(Jake Turcotte)
Obama admits he hasn’t totally kicked the cigarette habit
By Jimmy Orr | 12.08.08
Say what you will about Barack Obama, but one thing is for sure: He’s not a quitter.
Normally, that’s a good thing. You’d equate not quitting with never giving up and then all of those emotionally-laden speeches come to mind on the topic of sticking to it, never quitting, and going for your dreams.
Never give up
Like Bluto’s inspiring speech imploring his brothers to keep up the fight against Dean Wormer:
“Over? Did you say ‘over’? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? ”
Just say no
But in this case not quitting is not that inspiring. It’s Obama’s cigarette habit. He hasn’t entirely kicked it.
And leave it to veteran newsman Tom Brokaw to get the scoop.
Yesterday on Meet the Press, Obama was asked about the much discussed but rarely seen habit.
Brokaw accused Obama of dodging the question when asked about it last month by Barbara Walters. To which Obama stammered out a response.
“You know, I have, but what I said was that, you know, there are times where I’ve fallen off the wagon. Well…”
Gotcha
Like a coiled rattlesnake, Brokaw snapped.
“Well, wait a minute,” Brokaw said. “Then that means you haven’t stopped.”
Caught. Red-handed. Toast.
A reluctant Obama waved the white flag.
“Well, fair enough,” he said. “What I would say is, is that I have done a terrific job under the circumstances of making myself much healthier, and I think that you will not see any violations of these rules in the White House.”
Rules, rules, rules
The rules about smoking in the White House? Not allowed. If he has a craving in the Oval Office, looks like he’ll have to step outside.
Who set these rules anyway? Someone he knows pretty well and who will be on hand often to perhaps monitor the rules. None other than his incoming Secretary of State - Hillary Clinton.
But a president spends plenty of time outside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., which means plenty of occasions for a lapse. For himself, his family, as an example to the nation — and, of course, to avoid more media gotchas — it’s going to be better for him to quit once and for all.
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2. Gravy | 12.08.08
It doesn’t bother me that he smokes. I’d rather he not but I really don’t care that he does.
3. Kincaid | 12.08.08
As a smoker myself, I am very irritated with do-gooders constantly trying to force us [smokers] to quit smoking with taxes, discrimination and other means. Smoking is a choice and just like eating a Quarter Pounder or Big Mac, drinking a coke or beer or wine… we know it’s not good for us or healthy yet, we get a stress relieving effect which we appreciate. Addiction or not, “no one” in this country follows a perfectly healthy lifestyle so, if you choose not to smoke, more power to you! Great! Let Barack do his job, I’ll do mine and you do yours. If it includes having a ciggarette so what??!!
4. Connie H. | 12.08.08
Given the pressures of first the campaign, and gearing up to take up one of the most challenging Presidential terms in history, he’s had a lot more to deal with than quitting cigarettes.
To paraphrase AIRPLANE!, “It was a bad week to give up smoking.”
5. Evans | 12.08.08
Really? Do we care if he quits smoking or not? Maybe he will bring to light all the FDA studies about second hand smoking that were repealed within the same month they were put out.
7. D. Grant Haynes | 12.08.08
Keep it up, Jimmy Orr, partisan Republican in reporter’s garb.
We can all hope that president elect Obama displays the maturity and good judgment to dispense with cigarettes.
But given a choice, I’d prefer to interact with a backsliding Obama than a self-righteous Christian Sciene Monitor writer like you.
D. Grant Haynes
8. Mike | 12.08.08
This is the most stressful job in America. I’m not sure I want Obama to quit, at least not until the economy is more sound. Why add stress? It’s just not necessary.
10. Craig Van | 12.08.08
As a non-smoker I embrace the movement to restrict smoking in public places but as an American I do not agree with banning the outright sale or use of tobacco. Along these lines I’m finding it hard to draw a comparison between Obama’s occasional cigarette habit and his ability to lead, make decisions or set an example. Obama has every right to smoke and his honesty deserves comendation. Whats next? If Obama has more than one glass of wine during the innagural ball can we expect more articles of this creed? By-the-way Obama used drugs during his youth should we talk about that again too?
