Speaking at a Hillary campaign rally this afternoon, John Murtha declared that John McCain was too old to be president. Watching the clip of it brought a smile to my face. Specifically, here’s what Rep. Murtha said:

“I’ve served with seven presidents,” Murtha told a union audience. “When they come in, they all make mistakes. They all get older.”

“This one guy running is about as old as me,” he said, drawing laughter and applause. “Let me tell you something, it’s no old man’s job.”

It’s worth noting that Rep. Murtha is 75 going on 110 while Sen. McCain is 71, going on 51. Let’s just say that Rep. Murtha looks less than fit. Meanwhile, Sen. McCain looks as fit as anyone still in the race. What’s most fascinating to me is that Murtha actually gave Sen. McCain a nice opening when he said that “When they come in, they all make mistakes.”

Sen. McCain is right in pointing to his experience as a reason why he won’t make as many mistakes as someone as green as Obama and Hillary. That’s something Sen. McCain did earlier this week:

Earlier this week, McCain was asked about his age and he joked about it, at first feigning sleep.

“Watch me campaign. We keep a heavier schedule. We campaign harder,” he said Monday during The Associated Press annual meeting. “People will judge me by my performance. I am confident that my energy, my intellect, my experience, and my judgment is what American people will, hopefully that they will view me as qualified to be president of the United States.”

Here’s Sen. McCain’s specific response to Rep. Murtha’s attacks:

McCain, in an interview with FOX News on Wednesday, said, “I invite John to come out with me on the campaign trail. I out-campaigned everybody else and that’s why I’m the nominee of my party. I can certainly out-campaign either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton.”

This is a losing attack for Democrats. It isn’t difficult to spot John McCain’s vitality and energy. only an old fart like Murtha wouldn’t notice that.

I suspect that Sen. McCain loves the thought of John Murtha shooting his mouth off in this race. Sen. McCain looks positively youthful compared to Murtha. Additionally, Rep. Murtha is the poster child for Washington corruption while Sen. McCain has a reputation of integrity. It can’t hurt that Rep. Murtha is campaigning for another ethically challenged candidate in Hillary Clinton. That’s a contrast that the McCain campaign should welcome.

Technorati: John Murtha, Hillary, Corruption, John McCain, Integrity, Election 2008

Cross-posted at Murtha Must Go