Are They Really Fit for Office?

Ame

rica's lousy eating habits may be a big concern for health officials. But the Democratic candidates aren't about to make it a campaign issue, at least judging by their food fancies on the campaign trail. Wesley Clark packs away Cheetos and Gummi Bears, and when he gets cranky he sometimes demands of an aide, "I thought y'all were getting me a candy bar." An empty Hostess cupcake package can often be found next to John Kerry's bus seat; he munches on the snacks for a late-night sugar rush. Howard Dean is almost Clintonian in his appetites. In Iowa he wolfed down pork sandwiches and strawberry milk shakes, and sometimes made detours to the dessert table; once, after an aide told him there was pie in the pressroom, he braved the reporters' gauntlet for a slice.

As for John Edwards? "It's not a pretty sight," says his press secretary, Jennifer Palmieri. Edwards seldom passes up a meal at Applebee's. He chugs about a dozen Diet Cokes daily, and a piece of fruit rarely passes his lips. True, eating healthy on the trail can be tough, but Edwards' diet is said to be little different from his precampaign days; he takes his wife to Wendy's every year to celebrate their wedding anniversary (a tradition since they dined there on their first anniversary in the midst of a move).

Several of the candidates at least try to get some exercise while stumping. Clark swims five times a week, and during a campaign stop at a YMCA in Portsmouth, N.H., couldn't resist working out, even though he wore slacks and a sweater. Edwards sets aside an hour for a daily jog. And Kerry has suited up to play hockey. The healthiest trail grazer of all, however, may be Dennis Kucinich, who is a vegan, meaning he avoids all meat and dairy products. We've seen how far that's got him.