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ON THE TRAIL

May 19, 2008

John McCain is 71 years old, and his age has provided late-night comics with some easy punch lines. On "Saturday Night Live," he joined in. "I ask you, what should we be looking for in our next president?" McCain said. "Certainly, someone who is very, very, very old. ... I have the courage, the wisdom, the experience and, most importantly, the oldness necessary," McCain said. "The oldness it takes to protect America, to honor her, love her and tell her about what cute things the cat did."

McCain's national finance co-chairman has stepped down. Former Texas Rep. Thomas G. Loeffler, one of McCain's key fundraisers, resigned after the campaign last week instructed staff to disclose all lobbying ties and to make certain they are no longer registered as lobbyists or foreign agents. Loeffler lobbies for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., which with Northrop Grumman Corp. won a lucrative contract to provide air refueling tankers for the Air Force. McCain helped scuttle an earlier contract that would have gone to a competitor, Boeing Co.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said yesterday he'd like to be McCain's running mate. "There's no one I would rather be on a ticket with than John McCain," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "But whether or not I do the best for him, that's something that only he can decide." Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister who had strong support from religious conservatives, won the leadoff Iowa caucuses and seven other states. He left the race in March after McCain clinched the nomination.