Chuck Norris, aging actor, says John McCain is too old

Now we know who Mike Huckabee is really worried about competing against for the Republican nomination. Sunday, the genial winner of the Iowa Republican caucuses sent his kickboxing attack dog Chuck Norris out to go after Sen. John McCain.

McCain, who's been given up for dead a couple of times in his life, the latest one politically, is riding high this morning heading into the closing campaign days for the Florida primary after his Saturday victory over Huckabee in South Carolina and his win before that in New Hampshire. It seems McCain and the struggling Fred Thompson siphoned off enough of Pastor Huckabee's expected evangelical votes to deny him victory in the Palmetto State, despite Huckabee dredging up the old Confederate flag issue.

Chuck is the noted late-night TV gym equipment salesman and arguably is -- well, maybe not arguably -- one of the worst actors since the Greeks invented drama. Although he does appear to throw a good grenade and spray a blazing machine gun.

But Norris has endorsed the 52-year-old former Arkansas governor for...

the GOP nod and, since acting jobs are apparently scarce nowadays, seems to spend just about every waking moment about a foot or two behind Huckabee's shoulder, grinning, for virtually every photograph at virtually every campaign stop. Presumably, the Arkansan believes such celebrity will help attract votes.

On Sunday, Norris hosted a fundraising barbecue for Huckabee at the weightlifter's Texas spread, the Lone Wolf Ranch, near Navasota. He made a point of telling reporters he was concerned about McCain's health and age, which is very kind and thoughtful but may have also had a political point. Surrogates for presidential candidates, including Bill Clinton, rarely say anything unplanned.

McCain is actually not the oldest candidate in the race. That distinction belongs to Rep. Ron Paul, who's 72 already, and although he has thousands of enthusiastic young supporters, many more millions of campaign dollars than Huckabee and took second place in Saturday's Nevada GOP caucus, seems stalled in the lower ranks of Republican candidates.

So Norris, who has played a Vietnam POW in the movies, isn't worried about the Texas congressman. He's concerned for the Arizona senator, a former Navy squadron commander who was an actual POW in Vietnam for about six years, wasn't rescued after being shot down and has difficulty combing his hair now because his tortured, broken arms won't go that high. McCain on inauguration day 364 days from this morning would be, at 72, the oldest man to take office.

“I didn't pick John to support," Norris explained, "because I'm just afraid that the vice president would wind up taking over his job in that four-year presidency. We need to find someone that can handle it for four years or eight years ... that has the youth and vision and communication skills to make that work.”

Of course, McCain picking Huckabee as his vice presidential running mate could solve that problem. However, that's what Chuck says he thinks today. But what does he know? He'll be a creaky 68 on Inauguration Day and at that advanced age could well be fumbling for the TV remote, watching his old ads through the nights from assisted living.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photo: Gerald Herbert / Associated Press

Comments

[David B.]

And Reagan was what, 70 when he took office? So I guess Ronnie's youthful vision must have run out half way through his first term then.

[Ms Falsey Daniels]

SHAME ON CHUCK NORRIS I WOULD NEVER HAVE EXPECTED HIM TO SAY SOMETHING SO STUPID . EVERYONE DESERVES A CHANCE AND IT IS UP TO THE VOTERS , KEEP OPINIONS TO ONES SELF AND LET THE VOTERS DECIDE THANK YOU .

[Ms Falsey Daniels]

it s up to the voters thank you kindly

[Susan Kachmar]

I think age matters depending on the person. It appears that Ron Paul and John McCain are lucky men to have more than the usual amount of energy for their given ages. Not that it matters at this point, but our current president frequently looks tired and is considerably younger and admittedly needs a considerable amount of sleep. When Clinton was in office, and was at a good age, he apparently needed little sleep and seemed to have quite a bit of energy. However looking at him now I would NOT elect him to office because fatigue is making that man say stupid things. He looks tired and acts tired. I don't see that with McCain or Ron Paul.

[Keith]

Sure, and if McCain's the eventual Republican nominee, the media won't make an issue of his age. Neither will the Clintons. You bet.

[Rob]

NO MCAMNISTY FOR ME! I live in Southern California and John McAmnisty wants to give our country away like Presidente Jorge Bush is doing. I want the border shut tight and the mexicans rounded up and put back in their own country. My neighborhood has gang tagging, the schools can't give away free lunches and breakfasts fast enough. "push 1 for English" is now the norm... I want my country back! The demoncrats, McAmnesty and his shamnisty pal Lindsey Ghramnisty sure won't get my vote. I would rather vote for a demoncrat, let them screw things up for four years, and then try again with a REAL conservative. I want an angry white man to step up and TAKE MY COUNTRY BACK! Maybe Lou Dobbs will run.

