Relax and Take Notes...

*72

The number above does not represent the top home run hitter in baseball stats right now. Nor the famous rule in finance to double your money. Not even the number of basketball games Michael Jordan and the Bulls won in their historic NBA season.

No ladies and gentlemen… I’m talking about the age of John McCain.

Why is his age an issue? Here’s why…he could pass away at any moment! I use the term pass away because at his age, death is not usually a violent act. You don’t fall over shaking as your spirits lifts slowly from your body. Your vitality is not being ripped from you at 72. At 72 you pass away gracefully. Your vitality all but gone, slowly transfers out of your body. Your spirit, weakened from being a POW, lifts away effortlessly. Bottom line, at any minute this dude could go in his sleep and nobody would be shocked.

You want to talk about taking calls at 3 in the morning and who do I trust to take that call? I trust the guy that doesn’t need a nap at 3 in the afternoon, regardless of the night before.

For comparison purposes here are some stats for you...Currently, the average age of a Fortune 500 CEO is 56. And that average age has been dropping steadily since the ‘80s, when it was over 60. Of the current Fortune 500 companies only a handful of the CEOs are over age 69 and they are all founders in their respective organizations. These CEOs are the people that run the largest companies in the world. These people make decisions that can ruin major companies, markets and countries. Do those responsibilities sound familiar?

You want to know why that average age of a CEO has been dropping because being a CEO is more stressful now than it has ever been in history and I am not even talking about the immediate financial meltdown around the world. CEOs have to manage to quarterly financials. That means that investment projects that should pay off in 5 years have to be scrapped for the idea that will pay off in 3 - 6 months. There is no luxury of long term vision as a CEO today. Results are expected immediately and consistently.

The President’s job is several factors more stressful than any CEO’s job at any point in history.

At age 62 most corporations don’t even ask you to leave…they force you out. The Board all but tells you when your last day of work will be and if you planned your retirement out correctly, you won’t be welcoming me to Wal-Mart at 9 at night.

I don’t care who you are…you wouldn’t want a 72 year old running the multi-national company you work for or for that matter you have stock in…so how can anyone possible consider a 72 year old guy for the biggest job in the World?

The Presidency is not the last job you have, it is not the place where after a long tenure of public service in another arena people get appointed to. That job is called “Special Liaison to (insert small island country)” or “Special Correspondent on (insert obscure military or financial event)”, that is where people in public service go out to pasture.

Here's what's treal (true and real for the uninitiated) unless John McCain is an Old Testament saint you can’t have me believe that he is now just starting to peak. At the end of the day, you can’t be 72 and get my vote for leadership. Sorry like Atari, John.

Check out the link below for USATODAY’s thoughts on the subject:http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2008-08-12-obama-mccain-age-ceos_N.htm