The battle of the bulge has become a new rallying cry for several United States politicians who have made their personal fight against obesity central to their politics. At a time of no-holds-barred negative campaigning, analysts said the public often is looking for a positive, feel-good political message.

Tom DeLay rose from humble beginnings as the owner of a Texas pest control business to become known as ”The Hammer” — one of the most successful and feared politicians in the United States. DeLay rose to become the Republican leader in the House of Representatives and a key powerbroker in any decision in the US Congress, until a Texas prosecutor threw a spanner into the political works.

United States Vice-President Dick Cheney badly handled a damage limitation exercise after accidentally shooting a hunting partner and could now become a case study for future politicians, experts said. ”It will be studied as one of the big ones — an example of how a modest mishap goes completely out of control,” said Larry Sabato, head of the Centre for Politics at the University of Virginia.

Democrats in Congress, who have steadily lost ground against governing Republicans in recent voting, are hoping that mounting ethics scandals will prompt voters to defect from United States President George Bush’s Republican party, with the 2006 election looming.