Chuck Norris Better Not Dare McCain

"This guy may be 71, but he's got the energy of a kid," said one associate.

"He's up at 6 a.m. and works until very late. He doesn't get tired. It's crazy," said one campaign insider. Actor Chuck Norris, who has been campaigning with Mike Huckabee, has publicly worried that McCain is too old to be president and may not live out his term if elected. His comments have long been echoed in private by other campaigns who say that McCain can't win because he looks old and thus appears to represent the past. But insiders say that Norris's comments lit a spark under McCain, who has fought back with even longer hours, more public access, and the teaming with one of his younger children.

"He gets the MTV generation and I think they like him back," said another insider. "They can see the youth in his eyes and not just his white hair."

By Paul Bedard