If a President Has a Fear of Flying

Though Mitt Romney was obviously being funny (perhaps unsuccessfully) with his airplane windows line, James Fallows is convinced that he's still something of an uneasy flyer. One of Fallows' readers points out that this is no small issue when you're POTUS:

Part of the job of President is to spend a LOT of time on aircraft, both airplanes and helicopters. There's no way to avoid doing so, and the rigors of the job mean that you need to able to use the time productively for sleep and getting work done. You often talk to the press while onboard or immediately after landing. And you need to look, well, "Presidential" the moment you walk off an aircraft, often to immediately engage in a highly visible public event.

Clearly flying is not such big issue that it significantly impairs Romney, but if flying knocks you down even a little, or just gives you an unhappy day, that's not a small thing for a U.S. President.

Reminds me of the minor debate surrounding Michele Bachmann's migraine problem. No one seemed to be at all concerned about the fact that the biggest concern about migraine-prone Bachmann in the White House isn't the fact that she might have migraines sometimes. I can't say I know why people were so concerned about that.