There's been a bit of recent flap about pictures of Barack Obama that were posted online, showing him in a bathing suit and looking remarkably fit during his vacation in Hawaii.
I remember that during the election campaign, Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is still famous for his past as a bodybuilder and actor, campaigned in support of John McCain by mocking Obama's physique.
Speaking at a campaign rally, Schwarzenegger amused the crowd by saying, "I want to invite Senator Obama because he needs to do something about those skinny legs. I'm going to make him do some squats. And then we're going to make him do some biceps curls to beef up those scrawny little arms. ... Senator McCain on the other hand is built like a rock."
As it happens, ABC News has published a collection of photographs of various political leaders with their shirts off, including a picture of Schwarzenegger on the beach in Cancun in June of this year -- a few months before he made his remarks about Obama. I've therefore paired the two photos against one another.
This is a cheap shot, of course, but Schwarzenegger invited it.
In fairness to Schwarzenegger, he's in better shape than a lot of guys at age 61, which makes him 14 years older than Obama. And he's not looking quite as flabby as he did in the picture at left, which was taken in 2002.
All the same, it seems that the Governator ought to consider calling the presidential transition team to apologize and ask for a few fitness tips. Obama might still benefit from some squats to build up those legs, but Schwarzenegger looks like he could use some ab work and maybe some nutrition advice as well.