No Country for Old Man–Candidate John McCain in 2008

I went and saw No Country for Old Men over the weekend.  My review of that movic is another post but the title seemed appropriate for the presidential race right now.  As we watch Barak Obama begin to pull away from Hillary Clinton, McCain’s political age becomes more and more geriatric.  The more powerful Obama grows, the more tired McCain looks.  John McCain is a war hero.  He’s a great politician who has managed to endear himself to both sides of the aisle.  He is a man of substance. And arguably, he’s the man of the three remaining serious canidates who is most ready to be president.  But he is old.  And looking old, stiff, and tired. 

This campaign is begining to look to me like Dole vs Clinton in 1992.  That was a painful one to watch.  The ever slick Clinton versus the tired war hero.  So does Barak take over the Clinton role and McCain as Bob Dole?  I am afraid so.  It may also be a very long campaign to watch.

McCain’s fortunes ride on one of two things happening.  One, Hillary gets the nomination.  Hillary Clinton stems this momentum and wins a divided convention.  Not looking really likely right now, but the McCain political campaign people have got to be pulling for her.    McCain would stack up well against her and the right would be energized to stop Clinton at any cost.  Second, and it’s one that no one wants to say aloud, terrorism.  If there was some attack that put terrorism as the number one issue,  John McCain grows politically ten years younger.

But as we look at it today, the United States 2008 is No Country for Old Man.