John McCain reported that a routine medical checkup on Monday suggests "everything's fine" with his physical condition. McCain's clinching of the 2008 Republican presidential nomination has returned attention to his health, particularly his history of skin cancer.
The New York Times and the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes both revisited those health concerns over the weekend.
If elected on Nov. 4, McCain would become the oldest president to assume the Oval Office. He turns 72 on Aug. 29.
McCain's age and his status as a wounded war veteran are reminiscent of former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., the 1996 GOP nominee. Dole would have been 73 when inaugurated had he won that race. He lost to Bill Clinton. But political experts say there is no comparison.
McCain demonstrated that he can keep a breathless pace on the campaign trail. And McCain's 96-year-old mother, Roberta, often joined him on stage during the Republican primary season.
"Remember, these same questions were raised about Bob Dole, who was approximately the same age as McCain in 1996," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
"Well, it's 12 years later and Dole has got all his marbles and has more energy than most people half his age."
Speaking Monday to assembled national and local media inside a Swift Aviation Group hangar at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, an upbeat McCain said he had undergone "a regular checkup" that morning. He repeated that "everything's fine" several times."
"I got the full cancer check a couple of weeks ago, with my dermatologist," McCain said. "(On Monday) I just went through a regular routine. . . . Like most Americans, I go to see my doctor fairly frequently."
McCain said he intends to publicly release his complete medical records in mid-April, but some episodes are well-known.
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