Opinion: Thin man’s battle of the bulge

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

John F. Kennedy famously made physical fitness a national priority. And Barack Obama -- whom supporters have sought to cast as the contemporary version of the former president -- today suggested he would do the same.

During a brief discussion on controlling healthcare costs during the Democratic presidential debate in Iowa, Obama said that a return to the U.S. obesity rates that existed in the 1980s would reduce medically related expenses by $1 trillion.

Obama, of course, seems to be one of those lucky few for whom weight control is not a struggle. By the same token, he has battled a nicotine problem.

-- Don Frederick