Gaffes Raise Questions About McCain

John McCain has been accumulating a Scrooge McDuck-sized storehouse of gaffes this campaign season, so much so that Politico's Mike Allen & Jim VandeHei wonder if it raises deeper questions about McCain:

But McCain's mistakes raise a serious, if uncomfortable question: Are the gaffes the result of his age? And what could that mean in the Oval Office?

Voters, thinking about their own relatives, can be expected to scrutinize McCain's debate performances for signs of slippage.

Every voter has a parent, grandparent or a friend whose mental acuity declined as they grew older. It happens at different times for different people - and there is ample evidence many in their 70s are sharp and fit as ever.

Many of these gaffes have been fairly obvious misspeaks, such as yesterday's comment on the Iraq-Pakistan border. The fact that wingnut opponents of Barack Obama have refused to let go of the "57 states" gaffe, an obvious reference to voting states and territories, should not keep the fair-minded individual from affording McCain the benefit of the doubt.

Other gaffes have been more serious, less obvious, and voters may read something deeper into them. I would urge them not to, and not to conclude that McCain is too old to be president.

First of all, let me say that there are different kinds of gaffes. The one I described above is, as I said, just a slip-up. Enough of them put together could be embarassing as a world leader, but we're used to that. Don't make a federal case out of it, except maybe to point up the way similar gaffes are handled on the other side.

Then, there are gaffes like, "Bomb Iran," or "Kill the Iranians with cigarettes," that are indelicate, but which reflect McCain's worldview. Many of his supporters have no problem with his belligerant attitude toward Iran, in fact seeing it as a selling point.

Then, there are those that showcase a lack of empathy, an ignorance of other points of view. Do I really believe that John McCain thinks women enjoy being raped? By apes? No, but as his campaign said, this kind of thing is just McCain being McCain. He might know that they don't enjoy ape rape, but I doubt he's ever given much thought to how they do feel about the prospect of being raped.

The subject of McCain's age has been a sensitive one, with critics ready to pounce on the latest "ism" to rear up in this campaign. Sure, McCain is old, even for a presidential candidate, but he fits into the historical demographic, the Old White Dudes. Could he drop dead in office? Reagan didn't. Is he going senile? As much as he talks to reporters, which he points out in the Politico piece, not bloody likely.

McCain does have a problem that many associate with old age. He's out of touch. On many issues, such as civil rights, women's rights, and foreign policy, McCain lags years, even decades, behind the majority of Americans.

His health care and economic plans clearly demonstrate that he not only lacks expertise in these areas, but he has no idea what struggling families are going through.

I would implore voters to please ignore John McCain's age when they go to the polls in November. Pay attention to his policies.