LONDON: Barack Obama, who hopes to become the first Black-American President, may be ahead of Republican candidate John McCann in some opinion polls, but when it comes to figure, he is far behind.
In fact, 'The Wall Street Journal' has indicated that Obama is too thin to win the White House as his slim physique could be a liability in a nation of mostly obese voters and it might also affect his presidential campaign.
To be specific, the report suggested that Obama might be too thin and too fit to appeal to voters who tend to like candidates with flaws that they can identify with, British newspaper 'The Sunday Times' reported.
Obama's enthusiasm for exercise first raised eyebrows last month, when he stopped three times in one day for workouts at Chicago gyms, prompting a reporter to wonder: "Sometimes it's hard to tell if Barack Obama is running for President or Mr Universe."
It has also been widely noted that Obama sometimes seems appalled when presented at election meetings with the pride of local cuisine, often a fat-smothered hunk of meat or a sugary bun dripping in aerosol cream.
While most candidates tend to tuck in fearlessly, thereby assuring themselves positive coverage in the local paper, Obama once visited a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania but turned down a piece of cake on the grounds that it was "too decadent for me".
Government statistics indicate that two-thirds of the overall voting population in the US is overweight and almost a third is obese. Yet the 6ft 1in senator is reckoned to weigh 10lb-20lb less than the recommended weight for his height.
And the notion that Obama is too thin to win was derided by many of his supporters, but the issue underlined a disturbing reality for the Democratic candidate.
