about the polygamist cult and what happened at that compound -- as they should. But they quit talking about Obama's cult and what happened at his compound. The media has decided to MoveOn(.org) when it comes to Obama and "Rev." Wright:

CNN's John Roberts declared his interview with Barack Obama a "Rev. Wright-free zone."

NBC's Brian Williams pitched only softball questions and he never once brought up Jeremiah Wright.

Brian Williams also confessed, "...it's hard to stay objective covering [Senator Obama]" [Trust me Mr. Williams, we know that! ]

After Obama's shallow and opportunist* "race speech", (in which he threw his own grandmother under the bus in an effort to save his own skin) Chris Matthews, gushing and blushing like a schoolgirl giggled, "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often."

To deny the media bias in favor of Obama is to deny reality.

*Christopher Hitchens' description of Senator Obama's speech, not mine.