Althouse: "Murtha says McCain too old to be president."

April 16, 2008

"Murtha says McCain too old to be president."

Oh, really?

Althouse says Murtha too old to have useful opinion.

34 comments:

MadisonMan said...: The headline doesn't quite capture what Murtha said, which was general, not specific to McCain -- unless there's a quote not in the article. The headline seems very disrespectful.; 4/16/08, 12:55 PM
Anthony said...: >Althouse says Murtha too old to have useful opinion.

Are you going to start refering to yourself in the third person?

Have you been hanging out with Rickey Henderson or something?; 4/16/08, 12:56 PM
Tibore said...: Tibore says Murtha to senile to trust.; 4/16/08, 1:00 PM
former law student said...: A man McCain's age knows the weaknesses and abilities of men McCain's age. I remember my grandfather saying at their age, Reagan was too old to handle the responsibilities of the Presidency.; 4/16/08, 1:02 PM
Roger J. said...: Madison Man is correct, I think. The headline writers (which our hostess used) said it. What Murtha said is: "This one guy running is about as old as me," he said, drawing laughter and applause. "Let me tell you something, it's no old man's job."

Now, age certainly hasnt diminished Murtha's ability to rob the public fisc and keep his sorry ass in the house.

I think McCain would do just fine (at being president, not robbing the public fisc); 4/16/08, 1:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Yeah, history sure hasn't been kind to Ronald Reagan. If only he could have been full of youth and vigor like Carter.; 4/16/08, 1:17 PM
Nichevo said...: "O RLY?" would have been funnier.

I agree that as not only is he very well seasoned, but also tenderized by nightly poundings in the Hanoi Hilton, he might not last in the DC cauldron. But his genetics seem sound enough, viz., his ninetysomething mom.

I do think the rigors of office turn gray even the youthful, but it's not the same as being senile, which I think is fls' implication about RWR. McCain may only last one term, but no reason why he shouldn't be making good decisions, other than whether or not you agree with him.; 4/16/08, 1:24 PM
joated said...: "Murtha is 75, four years older than McCain. He says they are nearly the same age, and the rigors and stress of running the country is too much for guys their age. "

So...when is Murtha stepping down...or Byrd or T. Kennedy or...; 4/16/08, 1:26 PM
Roger J. said...: Given the changing demographics of the American populations (increasing numbers in the elderly cohorts), I am not sure ageism is going to a selling point that helps--older people vote much more often than their juniors. But if the democrats want to play that card, be my guest. They have already supplied the McCain camp with enough sound bites and ammunition no matter who is nominated by the dems. Some more wont hurt; 4/16/08, 1:30 PM
Kirk Parker said...: FLS,

Just goes to show how wrong a grandfather can be!; 4/16/08, 1:40 PM
former law student said...: Being Senator is much, much easier than being President. Saying "Yea" or "Nay" can be done at any age, and in almost any mental or physical condition. (Who was the senator who was rushed in on a gurney to vote, not too long ago?)

Maybe all that Murtha and my grandfather were saying was, "I know I couldn't handle the job, at my age, so how could they?"; 4/16/08, 1:41 PM
rhhardin said...: "You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head --
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," Father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure my brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."; 4/16/08, 1:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Maybe Murtha was saying, "Here's this meme to pick up about John McCain's age that Howard Dean mentioned the other day and that me and the other guys from the Mid-Atlantic Democratic House Caucus agreed we desperately need to start focusing on."; 4/16/08, 1:49 PM
Henry said...: Murtha's right. It is no old man's job. It's no job for a young man either. Or a woman. It is an impossible job.

Put a energetic hands-on micromanager into the job and you get Jimmy Carter, the human gridlock. Put an time-efficient MBA delegator into the job and you get Donald Rumsfeld and John Yoo.

Probably the best bet is a big visionary with an actual ideology. Reagan was good, though, by all accounts, he was running on fumes in his second term.

McCain has a big (neocon) vision on terrorism, looks like a delegator on domestic issues.

Hillary is another Jimmy Carter, just waiting for the chance to turn down the White House heat and complain about American malaise.

Obama is ... well what is he? He sounds like a visionary, but his vision is so big it never touches reality. It's big like the sky. When it gets pulled down to the level of reality, Obama's vision is just fog.; 4/16/08, 1:50 PM
vnjagvet said...: When I used to make comments like Murtha's to my mom, implying that she was too old to [understand, make reasoned decisions, travel, take pressure, tackle a tough task, etc.] her invariable comment, always with a laugh, was, "speak for yourself, Jimmy".

