If there is one thing you can call John McCain, it's "survivor." Having survived years of torture at the hands of the north Vietnamese, which included broken bones and malnourishment as well as illness, as well as cancer, the Arizona senator has endured. And his doctors are expected to say that he's not only endured, but he's endured well.
Aides and doctors for McCain - who often boasts he hiked the Grand Canyon "rim to rim" last year during a three-day trek with his son - insist he is remarkably healthy.
"It only takes one day on the road with John McCain to know that what doctors say about his health is absolutely true," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. "He's in excellent shape."
Aides told The News that, like many men his age, his medicines are limited to baby aspirin (to prevent heart attacks), Vytorin for cholesterol (now pegged at a respectable 155) and the occasional Claritin for allergies.
There was no mention of Viagra, however, which former Kansas Senator Bob Dole advertised after his failed bid for the Presidency in the 90's.
It does say something to the seriousness given to the public's concerns about McCain's fitness to be President at his age. He'll be 72 on election day; Hillary Clinton is 60 and Barack Obama is 48. Still, his doctors have given him a clean bill of health for being able to carry out his duties if elected Commander-in-Chief.
Personally, I know men half his age who wouldn't pass the same physical with such high marks. Perhaps it's a throwback to his military training and the career spent in service to his country, learning through the years to remain physically fit and active. Whatever the case may be, it seems to have worked, and we may be seeing a new rise in interest in "the McCain Plan" when it comes to our health as individuals in this country, following the example of the man who would be President.
Once and Always, an American Fighting Man (who's now back on a diet after writing that...)
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