I guess it doesn’t surprise me that Tony Blair had to be hospitalized over the weekend with an irregular heartbeat. It would be difficult to think of anyone who has had a tougher political year. But even in the best of times, our major politicians lead punishing lives. The endless travel, the constant stress, the collapse of privacy: all these are terrible for the health. Is there some way we can tell these guys to take it easier? Far from believing, as some seem to, that president Bush’s predilection for long vacations at his ranch, attendance to sleep, and regular exercise, are forms of worrying idleness, I’d say his regimen shows an extremely shrewd understanding of what it now takes to be a public figure. Blair should take note.

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