11. Mark Jepson | 12.08.08
I quit, but after 6 years I wasn’t really that hooked luckily. Many people find it nearly impossible to quit on their own. At least he is trying, and you can’t quit too many times either.
Just a warning, if you never quit completly. and smoke occasionally, you can harm you lungs even more because they have time to clear out between cigs, so when you DO have one, doctors say the carsinogens in the smoke have an easier time getting into you(like the damage done to new smokers, & of course second hand smoke is harmful), causing cancer.
12. Bob DiPasquale | 12.08.08
Yes he can. Malia ans Sasha are all the reasons he needs. Take it from a man who had his father die when I was three. My father couldn’t quit, and this man of 35 left behind a wife and six kids. Many will write about president Obama, but the memories for his children should be their own. He owes them a “Yes I can”.
13. Rosebud | 12.08.08
Please Please find something news worthy. I can’t believe that you are using this space to tell me that President Elect Obama hasn’t kicked the habit of smoking.
14. ben | 12.08.08
Are you serious? You act like he’s doing something so wrong, so immoral, that he deserves to be attacked for it. This holier than thou rhetoric is destructive, and gotcha style reporting is abhorrent. I’ve always enjoyed the reporting of the Monitor, but I have to say that this is just an inane attempt at destroying someone for something that only shows that yes, Obama is just a human, with all the faults that any other person on the planet has been given.
15. minerva figueroa | 12.08.08
We have two wars going on; the economy talking; terrorism in India and you are worried about smoking cigarettes?
17. Steve C | 12.08.08
If the guy want’s to have a smoke in the whitehouse then he should get Michelle to change the rules back to allow it. Heck, he is going to be the leader of the free world, he will have to fix the enormous amount of ills brought on by our current incompent one GW.. Give Obama a break.. And BTW.. Brokaw is a right-wing jerk. did he question David Gregory on how is is going to be fair when Gregory has such love for the right (at least his dance partner Karl Rove)?..
19. Pete D | 12.08.08
He’s a smoker?! If I’d have known that, i would not have voted for him for that reason. That’s just wrong. Did the media cover this up like they did FDR’s polio?
21. JG | 12.08.08
Did I miss a war or did the Germans really bomb Pearl Harbor ? Oh I know tis the news they can say anything they wish and people will belive them.
22. snafubar | 12.08.08
I take issue with both sides of this argument. There are those who say not being able to quit reveals some massive character flaw; those who say that are obviously not addicted. If only we were all so perfect. I watched my father have surgery that removed most of his mouth and throat - he could not swallow his own mucus, but he smoked four packs a day until it killed him.
On the other hand, if, after all that’s been said about, to, and by Barack Obama people are going to say he was the wrong choice for president because he still lights up, then I say they’re too dumb to have a voter registration card. Even according the faithful, there was only one perfect soul, I believe his name is Jesus, and although I’m an atheist I find it tragically hypocritical how the people who are so proud there was only one perfect soul keep pointing out whatever they insist makes their current target of angst less than perfect.
I want Obama to quit to save his health, but if he’s polite and considerate not to smoke around others who would be offended, then who are we to challenge him. I can’t say that for most smokers who blow it in my face and tell me their freedom over-rules my nausea, disgust, and health.
This country really embarasses me at times. We have so many people who are convinced that only they have the answers and that only if everyone followed them the country would be perfect. That’s not why this place is here. We were given open territory and a loose but firm set of rules that say if we respect each other we can do good things together. I see that respect constantly being abandoned in the name of self-righteousness and arrogance.
I wish telling Barack Obama the horrific story of what my father went through would make him quit, for his sake. For my sake, I’d rather have him as president and if he has to smoke to deal with the larger problems of the day, I can’t smell it from here and I need his imput more than I need others’ piety.
