Democrats have a lock on '08 presidential hair

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Al Gore's got hair transplants, Rudolph W. Giuliani needs them, and Mitt Romney's got a dye job. And forget campaign promises -- the Democrats could win the presidential election in 2008 by virtue of their splendid hairdos, at least according to Dr. Jon Gaffney, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, hair-loss specialist to the stars and medical scion of the Hair Club for Men.

He has analyzed the scalp factor of potential White House contenders for better or worse. Not all hair is presidential.

Earth may be losing its ozone, but Mr. Gore -- flush with his global-warming appearance on Capitol Hill yesterday -- has lost something, too. Whether he's running for office or not, the former vice president has "beefed up" his thinning hair, Dr. Gaffney surmised.

"He's doing something there," he said. "He's either covering it with something, or he's had transplants. His hair got thick pretty fast."

And Mr. Giuliani? The former New York mayor needs help, apparently. Soon.

"Giuliani's thick, coarse hair on the sides and back make him an ideal candidate for a transplant," Dr. Gaffney advised. "And if he gets one now, his hair will have had plenty of time to grow in before the Iowa caucuses."

The lilt of a curl -- or lack of it -- resonates in the political arena.

"We make instant judgments based on the way someone looks. Now, more than ever, how someone looks matters as much as what someone has to say in a presidential campaign," said Christophe, the Beverly Hills uber-stylist who has shorn the locks of the nation's well-tressed elite, including a much-covered airport-delaying coif for President Clinton aboard Air Force One.

"A president must look the part, and his or her hair must be impeccable and reflect what we expect from our leaders in a media-centric world," he said.

Partisan hair makes news. Democratic contender John Edwards was designated the "Breck Girl" by gleeful critics in 2004, based on his lush locks, coy bangs and a pirated video recently showcased on YouTube.com. Mr. Edwards is seen fussing with his hair, to the tune of "I Feel Pretty."