The Obama Workout

Maybe Barack Obama is beefing up so that, should talks without preconditions deteriorate, he can go mano-a-mano with Hugo Chavez. Politico reports that the president-elect has been spotted so frequently at the gym at Regents Park residential towers, which are near the University of Chicago, that college students hardly flinch anymore when they see him. The complex's security chief is tight-lipped about Obama's routine: "I can't tell you." But Jonathan Martin spotted "a collection of in-demand new workout machines, including elliptical machines, stair-climbers, and a row of stationary bikes with a view out onto Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan." Among the residents of Regents Park is Obama aide Michael Signator, which may explain why Obama chose the building for his workouts.