It generally put me in my place, but, alas, didn't stop me from making such comments in the future.

I suspect Murtha's attempt at humor here will have no more effect on McCain than my sniping comments had on my mom.; 4/16/08, 1:51 PM
Sloanasaurus said...: Being Senator is much, much easier than being President. Saying "Yea" or "Nay" can be done at any age, and in almost any mental or physical condition.

Maybe McCain can do feel good sessions with the elderly in the same way the Democrats do sob story sessions with pre-selected middle class voters at town hall meetings. McCain can hear sob stories about how some elderly person succeeded where they (the Democrats) said they were too old to succeed.

Maybe McCain can interview a nursing home resident who was able to fight off over-eager youngsters from Acorn tring to trick them into voting for democrats by absentee ballot.; 4/16/08, 2:04 PM
Roger J. said...: I think Seven Machos has it nailed--the age meme; the "McSame" tag are all circulating now.; 4/16/08, 2:08 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Murtha is 75? Makes him young enough to take a job with "60 Minutes" .; 4/16/08, 2:28 PM
George M. Spencer said...: Ungowah!

Too much talk. Tarzan way better.; 4/16/08, 2:28 PM
Anonymous said...: To rhhardin -
"Be off or I'll kick you down stairs."; 4/16/08, 2:34 PM
Chet said...: REQUEST: I'd like more posts having to do with Prostitutes and Strippers.

The Call Girls At Nursing Home story would work well with this, here, the old-age McCain post.; 4/16/08, 2:40 PM
bearbee said...: Tsk, tsk...comments bordering on age discrimination.

If elected he would be the oldest by 2 years or so.; 4/16/08, 3:30 PM
ricpic said...: In America age doesn't equal wisdom. In America age equals get outta the room old man you're stinkin' up the joint.; 4/16/08, 3:33 PM
LutherM said...: Age in the early 70s - IS IT

I grow old … I grow old …
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.

OR

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,--
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

With McCain, I'd bet on the quote from Ulysses.; 4/16/08, 3:41 PM
save_the_rustbelt said...: When McCain gets tired he very old and not really energetic.

I would bet he would not serve out a full term - just a hunch.

His VP pick will be really, really important.; 4/16/08, 3:50 PM
mickey said...: Let me see if I understand. A 72 year old man can't handle the job, but a 60 year old woman can?; 4/16/08, 3:59 PM
vnjagvet said...: Il Papa seems to be doing pretty well with a tough job, and he's 8 years older than McCain.; 4/16/08, 4:15 PM
Susan said...: Some people just age better than others. Take the aforementioned mother of John McCain. Sometimes people in their 90's and above just bowl you over.She's one of those.; 4/16/08, 4:19 PM
Balfegor said...: Re: Henry:

Jimmy Carter, the human gridlock.

I think that lets him off a bit lightly. As far as I know, there's no declassified documentary evidence putting Carter's fingerprints on the affair, but a micromanager like Carter must have known that his government was signing off on the Kwangju Massacre.; 4/16/08, 4:56 PM
Kirby Olson said...: Murtha's definitely brain-dead. McCain has at least another ten years in him, and I think he thrives on challenges.

He'll be pretty good until he's about 90, at which point I think he's no longer going to be the spitfire he is right now.; 4/16/08, 4:58 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: This just goes to show that aside from being a hypocrite, Murtha is senile. He has outlived his usefulness and should immediately turn himself in to a nursing home.; 4/16/08, 5:48 PM
Jeremy said...: Luther-
Today I read Prufrock for the first time in a long time and here it is again. Thanks for the coincidence.; 4/16/08, 6:36 PM
J. Molinaro said...: Oh, really?

YA RLY!; 4/16/08, 8:47 PM
blake said...: Wow, Murtha seems a lot older than McCain to me.

But I had two teachers in college that were in their late 70s. One was a little frail, his skills had faded a bit. He was a radical in his day, and still pretty sharp if not physically fit. He had a bit Robert Klein's "palsy shake" (the young actor's technique for instantly appearing old).

The other born the same year was sharp and physically spry. His age seemed hardly a disability at all. He only died in 2004, at the age of 92, and I believe he worked to his final days.

The two of them were complete contrasts.

I suppose the conclusion I would reach is that age-ism, like all those other isms, leads to poor assessment of individuals.; 4/16/08, 11:04 PM