According to one Washington insider, the president meets an average of 175 people a day. That's almost 65,000 people a year. Multiply that by the probable number of germs on their hands, and you get a string of zeros long enough to water slide through.
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A small-hands man wouldn't last two weeks.
Just to curb the odds of death by everything, hand sanitizer has become as crucial as the Secret Service. An insider reported that one former president went through an entire bottle every week, and it's since become a staple for every major politician on the campaign trail. And because political strategists are the kinds of wizards who can spin a legitimate public health service into a bad thing, you can bet their opponents found a way to be offended. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson refuses to touch the stuff, insisting that "It's condescending to the voters" to avoid infecting yourself and everyone else you touch with super death flu.
Even Obama raised an impeccably groomed eyebrow after George Bush ran for the Purell after shaking his hand. Of course, it wasn't long before he found out why and started keeping his own aides armed with antibacterials. How did the media report it? "Barack Obama Doesn't Trust Your Dirty Hands." No word on what his own medicine tasted like, but presumably Lysol.
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