Speak For Yourself, John!

According to several news outlets, Senator McCain has released his medical records, apparently demonstrating his physical readiness to take on the run for the Oval Office and presumably laying to rest any speculation that he may be too old for the job. As both The New York Times and NPR pointed out, McCain, at 71, if elected, would be the oldest president in U.S. history to begin a first term.

Acutely aware of the concerns about their guy's age, the McCain camp recently decided to show that the candidate is not some sour old geezer by having him appear on "Saturday Night Live" and poke fun at his advanced years by declaring himself to be "older than dirt."

As someone who just completed her 70th year and is now officially a septuagenarian, I'd like to know what that makes me. Am I now compelled to compare myself to the soil in my garden---a good bit of which predates me by quite a lot?

Granted, McCain was attempting to score points with the SNL audience, many of whom are in that coveted demographic which has so far favored Barack Obama. I can't imagine him making a similar crack in front of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. You know---his base?

Of course, the word got out, as surely his supporters must have known it would, so I can't help wondering how other older Americans feel about having one of their own generation hoke it up for the sake of a few unlikely votes. How about a little decorum, a modicum of dignity?

Don't get me wrong: I am not one of those people of a certain age who start calling themselves "70 years young;" neither am I of the Gloria Steinem persuasion that "70 is the new 50"---unless, of course, you're having industrial-strength plastic surgery. I leave my haleness, heartiness, and vigor to the eye of the beholder. I have no wish, however, to be lumped in with a candidate who is not only old in years but faltering in ideas and imagination.

What disturbs me about McCain's old-fart schtick is that he appears to think that by making jokes about his chronological age, voters will overlook the artheroscelosis of his politics, particularly his devotion to the tried-and-failed policies of the past seven years.

Not me---I may indeed be older than dirt, but I refuse to stick in the mud!