How Old Is Too Old?

Yes, let's watch liberals start to discover that age discrimination is acceptable - at least when it comes to Republicans running for president.

People like Quindlen know that McCain's only weakness in a general election is his age, particularly if up against Hillary, a person who can't get more than about 45% of the vote based on her own appeal.

First of all, Anna Quindlan is a Democrat. Anyone that reads her knows that. It now looks like McCain will be the GOP nominee and he is the only GOP candidate that has any real chance of winning in November. Therefore, this piece is an attempt to put doubts in peoples head about Mccain's age in hopes that she can swing a few votes to the Democrats in November. She makes a good point but McCain will nominate a good VP that will be able to step in if needed.

What's the big deal? You have to get a Chief of Staff, any way. Four years into the presidency he shall have been seventy-six. I know of many seventy-six years old who are fully functional executives. We just have to make sure he promises not to run for re=election!
My objection to Sen. MacCain is not of age but of ideology. He is democrat-lite. If we are going to subscribe to the ideology of the democrats, why not elect a democrat?

Four years into the presidency would make him seventy-six. We just have to makehim promise he doe not run fo re-election!

Imagine the uproar if Hillary Clinton were called unqualified for the presidency based on examples of other women not performing at high-profile jobs. The outcry would only be greater if overall statistics of blacks were used to stereotype Barack Obama as an inadequate presidential candidate. This election should be about the individual, independent of their race, sex or age. I am greatly surprised that Anna Quindlen would write such a biased article against John McCain based on his age. Age discrimination is against the law, and Ms. Quindlen???s prejudiced writing is discrimination at its worst.

So, we're past sexism and racial prejudice but age discrimination is okay?? Why don't we try judging candidates by their actions and records for a change? Maybe Ms. Quindlen should throw stones only after she's kept up the kind of schedule the senator has for the past 2 months (make that 25 years). This topic only comes out of the mouths of people who can't find any other argument to keep John McCain from becoming the next President of the United States.

Your comments on age are well founded. The thought of McCain going against Obama just brings me back to Dole/Clinton ...a disaster for the Republicans. Even against the Clintons, he would come up against the Clinton techniques just demonstrated against Obama. They will brring up the Age question via secondary commentators among their friends in the media and their political hatchet men. And it will work as they manage to focus more attention to it. This quite aside from your valid point about the demands of the job for a man of his age. We need a two term president in this country if anything substantial is to be accomplished.
We can't afford a president with such a high risk of potential incapacity or even death in office.

Thanks for bringing this up. I've been telling everybody McCain should back off and let a younger man take office i.e. if the Republicans win and I'm hoping they don't. As you mentioned, the job of president is not an easy one, mentally and physically. We have a war to deal with and don't need a newly elected president ending up in the hospital or worse. McCain's a great and brave man, I grant him that but reality and circumstances dictate a younger man is the only option for the U.S. If he's selected to run for president the Republicans are putting their money on a horse that may not make it to the finish line.

Ms. Quindlen is looking rather dated herself. Should she still be practicing journalism at her age or should she make way for younger reporters who obviously have more vitality than she does?

I also agree that 71 is too old to begin a term as President. Also the elderly have certain characteristics that do not blend well with power. If you saw McCain's reaction to a question from Anderson Cooper about what Romney had actually said, McCain started a "yes he did" series that was shown to be erroneous by a recorded clip. This makes me think that stubborness has no place in the oval office.

I have to agree with Ms. Quindlen --- 71 IS "too old" to be president. There's a reason some firms still have mandatory retirement ages.

I agree that bringing up the age/infirmity of a candidate may be legitimate in some circumstances. However, anyone who has ever read your column knows your attempt to malign the Senator is neither sincere or accurate. Considering the positions you have taken and championed in the past challenging every other category of discrimination, perceived and real alike, you should be ashamed of yourself. The readers get it. You back Hillary for President because gender instead of character is more important to you. It???s truly sad to see that you, like the candidate you support, believe that the ends justify the means.

I agree that bringing up the age/infirmity of a candidate may be legitimate in some circumstances. However, anyone who has ever read your column knows your attempt to malign the Senator is neither sincere or accurate. Considering the positions you have taken and championed in the past challenging every other category of discrimination, perceived and real alike, you should be ashamed of yourself. The readers get it. You back Hillary for President because gender instead of character is more important to you.

Well, age, race and gender are all "valid" concerns, I suppose. But shouldn't the root concept be applied to the masses instead of a single man. For instance, if you can't vote until your 18, how old do you have to be before you can't vote. Should everybody give up their driver's license when they are 65 and retire? Seeing that social security is not enough to live on when you get to be 65, at what age do you get to NOT have to work and NOT pay taxes for something you'll never get to enjoy. And so forth and so on and la-di-da-di-da. "Gira gira, la freccia torna in culo a chi la tira".

Ahh yes the first stab at John McCains age if he's the Republican nominee. The media loves JOhn McCain like they loved Bob Dole. Bob Dole was waxed by Bill Clinton in '96 and the Clinton camp is planning the same thing for McCAin and they will do this by highlighting his age as an issue. Either that or they'll out and out turn on him during the general election. The media is in love with the Clintons as smarmy and dirty as they are.

Ahhh yes! The first stab at John McCain's age if he's the Republcian nominee. So Anna, are you on the Clinton payroll?

And for those of you who are giving examples of your parents/yourself being 'sharp as a tack' in old age, she specifically in her article said DON'T. You and your parent won't be running the country!

I am SO GLAD that a journalist finally brought this up. I agree with everything Quindlen said, even though McCain is the Republican I would be most comfortable with in the White House (besides Ron Paul, but who are we kidding?!?). Age IS a factor, even more so than gender and race.