His confusion about Iran and al Qaeda yesterday combined some his other behaviors may point to a possibility that many would not dare to think of, that McCain may be in the early stage of Alzheimers disease.
Instead of hiding the problem of the disease from the public like what the MSM did with Reagan, perhaps this time the media should be more open and tell us the truth.
10 symptoms of Alzheimer's disease listed here, compared to McCain's symptoms.
- 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.
McCain forgot that he had a personal meeting with Paxson, head of Florida-based Paxson Communications, before he wrote FCC on Paxson's behalf, in his response to the Lobbygate. Even though he said that he did meet with Paxson in a deposition given in 2002. I'm sure McCain wouldn't lie.
- 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.
We don't know McCain's daily routine so we can't say anything here.
- 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."
McCain misspoke about Baghdad security last year after his visit there. Although he later apologized, one has to wonder what caused him to misspeak in the first place.
He also misspoke saying that "US lives wasted" in Iraq. Why is he misspeaking so frequently?
- 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.
Can't say here either.
- 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.
Voting against the tax cut showed his good judgment. His recent support for the same tax cut indicates huge decrease in judgment. And we're not even started on Iraq...
- 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.
The jury is still out on this one.
- 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.
"An incident when McCain misplaced his feather caused a brief panic in the campaign."
- 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.
McCain's mood swings are well documated.
- 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.
We watched McCain changing from a "maverick" to someone dependent on Bush.
- 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 activities.
No sign of this.
Out of 10 symptoms, McCain shows positive on 6. It's time for him to see a doctor.
Again from the Alzheimer website:
There’s no clear-cut line between normal changes and warning signs. It’s always a good idea to check with a doctor if a person’s level of function seems to be changing. The Alzheimer’s Association believes that it is critical for people diagnosed with dementia and their families to receive information, care and support as early as possible.
Update: I didn't expect such a strong negative reaction to this diary. This was not meant to be snark. I don't know who added the snark tag. I seriously think that McCain has shown several of the typical Alzheimer's symptoms. It certainly is a legitimate question to ask. We don't want a president who cannot function on a normal level to make decisions for us. I think it was wrong for people around Reagan (and the media) to hide his illness from us. They protected Reagan but as a consequence we all suffered from it. If McCain wants to be president then he certain needs to reassure us that his health is up to the job.
For those who trollrated me, I can only say thanks for the thoughtless act. This is exactly the kind of attitude that lost the elections to people who are completely unqualified.
I noticed that I forgot to put the quoted text in quotes. From the comments I see that this caused some confusion. I fixed the quotes to make it clear that I am not attempting to make a diagnosis here.
BTW, Obama may not agree to my diary but I do not work for Obama. I'm not raising this question as a partisan attack. I'm raising it out of the concern that McCain may not be qualified for president due to medical reasons.