This is just something that has annoyed me for a while and in light of todays New York Times piece about age I thought I would clarify the quote.
From the NYT today
(Mr. Obama himself in May said that Mr. McCain was “losing his bearings.”)
The NYTs implied this was a slur against McCain's age. This is because they apparently don't know what "losing your bearings means."
This is a link to the video of Obama saying this to Wolf Blitzer
Everyone seems to think "losing your bearings" means losing your 'ball bearings" and is synonymous with losing your marbles.
First, that would be a mixed metaphor and second, THAT IS NOT WHAT IT MEANS.
Losing your bearings is a nautical term that refers to losing your navigational direction and therefore your way.
With that in mind, Obama's comment was not questioning whether McCain's mind was intact, it was questioning whether McCain had lost his moral compass by trying to smear Obama with Hama's support.
(This was said at a time when McCain was insisting he would run a campaign without smears.)
This is not a huge deal but I am tired of seeing this term endlessly misunderstood. I am also tired of hearing it used as an example of Obama making a slur about MCain's age. Assuming Senator Obama meant the term just as he said it then, it was not a slur.