Let me state right upfront: John McCain is not my candidate. Even with his Annie-Get-Your-Gun running mate from Alaska, this is one die-hard Hillary supporter who’ll be voting for Obama-Biden come November.

That said, while I have many reasons for not supporting McCain, his age is not one of them. Personally, I’m tired of hearing about how John McCain is too old to be president. That’s ridiculous. The man is in perfectly excellent health, and that’s all that matters when it comes to age. Is he healthy enough? Yes. Enough said.

Some of the complaints about Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, are that she is too inexperienced for that level of office. That may be. But what irked me in those conversations was all the talk about how she is too inexperienced to be a heartbeat away from the presidency—particularly given McCain’s age.

So, if she were on the ticket with someone younger, suddenly her scant two years as a governor would be enough?

No surprise here—I also wasn’t a fan of Ronald Reagan. And he was getting along in years when he served as president. But it wasn’t his age that was the problem. If anything, it was the now fairly well-established fact that he began suffering the early effects of Alzheimer’s disease while in office that bothered me.

If you’re reading this rant, and you haven’t read my colleague Elizabeth’s thoughtful look at the candidates’ positions on Social Security, you’re missing the point. Let’s keep the debate (and the candidates) focused on the issues that matter. Age—along with gender and race—is not one of them.

—Lori Woehrle