Those elderly world leaders
McCain is fond of saying he’s “older than dirt.”
He’s really not quite that old. But perhaps he—like most politicians—can be forgiven a little hyperbole.
Nor is he as old as the oldest profession. But he is older than any other President elected for the first time.
Note the phrase isn’t “he’s older than any other President ever elected.” That’s because Reagan was inaugurated into his second term a few weeks shy of his seventy-fourth birthday.
Americans are not famous for venerating age. Although most wouldn’t agree with Berkeley Free Speech activist of the 60s Jack Weinberg that you shouldn’t trust anyone over thirty (Weinberg himself seems to have gotten past it in more ways than one—if in fact he ever believed it in the first place), polls indicate that McCain’s age might be a barrier to his election:
A 2008 Pew study found that while less than a quarter of younger voters, when told his age, considered McCain too old for the presidency, fully 40 percent of retirement-age voters regarded him as too old.
On the other hand, those who revere the superior wisdom of Europe should look to that continent’s elder statesmen. As Ryan Cole has pointed out in the WSJ, the record is pretty good for those geriatric leaders such as the triumvirate of Churchill, Adenauer, and De Gaulle. And then there’s Golda Meir and Nelson Mandela, to round it out with candidates from other continents.
Not a bad group. But as far as present-day third-world elder statesmen go, the list is more sobering, although not a complete embarrassment:
ROBERT MUGABE, 84, president of Zimbabwe, 28 years in power
KING ABDULLAH , 84, king of Saudi Arabia, 12 years in power
GIRIJA PRASAD KOIRALA, 83, prime minister of Nepal, two current years in power
ABDOULAYE WADE, 81, president of Senegal, eight years in power
HOSNI MUBARAK, 79, president of Egypt, 26 years in power
SHEIKH SABAH AL AHMAD AL SABAH, 78, emir of Kuwait, five years in power
RAUL CASTRO, 76, president of Cuba, two years in power, including unofficially
MWAI KIBAKI, 76, president of Kenya, five years in power
MANMOHAN SINGH, 75, prime minister of India, four years in power
THAN SHWE, 75, chair of Burma’s military junta, 16 years in power
A much needed boost and party rever-upper for us nose holding “maverick” RINO less than enthusiastic voters everywhere neo. Very, very timely. Thank you.
Now back to Sponge Bob…
He had better make a good choice for Vice-President.
If McCain is older than dirt, then I guess I’m older than…….hmm, better not say.
I’m amazed by McCain’s energy at his age. Think how vigorous he’d be if he hadn’t been repeatedly tortured in the Hanoi Hilton.
He’s not my first choice, but I’m supporting him and will vote for him.
I agree with Gringo. He can improve his appeal with a great VP selection.
Your forgot Shimon Peres, elected by the Knesseth as president in 2007 at the age of 84!
While this was a fine list of living leaders, recent death rates of leaders over 70 might be also quite interesting.
Which leaders have died of disease (or old age) while in office in the last two or three decades?
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were very few democratically elected leaders over 65 who died in office within 10 years.
Vice President will be a lot more important in McCain’s case due to age. (I’d like Huck, but I don’t think it’s in the cards.)
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