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John McCain is too old to be president. It抯 pretty simple. The office ages you dramatically. Just take a look at before and after pictures of Bush and Clinton. They appear to have been brutalized by time. It is not an easy job. It is about as demanding as any job gets and the daily responsibility would age anyone. Problem is, John McCain is already old. And please don抰 bring up your ageism bullshit. He抯 old, regardless of his actual age, the man is already showing signs of wear that make him too run down for the job.

This may come as a surprise to you, but age can actually wear down a person抯 cognitive ability. Sure, it depends on the specific individual, but from what I have seen, McCain is a shadow of the man he was in 2000. The quick wit is gone, replaced by increasing episodes of confusion. Too often he can抰 answer questions because his ability to is gone. He constantly stumbles and makes horrible errors. Consider a recent statement: 揟he fundamentals of the economy are strong.Years ago, McCain would never has said something so simplistically stupid on the day the economy was turning to shit. But if, on the off chance he had, he would have quickly recovered. Now, he doesn抰 even know he抯 said something idiotic until his staff tells him. That抯 just sad.

His supporters say his mother is alive and well. Oh, well his dad died at 70, so what抯 your point Does anyone actually think it抯 a good idea to have a president who does not want to work on weekends

Instead, after workweeks full of fundraisers, town hall meetings and interviews, McCain has been, in campaign parlance, 揹ownon nearly every Saturday or Sunday for 20 weeks, largely sequestered away from the news media.

He抯 usually spending time with family, friends and campaign advisers at residences in Arlington, Va., and Phoenix or vacation homes near Sedona, Ariz., and San Diego.

Well, that bodes well for a McCain presidency. I mean, Bush vacationed more than any president in history and look how that worked out.

His aides don抰 want to wear him out and risk raising fears about his age by pushing him so much so that he gets sick.

Last month, campaign staffers at his headquarters sought to give him an entire Friday free of public events, citing a cold as the reasoning for scrapping the day抯 schedule. But when McCain got wind of the plan, he rebelled and forced his aides to schedule a news conference.

Oh, that抯 even better. The people around him see the effect of working long hours and want him to take it easy. Why Because he抯 old and it抯 showing. On the campaign trail the last thing they want the American public to see is the advancing age of McCain. For them, it is better to have McCain seen less and receive less press, than to totally blow it. Just what we need in a president.

If McCain wins, he will be the oldest elected president. He will be the age of Reagan in his second term. Is that a good comparison The old, Alzheimer抯 riddled guy He is older than FM radio, the Golden Gate Bridge, plutonium, Indonesia, Pakistan, and McDonald抯. He could be a sharp and capable 72-year-old, but he appears not to be.

Age affects everyone differently. Some people are still doing well mentally at 72; McCain does not appear to be one of those people. And the media is just allowing his gaffes and slips to breeze by. His age is, and should be a major point of discussion. But the fear of 揳geismruns rampant. It seems to be on the level of sexism or racism, when it is nothing of the sort. People deteriorate, as they get older. They do not because they are black or a woman. It is a legitimate question to ask and more so because McCain抯 health record. Having secret cancer operations is not a great way to show your spryness. Only allowing reporters 3 hours to look at your thousands of pages of medical records is not either.

McCain is losing his mental sharpness. It抯 obvious to anyone who watched him over the years. He should be preparing for retirement, not running for president. He seems to be running because of the past, trying to right a wrong that occurred in 2000. Honestly, it just seems weird that a man who doesn抰 want to work that much wants to be president.

I抳e known a few old people in my time. Many start to lose their sharpness, their quick wit and they put on their cranky pants more often. The difference between early Reagan and 1985 Reagan was startling and the same is true of McCain. I抦 not saying McCain has Alzheimer抯, just that time has caught up with him and he抯 not the man for the job.

I’m hardly alone in noticing the changes that have occurred in John McCain. People are whispering about his confusion, his slow delivery, his deterioration, but unlike the issue of Obama’s race, it is not being openly discussed.

It is not a question of age. One eighty-three year-old woman took me aside last week, a woman who’s as sharp and quick as she was when I first met her forty years ago, and asked me, “Why is no one talking about the fact McCain appears to be suffering from the early stages of some kind of dementia”

Because our media is too scared to bring up what should be one of the most important factors in this election. There are age limits on being an airline pilot and a police officer for a reason. If someone is 72-years-old, they should have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are capable of doing the job. McCain is proving he is not on a daily basis.

But the media doesn抰 touch the subject. Why 揂geism.Everyone is apparently too scared to upset old people or a specific old person named John McCain, which is insane, because it抯 the FUCKING PRESIDENCY. It should and must be discussed. 揢psetting peopleis not applicable when an old man is running for president. You don抰 get the benefit of the doubt when you are running to be the leader of the most powerful military on Earth. No fucking way. It抯 astoundingly stupid not to question his mental abilities.

FearTheReaper is a writer, actor and stand up comedian. Check back each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for more from FearTheReaper and read his blog, Stop All Monsters.