McCain May Seek Only One Term

When 71 year-old John McCain was asked whether he had the stamina to serve as president for eight years, he responded by suggesting that, if he is elected, he might not seek reelection:

"If I said I was running for eight years, I'm not sure that would be a vote-getter," McCain said.

Asked later to elaborate, McCain said that every president evaluates his progress after two or three years:

"My health is good, my campaign schedule is heavier than anybody else's, and I've said many times I can out-campaign anybody," McCain said. "I think the decision as to whether to run for reelection has to do with the circumstances at the time. I really do. You shouldn't run for eight years, because then you think you've got eight years to get these things done."

McCain's single term gambit is a better approach to the age issue than Ronald Reagan's 1980 promise to undergo testing for senility.