Sen. John McCain

Sen. John McCain 'i can see into the future'

Reuters - McCain works to answer age and health questions

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McCain works to answer age and health questions

Thursday, Mar 27, 2008 11:54AM UTC

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain is the ultimate survivor. Not only did he live through 5-1/2 years as a Vietnam prisoner of war, he also has stared down the deadly cancer melanoma.

As a young Navy pilot, he narrowly escaped death in a fire aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier Forrestal in 1967. Later that year his fighter jet was shot down over Hanoi. He ejected from his plane and broke a leg and two arms and was said to have nearly drowned when he parachuted into a lake.

As a POW, he underwent torture that included fractures in both shoulders, which left him barely able to raise his arms above his shoulders, as well as broken ribs and a badly injured knee.

In the past 15 years, he has been treated four times for melanoma, the most serious case being in 2000 when he underwent surgery on his face for the cancer, leaving him with a bulge and a long scar on the left side of his face. He has been cancer-free since then.

At age 71, McCain would be the oldest person ever to serve a first presidential term. Both Democratic and Republican strategists expect his age to be a campaign issue.

But so far, McCain has kept any doubters at bay with a tough work schedule. He holds lengthy town-hall meetings that include a speech and question-and-answer session, and he holds court with reporters on his bus on the way to events.

McCain impresses his much-younger aides with his stamina, although some of those around him have advised him to cut back on the junk food that is prevalent on all political campaigns.

"I just spent most of the time with him from Labor Day (in September) through early March, when he worked seven-day weeks, 14-hour days, and I'm 10 years younger than him, and I couldn't keep up with him," said senior McCain adviser Charlie Black.

In mid-April, McCain's team plans to release details of his medical history. He underwent a physical earlier this month that included a stress test and he also had a skin exam to see if there was any sign of the melanoma returning.

He was fine on both counts, his campaign said.

HIKES HILLS

Black said when McCain took the treadmill stress test to determine the strength of his heart, he reported afterward that "I had the performance of a 47-year-old man."

McCain is known to take the medication Vytorin to keep his cholesterol low. He also takes vitamins. For exercise, he hikes up and down the hills near his Sedona, Arizona, ranch.

Doctors say there is no reason why McCain would not be able to serve as president.

But they note that certain health risk factors come into play for Americans in their 70s, such as the potential for heart disease and cancer.

Harvard-trained cardiologist James Rippe, who wrote about the impact of stress and diet in his book, "Your Plan for a Balanced Life," says running for president is remarkably stressful and that it is important to eat well and get enough sleep and exercise.

"I think for somebody who is in their 70s who is doing something inherently stressful, really throwing his life out of balance, it is a legitimate question for all of us to ask, is his health adequate to be in the White House, to be in arguably the world's most stressful job," Rippe said.

David Carr, clinical director of the division of geriatrics and nutritional science at Washington University in St. Louis, said the fact that McCain has gone five years without a melanoma recurrence is good news.

He said since McCain has had multiple episodes of the lethal cancer, it means "people are watching him closely" for signs of a recurrence and the earlier a new episode is found, the better.

Democratic strategist Jim Duffy said he doubts the Democratic presidential nominee will address McCain's age directly but that if Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, 46, emerges as the victor in his party, an argument over generational change likely will be made.

Obama will honor McCain's lengthy service but argue that "it's time for a new generation of leadership," Duffy predicted.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Sen. John McCain

I can see into the future

Reuters - McCain calls for more vigorous U.S. diplomacy

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McCain calls for more vigorous U.S. diplomacy

Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008 7:9PM UTC

By Tim Gaynor

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain, looking to chart an independent course on U.S. foreign policy, called on Wednesday for a more vigorous international diplomacy and a new effort to rebuild frayed relations with allies.

Distancing himself from the sometimes unilateral diplomatic approach of President George W. Bush, McCain said the United States needs to live up to its responsibilities as a world leader and become a "model citizen" in the global community.

"The United States cannot lead by virtue of its power alone," the Arizona senator, back from a trip to Iraq, the Middle East and Europe, said in a speech to the World Affairs Council in California.

"Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to succeed. We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies," McCain said.

McCain, who has been criticized by Democrats for hewing too closely to the policies of Republican Bush, acknowledged the damaged U.S. image around the globe after five years of the Iraq war.

"Leadership in today's world means accepting and fulfilling our responsibilities as a great nation. One of those responsibilities is to be a good and reliable ally to our fellow democracies," he said.

McCain restated his opposition to torture and said the United States should close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba where it holds terrorism suspects.

