US President George W. Bush fainted and fell off a couch last night while watching a televised football game and eating a pretzel.
A subsequent medical examination showed he was fine, his doctor said.
The president's doctor, Col Richard Tubb, said President Bush had complained he had not been feeling well in the past couple of days. This condition, combined with his having just eaten a pretzel that he did not swallow properly, caused his heart rate to slow, and he fainted.
Col Tubb said President Bush, who was at the White House, ended up with an abrasion on his left cheekbone and a small bruise on his lower lip after hitting his head on the floor after fainting. He was unconscious for only a few seconds, Col Tubb said.