23. moejoe | 12.08.08
i dont smoke, but i think anyone who does smoke has the right to do it where ever they please, why all these bans on the one thing that regulates population, because the condoms arent working!!!!
24. Obamasupporter | 12.08.08
Who made the rules? Hillary started ban? Suppose then cigars are off-limits too! (Attempt at historic humor)
25. RabbleRouser | 12.08.08
Well, if I’m paying for his health insurance, I say it matters whether or not he smokes. In fact, I’d like to see all federal officials forced to choose between government health insurance and cigarettes.
26. CcGame | 12.08.08
I can’t believe this garbage made Google Top Stories. What are we in? High school? The man is 45(?) and a graduate of Harvard. Really now, who the flying ace gives two cents whether or not Obama smokes? Even as a non-smoker, I believe that smoking is a personal choice and it’s obvious he’s not a chain smoker. He obviously regulates how much he has so how is it different from someone who drinks a glass of wine every now and then? Alcohol is poison, yet people still consume it. Find something actually noteworthy to write about.
27. Tweed | 12.08.08
I agree with the down to earth people, WHO CARES?! Are we going to scold him for eating chocolate too much now?
28. eatme | 12.08.08
22. JG
No the Germans did not bomb peal… smoke obama?? sounds like a good idea..
29. jeds2421@hotmail.com | 12.08.08
Are you kidding me???? Everyone can comment on Obama smoking but no one noticed the author of this article, Jimmy Orr, thought the GERMANS bombed Pearl Harbor!!!! Hello!!!
30. ha! | 12.08.08
moejoe:
while that’s not exactly the most sound reasoning, i fully agree with the message! plus your comment is funny!
seriously, everyone needs to get off it! so he smokes a cig every now and then… who really cares? are you afraid **** accidently set off nukes because he got some smoke in his eye? believe me, there’s plenty of worse vices the man could have. and personally, i’d much rather have a sober-minded obama leading us with a lit cig in hand than a glass full of scotch.
31. tc | 12.08.08
I’m willing to bet Barack packs a little ganga in the cigs every once in a while too 
GO OBAMA - LEGALIZE IT AND GET US OUT OF DEBT
32. Nick | 12.08.08
I’m a smoker… I’m gonna try to quit as soon as my finals are over (I’m a college student.) But I think non-smokers underestimate how hard it is to quit. Give Barack some credit. I do think that now would probably be the best time for him to quit though, because he’s going to be under nothing but stress for the next 4 years.
33. WTF | 12.08.08
Obviously living in a country like the USA gives you the freedom to smoke if you so desire (as long as it’s not impacting others).
The problem with this is the health impact it has. Not just tobacco either. Alcohol, diet (chronic obesity), rampent sex (STDs, unwanted kids, abortions, etc) all are major reasons why our healthcare system is so overtaxed.
Ultimately it comes down to responsiblity (I realize this is a foreign concept for most). If people would take care of themselves, we wouldn’t have nearly as many healthcare problems (obviously there would still be problems). I won’t start on people buying houses they obviously could not afford (able to get an ARM and then act shocked when the rates went up). Or businesses that are being bailed out left and right because of poor decisions/greedy management/stockholders. Or the government constantly going into more and more debt. If America doesn’t learn some responsibility it will only continue to get worse.
34. Katie | 12.08.08
Hey, give the guy a break, at least he gave up doing cocaine. Blowing lines through your nose and running the Oval office don’t really go hand in hand.
35. Tbo | 12.08.08
Come off it Folks! Quitting is hard! I was smoke-free for 5 years after smoking for 28, and I reverted too recently. I am trying to stop again, but in the mean time, people who are trying to quit don’t need to be abused by others. This is a chemical addition relating to nicotine receptors in the brain, and how nicotine reacts with them. People addited to smoking have a much more difficult time fighting the desire to have those receptors filled with little bits of nicotine. It is a real physical addition and it is very difficult to quit and stay off.
