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The Two Best Tidbits in the Romney and Ryan Physician Letters

Forget tax returns. The Romney campaign has released Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s physician’s letters, laying bare everything from their BMIs to the frequency of their prostate testing! That’s right, what would be a gross HIPAA violation for any other American constitutes a rite of passage for executive office aspirants. Below, two things that jump out at us:  

Romney’s ticker is horse-like.

You’d think the P90X fanatic would maintain the lower heart rate, but no. According to his physician’s letter, Paul Ryan’s heart rate is 59 BPM. And if that’s his resting heart rate (the note doesn’t specify), that’s actually higher than Romney’s resting heart rate of 40 BPM. And it’s more than twice the rate maintained by Ryan's closest fictional counterpart, fitness nut Chris Traeger of Parks and Recreation. (“I have a resting heart rate of 23 beats per minute. The scientists who study me say my heart can pump jet fuel up into an airplane.”)

What explains the disparity? According to this Mayo Clinic specialist, “For a well-trained athlete, a normal resting heart rate may be closer to 40 beats a minute. For healthy adults, a lower heart rate at rest generally implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness.” Mitt is nothing if not efficient. That’s why his heart beats at about the same rate of his Olympic athlete horse.

Romney's doctors can't get over his "strength, energy, and stamina"

Ryan’s physician had some nice things to say about his “excellent” health. But the evaluation provided to Romney by Dr. Randall D. Gaz was positively glowing. To wit: “He appears younger than his age. … He has reserves of strength, energy, and stamina that provide him with the ability to meet unexpected demands. There are no physical impairments that should interfere with his rigorous and demanding political career as the next President of the United States.”

Dr. Gaz also testified to Romney’s “ability to be engaged in multiple, varied, simultaneous activities requiring complex mental, social, emotional, and leadership skills.” Look for his forthcoming guest spot on Jennifer Rubin’s blog, in which he begs Stuart Stevens, et al, to showcase that Romney.