Cold or No Cold?

Is he sick or not sick?

Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign caused a bit of a buzz when it abruptly sent out an e-mail to reporters Thursday saying his public events the following day—a town hall and news conference–in Pennsylvania were being canceled.

Several political bloggers reported he had a cold and was feeling under the weather, citing unnamed campaign aides. An aide also confirmed to The Times that Mr. McCain has a cold. But Brooke Buchanan, Mr. McCain’s traveling press secretary, hurried over to reporters before a town hall meeting here and told them the senator was not sick at all.

Ms. Buchanan said she was mystified at where the illness rumors were coming from. After all, she said, he was plunging ahead with his town hall meeting at a high school here and a fund-raiser this evening.

“He’s not sick,” she said. “Otherwise, we would have canceled this.“It really is a scheduling issue,” she added but did not elaborate.

Indeed, Mr. McCain did not seem at all under the weather during his hour-long town hall meeting here, which aides said drew over a thousand people.

He continued with gusto the running count he began Wednesday of how many days it has been since Senator Barack Obama, Mr. McCain’s likely Democratic opponent, has been to Iraq; he listened patiently but responded forcefully as a woman pressed him about whether the war in Iraq was hurting the economy; and he argued vigorously that he had a “record” of working in a bipartisan fashion, as opposed to mere “rhetoric.”

The possibility that Mr. McCain might be feeling a bit rundown from campaigning is, of course, a bit more of sensitive topic than it might be for the typical candidate.

Mr. McCain’s age, 71, continues to be a source of concern for at least some voters. Last week, reporters pored over hundreds of pages of medical records his campaign released.
As part of an effort to deflect concerns about his age and vitality, Mr. McCain has kept up a vigorous campaign schedule, which often kept him going from early in the morning to late at night–although it has become much more focused on fund-raising event over the past few months.

Instead of flying to Pennsylvania Friday, Mr. McCain will hold a news conference in Milwaukee at 1 p.m. and then fly on to Long Island for a fund-raiser, before returning to Washington late that evening.

Still a long day.

Why Should Obama Go To Iraq?

After a fast and furious assault from John McCain and the RNC yesterday, Obama said last night he is now "considering" a trip to Iraq. He probably has to go now, for political purposes, but the whole idea of visiting Iraq to get a "better view" of what's going on there is kind of silly. It's not like Obama is going to change his mind about the war, regardless of what he sees.
In fact, if you want a preview of how it would play out, look no further than Nancy Pelosi, who sat down with the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday after returning from Iraq last week:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who visited Iraq last week, said she has seen nothing to change her view about the war she opposed from the outset.
"This is a mistake in every possible way," she said during an interview with The Chronicle's editorial board Wednesday. She reiterated her belief that the war has weakened the United States' international stature, has sapped resources that could be used at home and has stretched the nation's military resources to a dangerous degree. President Bush's "surge" strategy failed to accomplish its stated purpose of providing an opening for reconciliation, she added.
Obama's response would be no different. To be clear, this door swings both ways: as a matter of politics, John McCain is locked into his position on Iraq and is unlikely to change course regardless of what happens between now and November - though, to be fair, McCain can rightly say that he has a record dating back to 2003 of advocating for a change in tactics in Iraq based upon conditions on the ground.

Still, it is important for politicians - especially those running to be Commander in Chief - to visit war theatres like Iraq and Afghanistan if only to show support and respect for the troops serving there. Obama probably should have visited Iraq more than once for this reason alone.
To my mind the more damaging claim - which Obama appears to have confirmed last night - is that he never made the effort to meet privately with General Petraeus at any point during his trips to Washington.

Senator Obama had the opportunity to receive a private, unvarnished briefing from the man responsible for directing what is unquestionably the country's most consequential military operation in decades, and it appears he never sought such a meeting. It's a small detail, but one that could prove part of a larger, more damaging narrative for his campaign as the general election gets into full swing.