Advanced age and experience vs. youthful energy and inexperience.

Strictly from an analytical standpoint. He 71- That will make him 75 at the end of his first potential term. 79 at the end of a second potential term. Is this a legitimate concern? I've actually been lucky enough to talk to him- he is still sharp. But how will he handle the stress of the office. There has already been a lot of hard years in a POW Camp.

On the Dem side we have a candidate with no potential health or age issues, but very little experience. There is a lot of turmoil in the world right now. Is this a concern?

I ask you- Which is a bigger concern?

In my opinion, whether yor in good health or not 72 is still 72 and that dshould provide for concern when the average lifespan for a male in the U.S. is 73.6 years...he's cutting it close there

While Obama may be younger- this is where i like his VP pick- he did pick someone with enough experience to aide him in tough decisions. While many people may frown on this, a political "agent of change" picking a washington insider, alot of people forget that prior to this current administration the vice president didnt really have too much influence over the president. Cheney really had his hands in alot of white house operations

reply to post by GD


That is why a President picks a good cabinet. They are the ones to offer advice and help with possible solutions. The country is to big for one person to run.
Ronald Reagan was in his seventies, and he did pretty good. My problem with Sen. McCain is not his age, but his changing from maverick in 2000 to the same old politics in 2008. I think that is an issue he has to deal with in order to win the independent support he enjoyed in 2000.
Sen. Obama's trip to Europe showed he can handle the world stage quite well, which is very important in these times.

Originally posted by GD
I ask you- Which is a bigger concern?

I am more concerned about McCain's age. Not the number of years so much as the fact that I have noticed that he sometimes forgets what he says, sometimes seems to get confused... lost about what he's saying. My Mother-In Law is in her 70s and she can hike up a mountain, she's in such good physical shape. But I wouldn't let her drive my car, simply because of the strain on her faculties. I am more concerned about the strain of the presidency on McCain. He would be the oldest president elected to a first term. (Source) I think Bush's presidency made him an old man. Look how other presidents changed during their term(s):

Can Presidents Age Gracefully?

And because of McCain's age and experiences, he does have old-world views and I'm not sure he's really in touch with how things outside politics work in today's world.

Obama's inexperience has at times been a concern, but I see him learning just in the campaign. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, so he has 12 years experience. And he's getting a lot of experience in what is required of a president just in dealing with his campaign. His trip overseas certainly gave him a glimpse of what to expect. And as Secret Shadow said, with Biden by his side and the expert cabinet I know Obama would choose, I'm not concerned about his inexperience. In fact, I see it as a bit of an advantage, considering the corruption in Washington today. He seems a bit removed from that to me. And I think his youth and energy will help him handle the stress and strain of this important job.

Here is an outline of Obama's experience in the State Senate:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

And another interesting site:
How Good Are Experienced Presidents? It shows that some presidents with the least experience are considered to be the best and some with a lot of experienced were the worst. Obama has more experience than Lincoln, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. So, I'm simply not at all concerned about that.

I need to point out that Obama has yet to release his complete medical history. So far I believe what's been given is a six-paragraph sheet of paper with a doctor's signature saying he's in excellent health, whereas McCain has released his medical history.

reply to post by sos37


I have mixed feelings about candidates releasing their medical records. If any other job asked for medical records, you better believe there would be hell to pay.
All Sen McCain has to do is bring his mother along, who is still hearty and hale. I do not want to know about how many tests either one has done or what their blood types are.
If age is a personal concern to an individual voter, then that is their problem. I do not look at age, race or sex to determine who I vote for.