Why worry?

An excerpt from the Sunday, June 26 Washington Post article written by Pete Baker, Washington Post staff writer. Page A01

On a personal level, Bush has spent much of his presidency fighting the advance of age with discipline. He wakes at 5:30 a.m., arrives at the Oval Office around 7 and calls it a day around 5:30 or 6 p.m. when he's in Washington. He exercises ferociously with a mountain bike, treadmill and free-weight resistance training. Yesterday, he biked for 2 1/2 hours at a Secret Service training facility in Beltsville. With a resting pulse rate of 47 beats per minute, a cholesterol count of 178 and a body fat percentage of 15.79, he remains in "superior" shape, according to his latest medical checkup.

To be in "superior" shape as one approaches the age of 60 is great. Imagine where this country could be if the same kind of discipline and dedication was applied to its welfare?


The November 13, 2000 cover of The Nation. www.thenation.com Art: Brian Stauffer/www.brianstauffer.com