Is Anyone Fit To Lead?
How the presidential candidates are staying in shape as they race toward the White House (Nov '07)
by Kimberly Flynn
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Rudy Giuliani | Former mayor, New York City | Age 63
Giuliani’s biggest health claim to fame so far has been surviving a bout with prostate cancer. After being diagnosed in 2000, he adopted a lycopene-rich diet and began running two to three miles a day on his treadmill. He received treatment for the disease and has been cancer-free since January 2001. “America’s mayor” is now a strong advocate for prostate specific antigen screenings, but his positions on other health topics still remain rather murky. He has announced the general outline of a national plan. The crux? Instead of expecting you to rely on your employer to provide health care, he wants to provide tax incentives to encourage you to buy your own insurance.
John McCain | U.S. senator, Arizona | Age 71
The decorated war veteran has undergone surgery to treat an enlarged prostate and two rounds of skin cancer. He has a bum knee and limited range of motion in his arms, caused by years of torture as a POW in Vietnam. He also smoked until he was 45 and doesn’t often hit the gym. But McCain consistently gets a clean bill of health on his frequent medical checkups, and he regularly hikes near his Arizona home. Last year, he and his son hiked across the Grand Canyon from rim to rim. In the Senate, he was another sponsor (along with Edwards and Kennedy) of the Patients’ Bill of Rights. He had yet to announce his health-care plan by the time we closed this issue, but in the past he has advocated giving more decision- making power to your doctor, rather than to your HMO.
Mitt Romney | Former governor, Massachusetts | Age 60
It’s no surprise Romney is a sports fan: He was president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics. These days, he runs a couple of miles every other day. He also likes biking, skiing, and waterskiing. In fact, each year he and his five sons hold a family minitriathlon. Romney tries to eat several small meals throughout the day; he’s partial to turkey sandwiches and his wife’s homemade granola with skim milk. As governor, Romney enacted vast health-care reform, including legislation requiring all the state’s citizens to purchase insurance. Romney had not yet unveiled his national health-care plan, but it most likely won’t require you to buy your own health insurance—he appears to favor leaving that decision in the hands of each state.
Fred Thompson | Former U.S. senator, Tennessee | Age 65
Although the seasoned actor and former senator hadn’t announced his candidacy by press time, it certainly looks likely. In April, the Law & Order star revealed that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma (a relatively rare form of cancer) back in October 2004. Thompson was treated with medication, and he is now in remission. His diet and exercise routine haven’t been made public, but he is said to be in very good health. Since he’s not an official candidate, he hasn’t announced a health-care plan, but in the past he has opposed a universal health-care system like Canada’s, saying the treatment delays in that system are unacceptable.
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