1. He’s desperate.
2. He’s willing to gamble — bigtime.
3. He’s worried about the political implications of his age.
4. He’s not worried about the actuarial implications of his age. He
thinks he’s in fine fettle
5. He’s worried about his conservative base.
6. At the end of the day, McCain is still McCain. People may find him
a refreshing maverick or an erratic egotist.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12997.html