I've written about this before and will keep writing about it until I finally see some major media type or blogger confront the issue head on. I am referring to McCain's current mental state. The major media wait with breathless anticipation for the candidates' health reports. And then they will pore over them in minute detail for the slightest hint of a looming medical issue. But none, none of them ever addresses the mental health of the candidate. And if there even are some sort of mental ability and psychological tests run on them those tests are never discussed and their results never revealed.
Let's face facts here. McCain has at the moment a 50/50 chance of being elected the next president. His recent spate of "gaffes", "mis-statements", and general overall public performances seem to indicate a decreasing level of mental dexterity and acuity.
His misstatement of facts such as Iran training al Qaida forces, not knowing the difference between Sunni and Sh'ia, referring to the shared border between Iraq and Pakistan are certainly troubling in someone who claims have foreign policy expertise. The problems become even more amplified when he is not in a totally scripted and controlled environment. In the news conference format or the town hall setting his inability for rapid coherent responses are greatly diminished. Most of the time, he will respond to an un-anticipated question by offering an aphorism or anecdote in response. Yet even with the aid of a teleprompter McCain stumbles and lurches. And his little facial tics, inappropriate smiles, and grimaces certainly don't help.
The problem has become so great that his campaign has ruled out any news conferences for the foreseeable future and have limited the press's access to the candidate. Moreover, they have found themselves to be issuing corrections and amendations to his various statements on almost a daily basis. If we give him the benefit of the doubt and attribute all of these things to the stress of the campaign then what does that imply for the how he will function in the most stressful job in the world?
Maybe someday soon, someone in the "mainstream media" will have the balls to raise this issue but I won't hold my breath. He's not just kindly old gramps just have one of his funny turns. He is the man who wants to be our next president and leader of the free world. Scares me. Does it scare you?
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