Are George W. Bush & Teresa Heinz Kerry the perfect match?

If politics were a beauty contest, Pres. George W. Bush and First Lady hopeful Teresa Heinz Kerry would come in first place, according to a poll by the independent global market research company GMI, Inc., Seattle, Wash.

In the online survey, respondents were shown photos of Pres. Bush and Sen. John Kerry and asked: "which candidate do you think is most attractive?" They then were asked to indicate who is more attractive: First Lady Laura Bush or the wife of the presidential challenger? Sixty-seven percent of the respondents believe Pres. Bush is more attractive, compared to 33% who prefer Kerry's looks. Beauty, however, does not fall along party lines, as 56% liked the looks of Teresa Heinz Kerry, compared with 44% who prefer Laura Bush.

According to Pepper R. Schwartz, sociology professor at the University of Washington, "All the data on attractiveness mentions the importance of symmetry, and Bush is mush more symmetrical than Kerry." In terms of first ladies, Schwartz describes Bush as "more formal" and "preppy" than Heinz Kerry, who looks "more natural and perhaps a bit more unpredictable," She adds, "Whether or not you find this attractive, of course, might link up with your more general conservatism about sexuality."

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