Obama and the DNC Target Hispanics in Swing States

This time, there was no hurricane to stop them. John and Cindy McCain visited the Red Ribbon Ranch oil field in Bakersfield, Calif., before a fundraiser at a nearby country club. (By Mary Altaffer -- Associated Press)

-- Robert Barnes

A DERMATOLOGIST VISIT

McCain Has 'Nick' Removed

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- John McCain had a small "nick" removed from his face Monday morning during a routine checkup with his dermatologist in Phoenix, but the Republican candidate said he is "sure, absolutely," that it is nothing serious.

Earlier in the day, a small round bandage had covered what a campaign aide described as a "spot" that had been excised from McCain's face. The senator from Arizona removed the bandage before briefly addressing reporters at an oil field here.

"By the way I, as I do every few months, visited my dermatologist this morning and she said I was doing fine," said McCain, who has checkups every three months. "Took a small little nick from my cheek as she does regularly, and that will be biopsied just to make sure that everything is fine."

McCain suffered from melanoma, a type of skin cancer in 2000 and had a growth and more than 30 lymph nodes removed, a procedure that has left a scar on the left side of his face. He had another bout in 2004, but doctors since have given him a clean bill of health.

McCain used the episode to urge Americans to wear sunscreen and to have any discoloration checked by a doctor. "Melanoma is a preventable occurrence," he said, adding that sun damage during youth often is the culprit. "That's the end of my lecture from the American Dermatology Association."

Michael Yardley, spokesman for the Mayo Clinic, issued a statement later in the day:

"This morning, as part of his commitment to monitor his dermatological health on a regular basis, Senator John McCain visited the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, for a routine examination. As a precaution, a biopsy was ordered of a very small area on Senator McCain's right cheek. This is a routine minor procedure."

-- Robert Barnes