I know that it doesn’t mean it can’t be done, but for most of us, it means a lifetime of quitting over and over again. And we have, and do, in very large numbers. If Obama needs to quit over and over again too, it really means he is just like the rest of us. I find that comforting in a president. You can’t expect perfection from anyone. All you can expect is that we all try to do the best we can with what we have on a daily basis.
37. tj | 12.08.08
Give the man a break. I “quit” in 2001 after over three decades of addiction but it took another 5 years to completely give it up. Didn’t vote for the man and still wouldn’t - because smoking is one of the few things that we seem to “know” about him. All the headcase **** about his “associations” not being of consequence is simply liberal slime. The reason you don’t see sheep hanging out with wolves is because their purposes are antithetical to one another. Were it only one, I could see it but his life is replete with these associations. Who you associate with doesn’t matter only if you don’t care about character and integrity. Already he is betraying those who sent him to the presidency - imagine that. Fortunately that makes the rest of us feel better about him. When integrity is only another word to get you into office, it becomes meaningless. Still, he is going to be my president and I hope and pray that he is a great one. But lets not expect him to be other than human - thats **** too.
38. Joe Camel | 12.08.08
Obviously living in a country like the USA gives you the freedom to smoke if you so desire (as long as it’s not impacting others).
The problem with this is the health impact it has. Not just tobacco either. Alcohol, diet (chronic obesity), rampent sex (STDs, unwanted kids, abortions, etc) all are major reasons why our healthcare system is so overtaxed.
Ultimately it comes down to responsiblity (I realize this is a foreign concept for most). If people would take care of themselves, we wouldn’t have nearly as many healthcare problems (obviously there would still be problems). I won’t start on people buying houses they obviously could not afford (able to get an ARM and then act shocked when the rates went up). Or businesses that are being bailed out left and right because of poor decisions/greedy management/stockholders. Or the government constantly going into more and more debt. If America doesn’t learn some responsibility it will only continue to get worse.
39. James Boyer | 12.08.08
Seriously. . . The writer had to be completely bored to write such garbage. With a failing economy, another multi-billion dollar bailout and countless other problems going on around us. . . they chose to write about a smoking habit in which any sane person could care less about!
40. Clover | 12.08.08
JG, that was a quote from Animal House, it is not a misprint. The speech in Animal House was hilarious and purposefully presented misinformation because of the character (played brilliantly by J. Belushi). I think most of us know that Pearl Harbor was not a German attack. I’d recommend AH if you have not seen it, really very funny.
As far as everyone’s concern of Obama smoking, so WHAT? Is it the best of habits? Of course not, but it isn’t the worst. If the man needs a smoke to release some stress, so be it. Better than GW who would cry WMDs to legitimize attacking a country or take an animal off the endangered species list just to stir the pot when he got stressed.
41. will | 12.08.08
Frankly, it seems like a reasonable criticism. It’s concerning that the most powerful man in the world has such a petty vice and isn’t able to control himself. It also worries me a little that he isn’t even the President yet and we’re already having to apologize for his behavior.
42. Todd Lewis | 12.08.08
Obama’s black; does that mean he smokese menthols? My bet is that he smokes newports.
44. Frank Stein | 12.08.08
I will make the President-elect the same offer a good man once made me. Before you smoke call me. I will take the call, 24/7, 365. I have been done with cigarettes for 8 years
45. Ed Sommers | 12.08.08
I started smoking at age 15. I smoked for 33 years. In 1992, I decided to make a serious effort to quit. I participated in group hypnosis session, offered by a professional hypnotist. The session was held in a large hotel ballroom. I estimate that there were 80 to 100 people in the room. After that session, I have never again touched, nor smoked a cigarette. That hypnosis session enabled me to become a non-smoker. I tell this story in hopes that President-elect Obama — if he wants to quit smoking, will try hypnosis. Of course, nothing works for everyone. That said, hypnosis enables many people to quit smoking. Nobody can quit smoking only because their loved ones want them to. If you’re motivated to try to quit smoking, I recommend that you let a qualified hypnotist help you.
