The Page

By Mark Halperin

The Age Factor

John McCain was born in 1936. And so were: Singer Buddy Holly Congresswoman Barbara Jordan Activist Abbie Hoffman Ballplayer Don Drysdale Singer Roy Orbison

Barack Obama was born in 1961. And so were: Weatherman Sam Champion Actor Scott Baio Writer Aaron Sorkin Actress Meg Ryan Singer Toby Keith

John McCain is extraordinarily energetic for a 71-year-old; Barack Obama is remarkably grounded for a 46-year-old. But strategists for both candidates say that age could be an issue in a possible general-election face-off--although each camp sees it as a bigger problem for the other guy. At a time when the electorate seeks change, Obama's advisers say, it will not turn to a man who has worked in Washington for decades. McCain's aides are convinced they can win the cardinal argument about the necessity of experience. Historically, campaign gaffes have made age an issue: Bob Dole's tumble off a stage and Brooklyn Dodgers reminiscences underscored his old-timer status during the 1996 campaign, while Dan Quayle's deer-in-the-headlights moments in 1992 convinced some that he wasn't ready to be Vice President.

Voters might well wonder if McCain will fade in the White House--or if Obama has the seasoning for the office. So far, both candidates have kept the age issue at bay. McCain can discuss pop culture as fluidly and astutely as any politician. (He also benefits from terrific genes: note his lively 96-year-old mother Roberta.) Obama, for his part, has projected gravitas and judgment--and has rallied a flood of young voters who could offset those still wary of the new whippersnapper.

Deadlock in Denver? With the nominee undecided, Democrats could face a rocky convention

For Democrats, this is a springtime of disadvantage. Even if the party settles on a presidential candidate by June, John McCain will have already had a three-month jump on organizing the Republican Convention, hiring staff, raising funds and building a campaign machine. But if the nomination fight goes all the way to August's Democratic Convention in Denver, it could become a summer of disarray. Some Democrats worry about what Barack Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe calls a "nightmare scenario," in which both campaigns would haggle with the Democratic National Committee over speakers, delegate rules, the party platform and the critical issue of when to schedule roll-call votes. For a party with a reputation for disorganization, divergent agendas could mean chaos. Instead of being able to script the convention as a four-day coronation of their presidential nominee--the norm in recent elections--Democrats would be putting on a weeklong advertisement of their disunity.

Even if one of the candidates drops out by June, Plouffe says, "there's not going to be any basking in the sun when you become the nominee. You're going to have about 30 seconds" to enjoy the victory before turning to general-election planning. Still, he says, McCain's head start "is not going to be fatal. It is just a challenge."

Leah Daughtry, the chief executive officer for the Democratic Convention, believes the party will have a nominee in time to make the necessary decisions regarding the organization (and, more important, the television broadcast) of the convention. Yet she acknowledges, "We wouldn't be good convention planners if we didn't plan for every scenario, A through Z."

A Trade Deal In Every Pot

Mark Halperin reports from the campaign every day on thepage.time.com