Iraq's President Heads to U.S. To Lose Weight

[n2doc]

Iraq's President Heads to U.S. To Lose Weight


By REUTERS
Published: May 20, 2007
Filed at 9:48 a.m. ET


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Tired and battling obesity, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani flew to the United States on Sunday for rest and help in tackling his weight problem.

Talabani, in his early 70s, left from the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya in northeastern Iraq for a trip that could take several weeks.

His office denied local media reports that Talabani was suffering from any specific illness and said he was in general good health apart from his weight. It issued a statement quoting the president from a news conference on May 15.

``I don't have any health problems except my obesity and I will treat it, God willing,'' the statement quoted Talabani as saying.

``I will go ... to the United States of America to undergo general medical checks to reduce my weight.''

The former Kurdish rebel leader returned to his office in mid-March after two weeks in a Jordanian hospital, vowing that he was with Iraqis ``until the final breath.''

Talabani flew to Jordan on a medically equipped U.S. military plane in February suffering from extreme fatigue and dehydration.

His position as president is largely ceremonial but he is an influential figure at home and in Washington.

On Saturday, the Washington Post newspaper reported that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of Iraq's biggest Shi'ite party in parliament, was in the United States undergoing treatment for lung cancer.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-iraq-president.html

[soothsayer]

1. Even with the millions of dollars in petty cash we give him every month

so he can bribe his guards to protect him and bribe everyone else to do whatever, this has GOT to be a terribly stressful job. I can believe he's obese and overwraught.

[soothsayer]

2. Even with the millions of dollars in petty cash we give him every month

so he can bribe his guards to protect him and bribe everyone else to do whatever, this has GOT to be a terribly stressful job. I can believe he's obese and overwraught.

[acmavm]

3. Poor guy. But I bet there's plenty of ordinary Iraqis who would love to

go ANYWHERE just so they wouldn't lose their lives.

But I guess it's what is important that gets taken care of, isn't it. This guys inability to diet in the country that he's SUPPOSED to be running.

[malaise]

4. Where is he heading?

Liberty University -:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[MikeNearMcChord]

5. Take away his guards, throw him outside the green zone

Put him on patrol with his army. He'll lose weight quickly.

[jimshoes]

6. Psst, Talabani

quit eating as much, you will lose weight. Really. I tried it. It works.

[Horse with no Name]

7. I'm sorry

This is bullshit. He needs to be in his country dealing with the problems.
He can go to a Fat Spa later.

[donsu]

8. so Talabani and al-Hakim hop over to the US for medical treatment

I'd call the two of them neo cons. Iraqi neo cons. they don't have Iraq's best interest in mind.

[n2doc]

9. This came out yesterday but is soooo appropriate

[tjwash]

10. He's coming to the most overweight country in the world to lose weight?

What's next? A trip to Phoenix to escape the desert heat of the middle east?