46. Jennifer | 12.08.08
If not for this, he’d be close to perfect. Disappointing, but hey… he can always quit later.
47. FrmrSmkr | 12.08.08
OMG - Who cares if he smokes or not. Or, *gasp* if he lies about it.
All I care about is that he follows the lead of his predecessor.
With an oil man in office we saw $6.00 gas.
Now with a tobacco fiend in office I want $9.00 per pack smokes, and Native Americans in jail for selling at $6.00 per pack.
Oh, and I hope he enjoys a good Cuban with a glass of scotch now and then too.
There are certainly a lot of ways to spell the word hypocrite nowadays.
49. rachel | 12.08.08
I think we have more to worry about in this country then whether or not our president smokes…seriously, who cares!?
50. hobo | 12.08.08
i dont care i am ahobo i dont care ijust am waiting what obama said change GOD BLEE ALL OF YOU!!!!OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
51. Sonia Kurzeja | 12.08.08
Why should Obama quit? I quit over thirty years ago thinking I was doing the right thing. Guess what? I found out I had Lung Cancer two years ago and I was ****** off. The damage is already done to his body and he will have to live with his future if cancer does show up at some point in his life. My only wish is that he as President gets some money devoted to lung cancer research. Most people see smokers like the President-elect as deserving cancer because they cannot stop smoking. What about the people I have met at the Cancer Center who never smoked but like his children and wife have lived with someone else who did. Do they deserve to die such a horrible death because he is not strong enough or willing to take the steps to quit. Let him smoke but get the money for those of us who were strong but somehow our bodies were not able to fend this awful disease off years later. I do not want to die yet especially after all I went through to quit on my own.
52. AerosmithNirvana | 12.08.08
Kincaid, smoking is nothing like all of those things you compared it to. If you drink, I don’t get drunk. If you eat lard for lunch, my arteries don’t clog. ****, if you drop acid, I don’t see flying space monkeys. BUT, when you smoke anywhere that’s near me, you are forcing, that’s right “forcing”, YOUR drug into MY lungs. I actually don’t understand how smoking outside is not illegal, but public intoxication is. I’d rather stand next to an irritating drunk man damaging his own kidneys than an irritating man forcing his unwanted drugs into my body, damaging BOTH of our lungs. You want to smoke? Stay in your own home. That’s the only place where it’s truly your choice.
53. Kent Dorfman | 12.08.08
HE DOESN’T THINK THE GERMANS BOMBED PEARL HARBOR! He was quoting a character from the comedy film “National Lampoon’s Animal House”.
As to Obama, yeah we have better things to worry about than whether he stinks up the White House or smokes Marlboro or Salem. The commenter who said that it is a concern because we pay for his Insurance should ask whether or not his health care should be in jeopardy because his employers don’t approve of his lifestyle. The fact is that the government collects so much money from smokers in the form of sales tax that they are MORE than carrying their share of the health care load. In fact, they are paying for all of the non-smoking fatsoes who can’t stop stuffing super sized burger meals down your throats. Why don’t we start adding taxes to fast food and raising people’s insurance premiums who eat it?
54. Schaefs | 12.08.08
Ok… Is this seriously news? Who cares if the guy likes to have a cig every here and there. I’m just tired of hearing rediculous news about obama. Recently while on google news i saw an article about Obama using a Zune instead of an Ipod. How is that actually news? All people want to do is attack Obama and the best they got is He smokes once in a while and he uses a Zune. Nice Work all you reporters that dug that up… I hope you all get raises. and pick up on my sarcasm. How bout you start reporting on something Important, like how Obama is planning to fix the economy, or deal with all the issues over seas?
56. Chris Smith | 12.08.08
I think this is just the begining of confessions for Mr. Obama. If he lies about something as simple as somoking, what else will he lie about? I don’t care that he smokes cigarettes. I just hope that he is not blowing smoke with that he has promised.
57. Trafamadore | 12.08.08
I find it more worrisome that he believes in imaginary christian gods than the fact that he smokes occasionally.
