Dems' Coded Message: McCain Is Old

To a chorus of Republican indignation, Democrats are taking subtle swipes at John McCain's, er, septuagenarian status. From Joe Scarborough saying the "doddering" 71-year-old "needs to go to Miami Beach and play checkers” to John Kerry calling him “confused” or Barack Obama, 46, noting McCain's “half-century of service,” conservatives see sleights. “It is code; there is no question,” said a Republican strategist. “They are trying to raise doubts.”

Polls show age worries more voters than race, so Republicans are purposely overreacting to “put a lid on the kind of language we use,” says Democratic consultant Jonathan Prince. Kerry called the backlash “unfair and even ridiculous” against what Budoff Brown terms a "crypto-ageist strategy." Adds Prince: "They have become very adept at grabbing every opportunity they can to turn it into a personal slur.” (More John McCain stories.)