Matthew Downhour: Ironically, JFK is broadly remembered for his youth and vigor while being one of our sickliest, most drugged up presidents

Ironically, JFK is broadly remembered for his youth and vigor while being one of our sickliest, most drugged up presidents

Lincoln: Marfan's, and terrible pain. Depression. FDR: Polio, and partial paralysis Kennedy*: Addison's and terrible pain * not a great President! But remembered incredibly fondly by a lot of boomers.

wondered who the healthiest president would've been, and accidentally gave my brain a splinter with the intrusive thought "if he was around today Teddy would be a CrossFit Sicko"

Arguably we've done the experiment, we know the healthiest President and it's not even close.

And, yes, TR was surely our most macho President, but that doesn't mean he was at any time in his life the healthiest.

TR was macho specifically to overcome his lack of health. Just as FDR developed his upper body strength to mask his paralysis.

And his death was supposedly significantly contributed to by a tropical illness he acquired in one of his fits of machismo.

True but getting shot then confronting and showing mercy to his would-be assassin, THEN giving an hour long speech before going to the hospital, that's more than macho that's like Most Interesting Man In The World level right there

Of course, he only survived getting shot because the bullet hit his prepared remarks, and as you said: hour-long speech.

I feel like JQ Adams is probably under-rated here too; wasn't he a big-time swimmer like his whole life

Swimming nude in the Potomic iirc

My dad worked on his campaign. He still has some of the memorabilia.

Also correct that he was not a good president.

How dare you /s

All facade.

I think the Bushes are probably pretty healthy though. Obama is going to outlast them all though.

Well elder bush lived a pretty long healthy life. Apart from barfing on the Japanese PM

LBJ: three pack a day smoker, heart attacks.

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