Our illusions fall one by one. First the Easter Bunny. Then the Tooth Fairy. Now .007. Surely you know who I'm talking about--Ian Feming's debonair spy, Bond . . . James Bond. He's a fake. A fraud. He's simply unacceptable as a spy. At least that is what MI5 said recently.

Our ideas of what makes a good spy have been shaped--or more accurately, distorted---by movies and television. So this particular news item comes as a shock to those of us who grew up on the wildly successful spy movies.

In March 2003, MI5--Great Britain's domestic intelligence agency--reported that characters like James Bond are too tall to serve as a spy in Her Majesty's Service. According to MI5, good spies blend in with those around them. Since the average man is 6' tall or less, then the upper acceptable height li…