y releasing hundreds of pages of medical records to the press, Senator John McCain put to rest rumors that never should have started. The so-called ''whispering campaign'' suggesting that the Arizona Republican is not emotionally fit to be president because he was a prisoner of war for 5 1/2 years in Vietnam takes dirty politics to the bottom of the sewer.

Not only are the whispers false - reports say he suffered no residual mental problems, with one doctor stating that the senator ''had a very healthy way of dealing with his experiences'' - but the tales attempt to twist a plus into a hideous minus.

News reports say these rumors come from McCain's enemies in the Senate, though nobody will admit to starting them. Whatever the source, they are intended to strip McCain of his fine military record and the sacrifice he made for his country. Such a callous attack is an affront to all military personnel and their families as well as to civillians who have survived the ordeal of being taken hostage by political terrorists.

The absurd suggestion that McCain could snap in the Oval Office adds to public disillusion about the political process and discourages people from running, the logic being: ''If they attack courageous military service, what would they do to me?''

Few people would be comfortable seeing their medical histories reprinted in the newspaper. While McCain's openness is commendable, the publication of his vitamin intake, his use of a nasal spray for hay fever, and a report on benign polyps in his colon in 1995 go way beyond what the public needs to know to make a choice about national leadership.

The revelations stand as a warning to whisperers -- and to the media -- that there should be limits, even in politics, and that a person running for office still has a right to a private life. Restoring respect for the basic rules of fairness in what often resembles an arena of gladiators will not only benefit all candidates but is vital to the future of the democratic process.