Sep 4, 2008 11:37 pm US/Central
Reality Check: John McCain's Age
ST. PAUL (WCCO) ―
The uncomfortable Republican elephant in the room is this: if John McCain is elected, he will be the oldest first-term president in U.S. history.
At 72, he's
four years older than Ronald Reagan when he took office, which raises questions of longevity and mortality.
IN FACT, John McCain's 95-year-old mother is front and center, as a colorful and feisty presence at her 72-year-old son's convention.
McCain is 28 years older than his 44-year-old running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
It's TRUE and this presidential campaign,
age is not just a number.
It's a highly sought after political demographic. McCain trails 47-year-old Barack Obama among young voters,
55 to 31 percent. Here's the back STORY. McCain maintains a grueling campaign schedule, despite surgeries for malignant melanoma, and debilitating injuries he suffered as a prisoner of war.
He points to his mother as a sign of what he calls "his good genes", but his father died at age 70, and his grandfather at 61.
"I have the courage, the wisdom, the experience and most importantly, the oldness necessary," mocked a Saturday Night Live skit.
Here's what you NEED TO KNOW. McCain would age more quickly in office, as all presidents do, but health experts say he appears energetic and vigorous, and has good enough habits that his
biological age is more like 64.That's Reality Check.
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