[nancy]

And how old are you Carlos...........?????

[Craig]

Chuck Norris is loved by a good percentage of the american population and is a great spokesman for any candidate. I think this was a great move on Huckabee's behalf. GO WALKER!!!!

[Craig]

Chuck Norris is loved by a good percentage of the american population and is a great spokesman for any candidate. I think this was a great move on Huckabee's behalf. GO WALKER!!!!

[SFKyle]

You're not suggesting that Dr. Paul's age is what is keeping him stalled in the lower ranks. Mr. Malcolm, please take a look at this page from your very own newspaper.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-covertrail30dec30,1,6838999.htmlstory?coll=la-politics-campaign

"Snapshots of the Candidates," guess who's conspicuously absent? Conspicuous because Mr. 911 is featured even though he's routinely trounced in primaries, caucuses, and debates by Paul. "Snapshots" is featured prominently throughout the LA Times web pages. And this same media bias is endemic nation wide.

[Tannim]

To qutoe Indiana Jones: "It's not the age, it's the mileage."

McCain has a lot of mileage, no doubt, and most of it from after he was released was bad: McCain-Feingold campaign finance law assault on the First Amendment, McCain-Kennedy amnesty assault on property rights and our national sovereignty, those are the two biggest. Plus the man is a hawk, having no real clue about justified war vs. unjustified war. He is a Bush clone.

But Chuck Norris is only 4 years younger, so he really doesn't have much room to talk. He has his own baggage and bad mileage, too.

And Huckabee's mileage is just as bad as McCain's but different: ethics violations, pardoning a murderer or two, hompohobic rants, wanting to rewrite the Constitution in "God's image", and in general being up in the Tom Cruise ranks of total kooks.

Dr. Paul is the oldest candidate in the race, but his mileage is low, mainly because he has been consistent in his message over 30 years, and hasn't had to pander or flipflop to get elected. That's another benefit of following the Constitution: one does not have to execute mental gymnastics to spin things, and that adds a lot of bad mileage. Plus Dr. Paul, being a physician, is in excecllent shape and runs miles daily, and that makes a big difference. He may be 72, but he has the political Constitution of a man 150 years younger and the physical constitution of a man 20 years younger.

[Andy in B-more]

Chuck is right, in that Huck has great communication skills.

He has skillfully communicated that he wants to change the constitution to reflect God's word.

However, he didn't communicate "which" god precisely, but we can guess, right?

Frankly, I would love to know what ammendments Jesus would sponsor.

He must of communicated these to Huck directly.

[Kathy]

Chuck Norris of the plastic face lifts says someone is too old? First, it's a nasty statement from someone who purports to be a nice guy and who chose a fictional persona that goes after crooks, not decent public servants running for president.
Mr. Norris is hawking exercise equipment and frankly I find him way too old for that, standing next to aging model Christie Brinkley, both of whom have had extensive work done to their faces and can barely change expressions. To me, that screams too old, not to mention sets a terrible example about having to spend a fortune to hide what should be a normal fact of life. Campagining for president is the toughest lifestyle imaginable and anyone doing that is by definition young enough.
Chuck Norris is a pampered "coulda been a contendah" and has no class.

[sean k]

angry white man rob- Sounds to me like you're talking about the wrong election. You should be worrying about who you're going to vote for as your local Klan representative.... You're probably the only idiot who hasn't had enough of 'angry white men' running the country for the last 8 years.

[MFox]

Pundits wrung their hands over Ronald Reagan, too. They worried about him being too old to make it through one term.

[Eric Bossard]

Remember the movie, "Bridge Over the River Kwai"? My father was captured by the Japanese and spent 4 years as a POW working on the "Death Railway". He never spoke in detail about this horrendous period of his life.

John McCain is a war hero, but he is a hero who has suffered physically and emotionally as a POW.

How can the pressures of the U.S. Senate be compared to the pressures of the most powerful political office in the entire world?

[aleks]

Chuck Norris is 67? You're kidding me.

If he looks like that at 67 and Huckabee's lost 7,000 pounds, they're wasting their time running for president. They could achieve more, earn more, and gain more power in the health guru industry.