Weigel

Bill Clinton, Vegan

This is the rare political fluff story that blows my mind.

Former President Clinton now considers himself a vegan. He’s dropped more than 20 pounds, and he says he’s healthier than ever. His dramatic dietary transformation took almost two decades and came about only after a pair of heart procedures and some advice from a trusted doctor… the former president now says he consumes no meat, no dairy, no eggs, almost no oil.

Dennis Kucinich’s veganism, in 2003 and 2004 (and 2007), was covered as proof of his essential weirdness. By 2008 or so, a diet that had been reserved for dog walkers and people who rescue food from dumpsters was catching on with celebrities and rich people. And now it’s something Bill Clinton can boast about. Not quite as fast a cultural shift as the one we’ve experienced with gay marriage, but pretty fast.