It's been a tough month for us Swiss, countering (or, in my case, admitting the truth of) notions that our tiny nation's people are a generally insular, xenophobic lot whose demeanor is shaped more by the motherland's slowly melting glaciers than its abundance of sweet, succulent milk chocolate.

But it turns out they also happen to be extremely healthy. Finally some flattering news, confirming what I've insisted for years: Switzerland has the best darn health care system in the world. You wouldn't know that from Sicko, because the Swiss distrust their government almost as much as we do and prefer their health care delivered in nice, privatized packages.

Which is presumably why the Bush administration is sending Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt to see what's so great about the Swiss (and the Dutch, but we'll ignore them for now). He wouldn't admit as much, but Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health care plan (and Arnold Schwarzenegger's in California) was heavily influenced by the consumer-based, private system that Switzerland boasts, and the basic ideas have been promoted on both the left and the right for some time. Now, of course, these ideas are the sole domain of the Democratic candidates for president.

It's almost the kind of development that makes you wonder if there's a consensus building in Washington.