LOSING THE STOMACH FOR POLITICS

As the citizenry at large grows even larger, Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich have both slimmed down. A few months ago, apparently, Clinton began to leave a little something on his plate, not to speak of the plates of the people he was dining with. No longer was it easy to imagine that the arrival of the President of the U.S. at a conference of the leading industrialized nations would cause John Major to whisper to Jean Chretien, "Try not to get seated next to him at lunch if you value your French fries."

It's easy to guess what might have...