The boost of momentum John McCain received in winning the South Carolina primary last Saturday, may have elevated him practically overnight to frontrunner status, even more so if he goes on to win the Florida primary on January 29th.
        The latest Rasmussen poll published Monday showed Mitt Romney, McCain, and Rudy Giuliani in a virtual dead heat, while Mike Huckabee,  and his ``Iowa miracle’’, has cooled off considerably, having slipped 4 percentage points in Florida from just a week ago.
        Nationally, the Rasmussen Presidential Tracking Poll shows McCain with a six- point lead in the race for the Republican nomination.
        So now that he has earned front runner status, chances are the Arizona senator will likely be scrutinized a little more closely by voters and the media before the mother of all Tuesday’s, ``Super Tuesday'' on February 5th.
        In addition to contending with opponents within his own party, at odds with his positions on campaign finace reform, and amnesty for illegal immigrants; and his unabashed support for the war in Iraq-- unpopular with independents, and the liberal wing of the party, McCain might have to confront yet another obstacle, something which hasn’t been discussed all that much: his advanced age (71) which, if elected, would make him the oldest president in U.S. history.
        As comedian Chris Rock said when assessing the recent crop of presidential contenders: ``Wasn’t John McCain too old 8 years ago’’?
        In the coming weeks and months ahead, voters will have to determine whether McCain’s clean bill of health and experience as a legislator and war hero status, will far outweigh any talk that’s he too old to be president and a possible one-termer.
        President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 suffered a heart attack, and even considered not running for a second term. Ike suffered a stroke at age 67 in 1957; his health became so much of a concern; he held discussions with Vice President Richard Nixon about arrangements for transfer of authority.
        Before Ronald Reagan became the oldest candidate elected president in 1980 at 69, William Henry Harrison, 68, held the record for oldest commander-in-chief--and lasted only a month in office before dying on April 4, 1841 from pneumonia.
        Three other presidents who died in office due to illness were: Zachary Taylor, 65, in 1850; Warren G. Harding, 57, in 1923; and Franklin D. Roosevelt, 63, in 1945
Reagan answered his critics doubts that he was too old to be president; 69 days into office, when he survived a would be assassin’s bullet. The suprising way in which ``Teflon Ron’’ bounced back so quickly, put to rest any questions about his health and durability; his popularity skyrocketed, helping sail his tax bill through Congress in July, 1981
Despite his vitality in office and popularity with voters, Reagan’s advanced age began to be questioned after his first debate with Walter Mondale on October 7, 1984 in Louisville Ky., when the ``Great Communicator’’ showed his age for the first time, looking tired, confused, at times sounding inarticulate, unable to defend criticisms from Mondale.. By the time the second debate rolled around, however, Reagan skillfully batted down questions about his age, once again, with one sharp zinger: "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."
        Game. Set. Match. 
        Questions about Reagan's age impairing his ability as president went largely ignored until well after his re-election.
        Advances with medicine, proper diets, and increased physical activity are all contributing factors for living longer, something McCain has in his favor, and a big reason age might become less of factor than it did 30 or 40 years ago. In 1900, for example, 46.3 was the life expectancy; in 2004 it jumped to 75.2., according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
        Russell Riley, associate professor and chair of the Miller Center's Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia , thought that ``in the absence of health problems, most Americans are unlikely to count [McCain’s] his age against him for two main reasons.  First, 72 is not really very old anymore.  Most of us know very vibrant people in their 70s.  So 70 is the new 60.  Second, there is still a substantial percentage of the electorate around that recalls attempts to use Reagan's age against him, and it didn't work.  I think that had the effect, at least among voters 45 and older, of neutralizing that charge, whatever your feelings about Reagan were.’’
        Michael A. Genovese, professor of political science at the Loyola Marymount University, and author of ``Memo to a New President’’ doesn’t think questioning a person’s age is a legitimate ``once size fits all’’ measurment of one's ability. Each person is different with different timetables in the aging process, but Genovese points out, older presidents historically, didn’t fare well, Eisenhower being one of the rare exceptions. ``While a healthy 72 year old is certainly qualified and could serve a full term (or two), Genovese wrote in a email, Sen. McCain's POW status raises additional concerns regarding his physical health...how much did that grueling experience take out of him? ‘’
        Taken together, it looks like the only way age will play a prominent role in the presidential campaign is if voters are faced with a McCain/Barack Obama contest; when two distinct generations are pitted against one another.
        -Bill Lucey
         billlucey@bellsouth.net