Last May, in an article that was pretty much overlooked during the heated last days of the Democratic presidential primary, ABC News reported that the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, relied on the drug Ambien to get to sleep, particularly on overnight flights.

Last week, in an article that got both chuckles and knowing shakes of the head, the long-time New York Post gossip columnist, Cindy Adams, described her own experience with Ambien on a flight she took recently to Europe with Barbara Walters.  Walters, it should be noted, took the drug, got some sleep, and emerged from the plane ready for the new day.  It was a good thing, too, since Adams was not exactly compis mentis.  

“Not used to the stuff and too drowsy to understand anything, I helped myself to a second one,” the 83 year old Adams wrote. “Boyohboyohboy did I fall back to sleep. Morning came. Passengers got up and stretched. I slept. Barbara had scrambled eggs. I slept. The plane was landing. I slept. She tried to wake me. The flight attendant tried to wake me. I slept. Finally my delicate friend yelled in my ear, "Breakfast!" That did it. Glassy-eyed, I sat up. "Eggs. Where's the eggs?" I'm told I mumbled. "Too late," she said. "We're landing."She tried to pour black coffee down my swanlike throat. "I like milk in mine," I'm told I dribbled. She hand-fed me a croissant. I think. I don't remember. Because as it made its way down my swanlike throat I dozed off again. She says she tried to get me to stand. Forget it.”