But neither have anything to do with being a president, so who cares.
58. RThomas | 12.08.08
To Obama, good luck quitting for good. It doesn’t matter to me that you smoke, but I advise you to stop.
To those who missed the Bluto reference to the GERMANS bombing Pearl Harbor, it is from a MOVIE, Animal House, starring someone with worse addictions than smoking (Belushi should definitely have quit). I’m certain that Mr. Orr knows who really bombed the Pacific Fleet, especially given that the anniversary was yesterday. Here is the context for the Germans quote (from IMDB.com):
D-Day: “War’s over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.”
Bluto: “Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!”
Otter: “Germans?”
Boon: “Forget it, he’s rolling.”
59. DON V | 12.08.08
Retired living in OHIO, the tabacco settlement money pays the propery tax on the first 25.000 of home tax value. So lay off smokers.
60. Marlboro Mannnnn | 12.08.08
Malcolm,
President-elect Obama previously admitted to smoking about 10 sticks of Marlboro Red per day…but that he would continue his efforts to stop smoking entirely. I do not think this is a “state secret”.
61. Jim | 12.08.08
as i look at the struggles our nation is facing i keep thinking of this quote from Airplane - “i picked the wrong week to quit smoking cigarettes”
i say give O a break - **** quit when he’s ready.
62. Marlboro Mannnnn | 12.08.08
Malcolm,
President-elect Obama previously admitted to smoking about 10 sticks of Marlboro Red per day…but that he would continue his efforts to stop smoking entirely. I do not think this is a “state secret”.
63. P | 12.08.08
Have you outraged “Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!!!” people really never seen Animal House? That line is part of one of the most memorable comedy movie speeches of all time! Everyone would probably be a little less uptight if they popped that movie in the ol’ DVD player.
As for smoking, I’m a non-smoker who doesn’t care if people smoke in cars, bars, restaurants, etc. But I see the point that a guy probably shouldn’t be smoking while promoting a health care system that will more closely tie the health habits of all involved stakeholders to the costs. We’ve already taken away health care as an “individual choice” (because of legit reasons like costs, etc.) and made it an employer choice, and we’re seeing companies crack down on the health habits of their employees because of it. The further away the health care choice gets from the individual, the more influence others will have over personal choices. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong (personally, I don’t like that idea), but if person A is rated and is paying not as an individual, but as part of a group, then person A has an interest in the health habits of all within that group.
65. jimbo | 12.08.08
Let Bammy keep on puffing and puffing and puffing… hes full of hot air…. Now where can ee send him some cartons ??
66. mark | 12.08.08
why is this a story. Didn’t he already admit to falling off the wagon in the 60 minutes interview like a month ago. Maybe i heard him wrong but I swear I heard it way before.
67. JR | 12.08.08
His addiction tells a lot about his judgment. The anti-smoker crowd are not usually concerned about the health of the addict. The main concern has always been the innocent people addicts poison every day in the streets, workplaces, cars, any location they get high on cigarettes where innocent people are. In the case of the president, do citizens have to smell him reeking to access him? There is a secret to quitting: don’t have another one.
68. Mark Seydel | 12.08.08
This story is a waste of space. He is a grown man who probably wasn’t even a grown man when he started smoking. Smoking isn’t the healthiest thing to do, but either are drinking or eating fast food.
69. Parthasarathy | 12.08.08
Ask Al-Gore he must be hatting smokers, Al-Gore should have a discussion with the president-elect and bring some more rules outside white house.
70. The Ignorance | 12.08.08
“Frankly, it seems like a reasonable criticism. It’s concerning that the most powerful man in the world has such a petty vice and isn’t able to control himself. It also worries me a little that he isn’t even the President yet and we’re already having to apologize for his behavior.”
Smoking a petty vice? Obviously you are not smoker.
Make smoking outside illegal? That’s pure stupidity, In my city you can’t smoke within 10 feet of a public building. Plenty of time for the smoke to rise above your pansey lungs. The tiny speck you may breath in walking by someone is insignifigant even if every day you breath it.
