Bill Clinton needs a cheeseburger

Bill Clinton not looking like he used to.

(Image credit: Mathias Kniepeiss/Getty Images For 2nd CGDC Annual Meeting 2012)

There seems to come a time every election season when candidates deploy their "secret weapon" (spoiler: it's their spouse). Hillary Clinton has pulled out the big guns, taking her husband, former president Bill Clinton, on the campaign trail for her in recent weeks. But it turns out that at some rallies for his wife, the well-liked former president, now 69, appears to have lost some of the energy that stirred the nation two decades ago.

Mr. Clinton... looked smaller and his voice seemed weaker than in past campaigns, and people had to strain to hear him at times. He was at his best as he finessed the intricacies of politics and policy, but he occasionally meandered, leaving the audience, including some who had lined up for hours to see him, seeming more politely attentive than inspired. [The New York Times]

Some of Bill Clinton's friends have an idea of what might be slowing him down.

"His age, his heart surgery, his veganism — I think it's all brought a calmness into his life," said George Bruno, a former Democratic Party chairman in New Hampshire and longtime ally of Mr. Clinton, referring to the former president's quadruple bypass operation in 2004 and his strict plant-based diet. While some friends say Mr. Clinton would look zippier if he ate the occasional cheeseburger — an old favorite — others say he has never been healthier, with his weight down and his heart in excellent condition."He's not as fiery as he once was, but he has an air of real self-confidence," Mr. Bruno said. [The New York Times]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.