Leahy Compares McCain Slips To Reagan's

Politico:

With Democrats on the precipice of raising the age issue against John McCain, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont seemed to cross the line completely, then immediately backtrack, my colleague Ken Vogel reports.

Leahy told Vogel yesterday the media has given McCain a free pass on flubs including mixing up Middle East geography, Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and referring to Russia's relationship Czechoslovakia -- a country that hasn't existed for 15 years.

"It was the same way with Ronald Reagan in the last few years he was president," Leahy said, referring to the belief that Reagan experienced early signs of Alzheimer's disease late in his presidency.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[V4Vigilance]

Hey, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...

[harriscrl3]

Obama said we DONT OWE John McCain our votes. I'm so glad he is attacking this POW sob story to get sympathy votes. Just because you are POW you are NOT owed the vote of the American people.

Now Leahy brings this up Good Go Dems. GET HIM!!!!

Carol

[hotstuff]

Sorry, just want to know! is Mccain chooseig Crist for his V.P? Isn't he gay?

[drzoon]

..... "of NOT being challenged­......."

(from my earlier post)

[spiderbucket]

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com

[drzoon]

why is this such a taboo?

Mc Cain IS OLD! why is that off limits to talk about?

age is at the very least a medical condition. Younger? and you have a better chance of being challenged with loss of memory or the energy that it takes to run the free world. Older? and lets face it... you start forgetting stuff and you have to go to bed a lot earlier to keep up with staff that you might be three times older than!

[CtJean]

Please read this:

Mc has a new ad out belittling the two O - children. It's running in the middle states.

Outside of the ad he commented to an interviewer that the O girls are brats.

So now he's going after children - I am so angry I can hardly type

[AntonBursch]

what? is this true? he is attacking Obama's kids? wtf?

[DebM]

CtJean, I saw that mentioned on a CNN blog, but I haven't seen it yet. Have you found the ad anywhere?

Scum...the man is scum...

[BigLib]

CtJean thinks satire is something you check with a tire gauge.

[BearsLeft]

It was a joke column by Andy Borowitz. It's right here on HuffPo.

www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/new-mccain-ad-attacks-oba_b_121403.html

[amazinggrace]

Speaking of age. Guess who turns 72 this week, DOB August 29, 1936. Burning down the house (*-*)

[EspressoAtNoon]

I don't understand why it's not acceptable to discuss McCain's memory over and over again. Even if it alludes to possible senility/a­lzheimers/­dementia/e­tc.. this guy is running for leader of the United States of America. If he continues to forget as much stuff as he has been, then his age should be fair game.

Americans wouldn't want someone with dimentia or alzheimer's as their President. It would be a threat to our national security. So why is it off-limits?

It doesn't make sense.

Obama should be running ad after ad showing McCain forgetting Suni/Shia, Czech, the number of houses he owns, etc.. Run them so much and let the public make up their minds whether they want someone who can't remember anything to be their leader. That's absolutely fair game!

[heal57]

Yes, the beginning of mental decline. Reagan's was near the end of his 2nd term without nastiness. McCan't is before he would even win the presidency [which he won't]; and has hostile words which Reagan did not use. Whether Alzheimes or dementia; no way our President.

[mommadona]

I believe EVERY CANDIDATE should need to pass a BATTERY OF MENTAL HEALTH TESTS in order to FILE FOR THEIR CANDIDACY.

In this day and age - it is only fair to the citizens to know these people are at their peak, mentally and physically.

It probably would have stopped George W Bush from becoming president.
Obvious mental illness issues there, hid by the enabling of a very rich family with a stake in the outcome.

[heal57]

That's going too far. If the American people are that dumb to vote for someone with obvious mental decline, that's what they deserve.
It won't happen though. It's Obama by a very healthy margin. To be truthful, the only way McCant is getting the number of votes he will, is because people in their 70's and 80's always vote, and that's the truth.

[BLinCincinnati]

People in their 70's and 80's are the ones most likely to have doubts about someone in their 70's, because they know first hand what it's like. Polls have shown this. True they do vote though.

