Anthony Bourdain on Obesity

How do we solve the obesity problem? "We're not going to win it on the facts, clearly," says Anthony Bourdain. "We've been publishing dietary information. If anything, we seem to be polarizing it into a red state/blue state issue, a rich/poor issue, which is all wrong, wrong, wrong."

The No Reservations host sat down to discuss the issue on last night's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Bourdain's solution? Make weight loss an issue of patriotism and military readiness.

"This is the one are where Ted Nugent and I agree," Bourdain says. He wonders how we'll be able to defend ourselves or seek out evildoers if we can't raise a proper military.

Bourdain, who describes himself as instinctively libertarian on this issue, says he hates the idea of a fat tax or a ban on certain foods. But he also believes the high levels of obesity in the United States transcend issues of personal liberty, becoming a problem for society at large.

"There's nothing patriotic or good about diabetes or gout," Bourdain says.

We know he's right, but we're still waiting for Chicken Charlie or some other savvy entrepreneur to make Olbermann's jokey suggestion for deep-fried wine a reality. Also, we might not mind attending a Bourdain-run boot camp.