"Being president is not worth spending two years in Holiday Inns," said Senator Walter Mondale before his run for the presidency. That statement never came back to haunt him against Ronald Reagan. He was annihilated in the 1984 campaign after Reagan defended his age of 73 by quipping, "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."
Once more age and experience are an issue in the presidential race. Senator McCain continually challenges Barack Obama's leadership ability and the 70-something senator from Arizona countered the clamour behind his younger Democratic rival's visits to Afghanistan and Iraq by trekking to New Hampshire. A single reporter greeted McCain at the airport. The ex-war hero was undaunted by the reception or lack thereof. He's an old dude who knows that Dixville Notch has voted for the winning president for over a 100 years.
"Barack can have the Mideast. All I need is a plurality in Dixville Notch, Vermont."
Barack Obama has yet to comment on this strategy.
Today Israel. Tomorrow the West Bank.
Personally I would rather be in Dixville Notch.
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