Shameless Electioneering

How quickly do Presidents go grey! Despite still looking good for his age, President Obama is noticeably greyer, four years after he became leader of the free world. Vanity Fair just came out with a long profile in which Obama speaks openly of the stresses of his job -- too openly for the record, in fact, because today's New York Times reports that journalist Michael Lewis (above left with O.) had to hand in his copy to the White House before publication, so that quotations could be approved. Lewis's access was apparently unprecedented:

Over an eight-month period, Mr. Lewis conducted multiple interviews with the president. He rode in the official presidential limousine. He was given a special lapel pin that identified him to the Secret Service as someone who was allowed to be in close proximity to the president.

 What the White House censored was an account by Obama of how the job stress got to him one evening, and:

after a particularly trying day, he sat down to watch a movie and surprised himself by suddenly tearing up.