And no, it's not too far to have them take mental tests before becoming president. I don't care how dumb the population is it's not a good reason let the nation be thrown under the bus. You have to take those tests for numerous government positions. I've had to take personality tests for jobs before as well. The President should be required to do this at minimum.

[berkie]

Does "black rage" count as a mental health problem?

[drzoon]

no... it doesn't racist berkie.

and frankly... i haven't seen any since a bunch of white cops beat the heck out of rodney king! have you?

[spiderbucket]

If you fear the Obama's as being angry black people then you are truly a sheltered and ignorant racist. You remind me of my uncle who told me that I didn't know anything when I stood up to his racist comments as a kid. Turns out he had never one time stepped foot outside of his own state. You should get out more.

[keepemhonest]

Berkie - does "WHITE RAGE" count as a mental health problem?

McCain Hagee & Parsley

9/11/2001 Hagee said, "United States is to blame for 9/11!"

2007 Hagee, "The United States must be in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God"s plan which will lead to the Second Coming of Christ!"

2006: Parsley, "ISREAL must be DEFEATED by a Russian-Arab military alliance, preceded by a U.S. invasion of Iran, in order to usher in Armageddon and the second coming of Jesus."

2007: McCain (singing), "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran."

2008 Speaking TO Hagee/Parsly, McCain, "I am very honored today to have the truly great leaders in America, a moral compass, a spiritual guide. Thank you for your leadership and your guidance."

watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdJUCU1UH2w

.... hmmm.... McCain wants to bomb Iran & Russia ... McCain POW ... eerie...Mc­Cain/Hagee­/Parsley

[08politicaljunkie]

It is a mental health condition just as resentment and contempt are. Would you like a referral for treatment?

[Erdgeist]

If McCain had the intelligence and alacrity of Dr. Ron Paul who is a year older than McCain, age would not be a problem. Dr. Ron Paul has not let age become a problem--McCain has.

[teron678]

You're absolutely right ........

[heal57]

I don't think anyone lets it happen; it just does. We all get mor fragile as we age but some get a huge dose of mental health decline earlier than others, while some remain fairly sharp into the 90's [but we wouldn't want them as president]. McCant has had a steep decline the last few years, quite seriously so. Ron Paul has not.

[08politicaljunkie]

McCain has "let" it become a problem because he speaks about it and blames it for lapses in memory and incorrect statements. In a sense, he's entered his age into the political fray; it's become a factor wherein age was not a factor for Ron Paul. However, Ron Paul hasn't been hounded by tv news crews either -- so we don't really know.

[Cakey4814]

Why backtrack when what you said was the truth? This is not an attack on alzheimers' patients; this is a legitimate concern that everyone should be worried about. I'm signing the petition and will forward it.

[Dailyfare]

If you can't keep track of the major players in the biggest current foreign policy issue, then why should you be commander-in-chief?

[BBackSoon]

Wow. I love it. Does this mean that the Dems will finally start to use those same tactics that the Repugs use? Make a statement that will pi$$ off the opponent’s supporters and then backtrack. This puts the comment into the ether and then the speaker can say ‘Woops, I misspoke.’ The great part here is that Dems can do this with honest questions or truths as opposed to Repug innuendo and lies.

Come on Dems, Hit them hard, and hit them often!!!

[lovethesinner]

The health of any commander-in-chief is an issue that deserves transparency. McCain has not allowed a completely honest and thorough examination of his medical records, his military records, not has he explicitly been tested for Alzheimer's.

I believe the time has come for him to be compelled to reassure the American electorate on the state of his mental health.

Two "King George's" is enough.

(sign the petition to call on McCain to take an Alzheimer's test, here):

http://www.democrats.com/mccain-owes-america-an-alzheimers-test

[heal57]

You can't do that; it's like the SATs which should also be banned. I don't think enough of the American people will be that ignorant to vote for McCant with his obvious mental frailties. If they do, they deserve him.



Independent for a mentally healthy Obama/Biden '08