I agree with you. Yesterday afternoon when I saw this on Freerepublic, there was a thread with over 500 posts. I thought it was ridiculous that people were jumping all over this. Listen to his comments in context. I think it’s much to do about nothing, and if you fall victim to it you do look small and petty.
You would mean to tell us that had he instead said: "A new saddle on an old mare pretending to be a maverick is still an old mare" would in no way be an "age-ism" comment geared directly at his opponent?..but would simply be a common phrase about "old mares" and would only be a poorly chosen policy metaphor but would not be an intentional statement about his opponent's age or even directly his opponent personally?
...if you fall victim to it you do look small and petty.
You know. At some point, we need to stand up & speak our mind on these issues without falling overboard into the liberal "PC" mentality.
For example, when Jay Leno & his fellow late night talk-show hosts continually lambast some political candidates ONLY because of their age, I think it's worth standing up and simply say, that's failing to honor our elders. In the New Testament, "elder" is a term of honor, not derision. In late-night talk show culture, age alone = open pot shots.
So, while I don't think we need to go overboard like liberals and make everything an "ism" cause like they do, I think it's fair game to point out statements that honor others and statements that dishonor others.