"I've Got a Problem ..."

Clinton is also lucky that he's relatively young — although not that young. The average age for a first heart attack is in the mid-50s; King had a bypass at 54, and talk-show host David Letterman had one at 52. Clinton is likely to get through this routine-though-serious surgery with no problem. (Only 1% or 2% of the half a million or so people who have coronary bypasses each year die under the knife.) His biggest problem at the hospital might be overcrowding: the Emir of Kuwait, also in for treatment, has taken several rooms on the same floor as Clinton.

The fact that dieting didn't cure him of heart disease hardly means it was a waste of time. Whatever damage Clinton was doing to his arteries when he was abusing his body was probably put on hold while he cleaned up his act. And if he keeps eating right and exercising after the surgery, he has a good chance of staving off more serious heart problems. For now, he just wants to get it over with. "Republicans," quipped an upbeat Clinton last week, "aren't the only people who want four more years."