Lieberman Fights the Fat

Is this stuff too predictable to be worth noting anymore? Sen. Joe Lieberman plans to aim his mighty presidential powers at marketers of "junk food" (whatever that is). From a Fox News account:

The Connecticut senator, who led the fight to put parental warnings on movie, video game and music advertising, wants the Federal Trade Commission to determine whether there is a connection between junk food advertising and the rise in obesity among youngsters.

"We're talking about how the government can get back on the side of parents and families and support them in raising healthy children and giving them good values," said Dan Gerstein, deputy communications director for Lieberman's campaign. "Governments can't raise children. That's the job of parents. But we can help to pull with them and pull for them."

As president, Lieberman would push for three interim moves while the FTC conducts its study:

— Require junk food advertisements to include nutritional information that somehow issues a warning to parents, much like movie ads are accompanied by parental ratings.

— Ask Congress to require restaurant chains to include nutritional information on menus and mini-boards. There already is a bill pending in Congress to do this.

— Empower the Agriculture Department to set standards for food sold in schools, primarily vending machines. The USDA currently regulates lunch menus, but there are no limits on what companies can sell kids through vending machines.