Washington, DC – Even before his admission that he needed to lose the five pounds he had gained since his last physical, President Bush, surprisingly, has long been labeled “overweight” by the federal government over which he presides and would actually need to shed 20 pounds to lose the official fat label.
While his personal physicians proclaimed him in “superior health,” President Bush, who bikes up to 120 miles a week and once graced the cover of Runner’s World, is the victim of the very flawed standard that is fueling the over-hyped “obesity epidemic” today.
This standard, called the Body Mass Index (BMI), is decidedly faulty since it only takes height and weight, and not muscle mass, into consideration. A BMI over 25 means you’re “overweight” and over 30 means you’re “obese.” The President, with a BMI of 27, is officially overweight, but in good fat company; Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a BMI of 33, is considered “obese” and celebrities like Matt Damon, Will Smith, and Bruce Willis are also in the “overweight” category.
Even more ridiculous, in 1998 the U.S. government changed the standard by which overweight is measured. As a result, over 30 million Americans were shifted from a government-approved weight to the overweight category — without gaining an ounce! President Bush, famous celebrities and athletes, and millions of ordinary Americans have all fallen victim to this flawed standard which is also the basis for the faulty claim that 65% of Americans today are overweight or obese.
These exaggerations have led the food police at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and trial lawyers (led by John “Sue the Bastards” Banzhaf) to promote “fat taxes” and restaurant lawsuits to force the President (and all of us) to slim down.
“When President Bush—arguably the fittest man to ever hold the office—is labeled overweight, we need to question the so-called ‘obesity epidemic’ and demand a recount,” said Dan Mindus, senior analyst for The Center for Consumer Freedom.
Does the government think you’re fat? Take the test at www.BMIscale.com. Plug in your height and weight to get an instant verdict on how the government stacks you up against the President and many Hollywood stars.
