Clinton health worries jolt campaign

The subject of Hillary Clinton's health suddenly became a major topic over the weekend, following her early departure from a 9-11 memorial service and video of her stumbling that came to light shortly afterwards. As ABC News reports, the issue comes at a critical juncture for the presumed favorite to win the White House:

Hillary Clinton's Health Scare Creates Major Campaign Moment

It is far easier to argue that your opponent is not fit to serve if you can provide confidence that you are fit to serve yourself.

That's part of how Sunday's medical episode involving Hillary Clinton, followed by contradictory and incomplete explanations from Clinton's campaign, makes for a major campaign moment that has the potential to upend the race to the White House.

Fitness now takes on literal meaning and outsized importance in a tumultuous campaign that already seemed to see everything. Questions around Clinton's health figure to compete for space with how Clinton's campaign handled the fallout for at least the next few days, if not right through Election Day.

One bad health spell -– assuming it's only that –- could have the impact of legitimizing concerns raised by an opponent that Clinton has been actively seeking to delegitimize. It puts Clinton's allies in an awkward spot in what was already set to be a difficult phase of her campaign.

The danger for the Clinton campaign is compounded by the fact that, so far, Donald Trump and his campaign have shown uncharacteristic restraint and avoided trampling the storyline. With Trump narrowing gap in recent days, the way both campaigns handle the touchy issue of Clinton's health could re-set the race entirely.