'WE CAN'T TORTURE'

"America must be a model citizen if we want others to look to us as a model," he said. "How we behave at home affects how we are perceived abroad. We can't torture or treat inhumanely suspected terrorists we have captured."

The Bush administration has denied torturing terrorism suspects, but has admitted using waterboarding -- a simulated drowning technique widely regarded as torture -- in some instances.

McCain has clinched the Republican nomination and will face the winner of the Democratic race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in November's presidential election.

The speech in Los Angeles was his second major policy address in two days as he tries to lay the groundwork for general election campaign and keep a high public profile while the two Democratic senators continue their nomination battle.

He spoke on the economy on Tuesday.

Clinton, a New York senator, and Obama, an Illinois senator, both support relatively quick withdrawals of troops from Iraq, and McCain rebuked their stance.

"We have incurred a moral responsibility in Iraq," he said. "It would be an unconscionable act of betrayal, a stain on our character as a great nation, if we were to walk away from the Iraqi people and consign them to the horrendous violence, ethnic cleansing, and possibly genocide that would follow a reckless, irresponsible, and premature withdrawal."

He said a withdrawal from Iraq would constitute an abandonment of efforts to rebuild the U.S. image abroad.

"Our critics say America needs to repair its image in the world. How can they argue at the same time for the morally reprehensible abandonment of our responsibilities in Iraq?" he asked.

"Those who claim we should withdraw from Iraq in order to fight al Qaeda more effectively elsewhere are making a dangerous mistake," he said.

(Writing by John Whitesides; editing by Patricia Wilson and Mohammad Zargham)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http:blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

Reuters - Chavez says U.S. relations could worsen with McCain

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Chavez says U.S. relations could worsen with McCain

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008 10:22PM UTC

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a socialist and fierce U.S. critic, warned on Tuesday that relations with Washington could worsen if Republican candidate John McCain wins this year's presidential election.

Chavez said he hopes the United States and Venezuela can work better together when his ideological foe, U.S. President George W. Bush, leaves the White House next year, but he said McCain seemed "warlike."

"Sometimes one says, 'worse than Bush is impossible,' but we don't know," Chavez told foreign correspondents. "McCain also seems to be a man of war."

Chavez -- who has called Bush "the devil", "a donkey" and 'Mr Danger" -- accuses the United States of having imperial designs in Latin America and says the White House has plotted his overthrow.

McCain calls Chavez a dictator who wants to emulate retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Although Venezuela remains a key supplier of oil to the United States, relations have steadily deteriorated since Bush took office in 2001.

Chavez is an outspoken critic of the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and has accused Washington of stirring unrest in Tibet to destabilize China.

He said on Tuesday that he had better communication with the administration of former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

"Independently of who wins the elections, we are hopeful and it is within our plans to enter an era of better relations with the U.S. government," he said. "At the least one would hope for the level of relations we had with ex-President Clinton."

He did not mention Democratic hopefuls Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Both are cautious about Chavez, although Obama has said he could meet him.

Chavez, who holds office until 2013, aims to unite Latin America through socialism and promotes trade plans opposed to U.S. dominance in the region.

(Reporting by Saul Hudson; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel)

Reagan to endorse. Mccain

We make happy campaign

USA TODAY - Nancy Reagan to endorse McCain

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SANTA ANA, Calif.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan planned to endorse John McCain for president on Tuesday, as the Arizona senator continued to collect the backing of leading Republicans who might help him win over critical conservative voters.

Now certain to win the GOP nomination, McCain is on the west coast this week to raise money. He was to stop by the Southern California home of former President Ronald Reagan's widow to accept her endorsement.

In a statement before the event, Reagan said she typically waits until after the GOP convention to announce her support but she decided to do so now because it is clear the Republican Party has chosen its nominee.

"John McCain has been a good friend for over thirty years," Reagan said. "My husband and I first came to know him as a returning Vietnam War POW, and were impressed by the courage he had shown through his terrible ordeal. I believe John's record and experience have prepared him well to be our next president."

Reagan's eventual support was expected, and she will become the latest Republican heavyweight to fall in line behind McCain. She and McCain have long been close, and it was only a matter of time before she spoke up for her friend.

Her endorsement could help McCain shore up the backing of conservatives in Republican base that long has viewed him skeptically for his record of breaking with the party on some issues they hold dear. At the same time, Reagan's nod also could help further align him with the former president who attracted Democratic as well as Republican voters.

Website address: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-25-reagan-mccain_N.htm