by Laurel A Rockefeller

Created on: September 01, 2008

John McCain is certainly too old to serve as president of the United States, especially in a time where the country is calling for a change of leadership and direction and technology evolves rapidly. Gone are the days where communications are slow and trends turn over once every few years. To keep pace with our world, we need a president who is savvy with the world of today, not the world decades ago, who understands and can keep up with the fast pace of events as they unfold in real time, and can respond to the needs of his constituents.

That person is not John McCain, a person who admits he lacks the basic computer literacy of the average American-even relying on his staff to check his email for him.

Is this a man who can lead a nation?

From the Senate, I can see where his age is not an issue. Many senators successfully legislate into their seventies without much issue. As the sharpness of minds diminish from the natural decay of age, there is little problem. One senator is but a single voice in a chorus; his or her failings can be dispersed among the crowd. But the presidency is a different matter. The presidency is an awesome responsibility placed upon a single executive. There is no room for a bad day where the brain plays tricks and forgets names or places. Details matter, even with the best staff to back you up. Presidents make decisions that cost people their lives and can do irreparable harm in an instant.

What if McCain were to make a decision without knowing he was making it? Once an order has been issued, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to recall it. Once someone is dead or troops have been sent in against another country in an act of aggression, the deed can't just be undone. These things are permanent. You can apologize all you want, but it won't bring someone back from the grave nor will a friendly nation accept the excuse of "oops, I didn't know I was doing that."

I have heard arguments that Mccain is in the best health in his life, but truth is that as a person ages, that health inevitably declines. The body can do nothing else. The odds are stacked against McCain there. He cannot wish that away and say that as he ages, that health won't decline. It is simply a fact of life that sooner rather than latter he will get sick and quite possibly may die in office. Should that happen, his choice of veep becomes critical.

Enter Sarah Palin, a woman with no national level experience and very little political experience at all. I for one don't trust

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