There have been many theories lately trying to explain John McCain's odd behavior. His confusion, his angry outbursts, his forgetfulness and his contradictory statements from one day to the next. Clearly his campaign is inept and disorganized. It's possible that he is developing Alzheimer's and all of this behavior is a symptom of dementia.
I think this needs to become part of the political narrative surrounding John McCain. Regardless of whether the question can ever be answered, it needs to be asked repeatedly on radio talk shows, in Op-Ed pieces and by journalists. It needs to become part of the debate, and it will be if you recommend this diary. If George Bush was the "wimp" candidate, John McCain needs to become the Alzheimer's candidate.
More below.
As Josh Marshall has said:
"Let's be frank. On the campaign trail this cycle, McCain frequently forgets key elements of policies, gets countries' names wrong, forgets things he's said only hours or days before and is frequently just confused. Any single example is inevitable for someone talking so constantly day in and day out. But the profusion of examples shows a pattern. Some of this is probably a matter of general unseriousness or lack of interest in policy areas like the economy that he doesn't care much about."
TPM 8/3/08
The Chances are better than one in ten.
One in eight people, 65 or older, have Alzheimer's disease. That's 13% of the demographic. Another study shows that 11% of men age 71 or older have dementia. This is over 5 million Americans. Alzheimer's accounts for 70% of all dementias for Americans 71 and over. "Since the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia increase with age, the number of people with these conditions will also grow rapidly."
(Statistics from "2008 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures" )
Confabulation: It's not lying. Sort of.
If you ask a person with a memory disorder what he said or did yesterday, he is apt to just make something up; to create a false memory. This is called confabulation. "Patients are generally quite unaware that their memories are inaccurate, and they may argue strenuously that they have been telling the truth." Sound familiar?
a) A clear example of this was McCain's interview with George Stephanopolous. McCain insisted he never used the word timetable, but when Stephanopolous pointed out that he had used it the previous day McCain just shrugged it off This kind of behavior has been seen repeatedly with McCain, insisting that he never made past statements or had voted for/against some legislation. His stance on a timeline for an Iraqi withdrawal of forces has changed too many times to recount.
Inappropriate Behavior
People with dementia may display uninhibited or inappropriate behavior such as telling off color jokes at a funeral, or wandering around naked on their front lawn. John McCain has a long history of telling vulgar and obscene jokes at inappropriate occasions, and I'd say that publicly suggesting that your wife take part in a topless beauty pageant shows inappropriate and uninhibited sexual behavior. Other changes in behavior include outbursts of frustration, swearing at inappropriate times, lack of social tact, and repetitive behavior such repeating specific acts, words or phrases over and over again.
Delusional Behavior
Sometimes confabulation is also seen with delusions or false beliefs. In this same interview, McCain claimed he was right in his pre-war prediction that Americans would be greeted in Iraq as liberators. In fact, he stated unequivocally, "We were greeted as liberators." Of course, we were not. Patients with this condition are not aware their memories are not true, and may act on them. McCain's ads attacking Obama contain many lies, such as claiming "He will raise taxes on the middle class." This is not true, Obama's tax cuts to the middle class are nine times as great as McCain's. Yet McCain keeps repeating this and other lies, insisting that they are true. This is delusional behavior, not simply political smears. Similar misstatements of fact can be found in his claims to have never put in any earmark legislation. Or, forgetting his affair with Cindy while still married to his first wife.
Fits of Spiteful Anger
McCain often appears angry and irrational saying things that don't make sense. He attempts to explain his constantly changing positions are approaching gibberish. Especially since he insists that his statements have been consistent throughout. His angry outbursts at having his judgment or actions questioned are notorious. When questioned about the truthfulness of his ads smearing Barack Obama his comments seem to be seething with rage, bitterness, spitefulness and hatred.
The media keep repeating the McCain campaign's mantra that he's a regular guy and a straight shooter. But the image he presents to the world is anything but that. It's creepy.
Below are the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's taken from the Alzheimer's Association
1. Memory loss. Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common early signs of dementia. A person begins to forget more often and is unable to recall the information later.
a) Confusing the Green Bay Packers with the Pittsburgh Steelers in recounting his POW experiences. The timing of the Anbar awakening, confusing Sunni's with Shiites, or the whether Pakistan shared a border with Iraq are similar examples
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks. People with dementia often find it hard to plan or complete everyday tasks. Individuals may lose track of the steps involved in preparing a meal, placing a telephone call or playing a game.
a) McCain was well documented difficulty reading from a teleprompter and index cards. He has acknowledged his own ineptitude in using a computer or email, relying on his wife to perform these everyday tasks.
3. Problems with language. People with Alzheimer’s disease often forget simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing hard to understand. They may be unable to find the toothbrush, for example, and instead ask for "that thing for my mouth."
a) There are numerous examples of McCain's garbled syntax and confusion with language. Staffers have recently limited access to the Press, eliminated impromptu interviews and limited his cellphone use.
4. Disorientation to time and place. People with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost in their own neighborhood, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home.
a) McCain notably confused the timeline of the Anbar Awakening and the Surge.
5. Poor or decreased judgment. Those with Alzheimer’s may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers on a warm day or little clothing in the cold. They may show poor judgment, like giving away large sums of money to telemarketers.
a) Well, wearing $520 Ferragamo loafers is only inappropriate when you are describing your opponent as an effete elitist. The disarray of his campaign, and his bellicose statements concerning Iran, Iraq, Georgia and Russia certainly show poor judgment. The failure to pay real estate taxes on the house in California for four years and the $100,000 in credit card bills are just further examples of severely impaired judgment.
6. Problems with abstract thinking. Someone with Alzheimer’s disease may have unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting what numbers are for and how they should be used.
a) McCain has admitted that economics is not his strong suit. The Tax Policy Center found that his public promises to cut taxes would cost two-thirds more over a ten year period than the plans provided by his economic advisors. He derisive comments about diplomacy in favor military action speaks volumes about his judgment.
7. Misplacing things. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
8. Changes in mood or behavior. Someone with Alzheimer’s disease may show rapid mood swings – from calm to tears to anger – for no apparent reason.
a) McCain became visibly angry when asked to explain how his Vietnam experience prepared him to be President.
b) Bob Herbert commented on McCain's temperament.
"If the McCain gaffes seem endless, so do the tales about his angry, profanity-laced eruptions. Senator Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican, said of Mr. McCain: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine."
"Senator Pete Domenici, a New Mexico Republican, told Newsweek in 2000: "I decided I didn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger."
NYT Op-Ed by Bob Herbert 7/26/08 "Getting to Know You."
9. Changes in personality. The personalities of people with dementia can change dramatically. They may become extremely confused, suspicious, fearful or dependent on a family member.
10. Loss of initiative. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may become very passive, sitting in front of the TV for hours, sleeping more than usual or not wanting to do usual act
Comments: I'm sure there are many examples of John McCain's behavior that display the symptoms listed above. Some that I forgot, others that I never knew about. Please feel free to list them in your comments, and if they're documented I'll add them to my post.
A Reply to the Comments
I'd like to thank all of you who took the time to comment on this post. I'll try to address some of the issues raised. First, of all I am not young and I have had a lot of personal experience with brain damage and dementia. I think the cognitive behavior John McCain has displayed is striking,and bears similarities to that seen in patients with dementia. Alzheimer's being the most common form. As I said at the outset, I don't think the question of whether McCain has Alzheimer's can be answered, but needed to be asked. It's a question that needs to become part of the narrative. Hopefully it will