If you are that worried about 2nd hand anything. Cry about the radioactive fallout from all the nukes we’ve, tested. All the crazy chemicals that are in the products you use. You’ll die from cancer most likely anyways. Possibly even something more screwed up.
Babies, little babies.
71. Matthew | 12.08.08
Are you guys kidding????? This is newsworthy? Give me a break! If there is a health issue in this country that deserves this attention, its Obesity. The fatty’s are the ones burdening our health care system. Come on now folks. Give it a rest!
72. Chris Massey | 12.08.08
I am happy to say that I smoke, higher taxes an all. Can you imagine the tax burden when the holier than thou force us to quit. Someone’s got to pick up the deficit made when the SIN TAX is no longer necessary. I say let’s start taxing Bibles and Churches now. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore: Sin TaxReligious Tax
73. Eric Klemm | 12.08.08
“Over? Did you say ‘over’? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? ”
Quote from Animal House and is properly cited with popular character names.
You’ve never seen Animal House? really?
74. Sam | 12.08.08
Unfortunately, all too often when people smoke they force non smokers to breathe the smoke as well. Often children and babies suffer the negative effects of second hand smoke.
75. Get off your butts | 12.08.08
Obama didn’t lie about his smoking. He admitted he’s fallen off the wagon, but is trying to quit or cut back. I hope he does quit smoking completely. Long ago, I smoked occasionally, then came to my senses. It’s a filthy, horribly unhealthy habit. I’m sick of the arrogant smokers using the lame excuse “it’s my choice” when it pollutes the air others breathe, not to mention the carelessly tossed lit butts out car windows causing a fire hazard and adding to the trash littered everywhere. Wouldn’t it be nice to take a walk and not encounter cigarette butts? Can’t happen as long as stupid, human arrogance rules.
76. Anon | 12.08.08
To those that keep saying Jimmy Orr thinks Germany bombed Pearl Harbor….he was referring to Animal House where Bluto is giving his little speech to the guys….watch the clip he linked to.
77. Eldon | 12.08.08
Smoking a choice? Gimme a break. It’s a horrible addiction. When I stopped, the withdrawal symptoms almost killed me. I had insomnia, anxiety, depression, you name it. Fortunately, modern medicine came to the rescue in the form of Zyban (a.k.a. Wellbutrin). There is another quit-smoking drug called Chantix. You should check these out with your doctor, and Obama should too.
78. Dave | 12.08.08
The Germans Bombing Pearl Harbor line was a reference to the movie “Animal House”…the author was injecting humor…Try watching the move instead of jabbing out without thinking.
79. Frank | 12.08.08
It’s not newsworthy, and it’s really his business. But it’s just another thing that makes our job as parents a little more difficult when we try to teach our kids about the dangers of smoking — both primary and second hand — and how smart it would be to avoid smoking. The Tobacco Industry’s wet dream. President who smokes. He wanted the job, now he can accept the role model status that comes with it.
80. Sid | 12.08.08
Who gives a *******?! If this is your biggest concern about the state of our nation right now you’re not paying attention. I don’t care if he shoots smack as long as he can get us out of this gigantic hole the current genius got us in.
82. Bill | 12.08.08
If he truly wants to lead change he has the opportunity to be out front as a successful black man who is head of a nuclear family and who commends a healthy lifestyle by his own example. As a physician I take care of a lot of people who come to me with lung masses whose very life and the future of their families hang in the balance. When asked if they smoke many say no and tearfully admit that they quit that week or day. It moves from the shallow bravado and hubris of “choice” to the stunning and terrifying reality of “I may have cancer and not live out the year.” These brave smokers must have never seen someone with no hair, no life left, intractable bone pain and emotionally and financially devastated families. There is no sound argument in favor of smoking. Smoking has consequences for the individual and society. It should not be banned universally but it should be scorned.
