Harsh Statistics: 1 in 3 Chance That McCain Will Die In The Next 8 Years

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Since John McCain announced Friday that first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would be his running mate, Democrats have been quick to point out that the 44-year-old governor could soon be just "a heartbeat away from the presidency." The veiled reference to McCain's advanced age is hard to miss.

It's a macabre point to raise on the night when Palin will speak to the convention here -- but a look at the actuarial tables insurance companies use to evaluate customers shows that it's not an irrelevant one. According to these statistics, there is a roughly 1 in 3 chance that a 72-year-old man will not reach the age of 80, which is how old McCain would be at the end of a second presidential term. And that doesn't factor in individual medical history, such as McCain's battles with potentially lethal skin cancer.

"For a man, that's above the expected lifetime at the present," said Michael Powers, a professor of risk management and insurance at Temple University's Fox School of Business.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[dnels14]

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[dnels14]

how old is mcsame in dog years

[globality]

I believe this was the crucial mistake in the picking of Palin as VP. Mc Cain's campaign sarted to believe their own koolaid on the age issue and did not realize what a concern Mc Cains' health was to the American public.

The way they recently released his medical records to a select few, for a short time period, without being allowed to photocy any material

Had Mc Cain been in his early 60s and in good health the Palin pick would not of been such an issue

[LateeLady]

I do not wish ill will on anyone and even though I don't support McCain's positions or plans (from what little he has mentioned), I would support the office of president as a patriotic citizen. That being said, the very real possibility of his death - brought on by not only his health and age, but also the stress of the office, makes his VP choice just as important as Obama's. I agree that he had a deep bench of male or a female VP choice and seemed to thumb his nose at his own party by choosing Palin. Was this, too, a senior moment?

[PatriciaB]

Why doesn't her release his full medical records? Is he hiding something???

[CintiBlue]

I figure if something is being hidden it's a big negative.

[ibsteve2u]

The problem is that, since he loaded his ticket with a Rapture-wanting fundamentalist, you have to wonder if he has flirted with the idea of taking everybody else with him.

[twocanpete]

What on earht is McCain thinking? Why pick a scandal ridden third stringer when he had such a deep bench to choose from? The smart money is now on Obama in a big way.
twocanpete

[twocanpete]

What on earth is McCain thinking of? Why would he pick a scandal ridden third stringer when there is such a deep bench to choose from? The smart money is on Obama in a big way.
twocanpete