83. Shambala | 12.08.08
You all are missing the point of the article. Barack Obama is the supreme leader of the forces of evil that would deny us the right to smoke, eat Big Macs, and participate in any other activity they determine to be in the “unhealthy lifestyle” category.
This is the epitome of hypocrisy - - and elitism. Sending his kids to an outrageously expensive private school while insisting that common folks must continue to put theirs into a failed public school system is the same type of crime - - they want to limit the freedoms of normal Americans while they do whatever they want.
What are the chances he would ever be charged with a crime for discharging second-hand smoke around his children?
84. Andy | 12.08.08
He can’t smoke in the oval office, but he CAN inject speed, like JFK did.
Let’s not be hypocrites. Let people make their own decisions. Let the president have a bit of privacy. Let the media go face in to a corner for a while, along with the FDA.
85. millie west | 12.08.08
if you’ve never been a smoker you dont know what you’re talking about. i quit in 91 supposed to have felt better, have been stressed ever since, let the man smoke, he’ll need it , the mess this country is in.
86. The Reluctant Smith | 12.08.08
And it’s all too often smokers and non-smokers alike have to shrug off the prejudices of ignorant people.
Most non-smokers understandably just don’t want to be around a lot of cigarette smoke. I think it’s noteworthy that very few complain when smokers light up under some sort of shelter during rainy or windy weather, and the restrictions are really not heavily enforced in most areas. Most smokers tend to avoid smoking near entrances, anyway, and it’s pretty natural even for lower-class smokers to put their cigs out when there are children around.
There are some smokers who don’t practice this sort of consideration, but it’s noteworthy that there are non-smokers out there who are so prissy about their air quality that they’re compelled to make pests of themselves to people who aren’t really doing anything wrong.
And there are plenty of smokers and non-smokers alike who hold silly, ignorant prejudices, and it’s an egregious detriment to their character. Smoking, conversely, isn’t a detriment to your character. Being an inconsiderate, repugnant boor IS, whether you’re a smoker or a non-smoker.
87. mike | 12.08.08
he should just smoke weed instead…at least he would get something besides bad breath from it
88. Kristina | 12.08.08
If he can’t change himself, how does he expect to change the country? And he should consider the health risk he is putting his children through.
89. Debbie Fahr | 12.08.08
Please, with all that’s is going on in our country right now, the fact that President-Elect Obama smokes now and then, should not even be of importance. He is going to be our next President, and I really don’t think his smoking will effect his judgement on getting our country back on the right track.Smoking is a great stress relief, and knowing what he is about to endure, smoke to your hearts content. You got my vote!!!!!
90. Linda | 12.08.08
Good grief! If I was taking on the mess he’s taking on I would probably be up to 3 packs a day. Give the man a break.There’s a lot worse things he could be doing!
91. Mike | 12.08.08
The problem is that the President should serve as our nations top role model for our youth (among other things). I am a former smoker who fully believes that smoking should be legal, but I do not want my kids getting the idea that smoking is okay because the president openly smokes.
Bottom line is I guess I dont care that he smokes, but I wish it wasn’t a publicly stated fact that kids get the wrong idea from.
92. virginia McMahan | 12.08.08
Just because Hillary declared the White House a smoke freed zone does not mean it is the law. Do you think Laura stepped outside to have her smokes or that George paced the patio smoking his “occasional” cigar? Or that “the boys” in the high level meetings with drink obeyed Hillary’s rule? really now, America needs to just Grow Up!
93. Jay | 12.08.08
It’s his business and no one elses, but really you have to wonder with all of the medical information available today, just how smart is Obama or how dumb is he? What an idiot! Can I have my vote back?
94. Spraym | 12.08.08
Why are there so many comments for a fluff article? Is today really that slow in news? (answer: yes!)
95. Todd | 12.08.08
What trivial nonsense. It does not matter if Obama is a smoker or non smoker. The only thing that matters it what sort of job he is going to do as the President of the United States. He can smoke ten packs a day for all I care, as long at he does what is best for the USA while not infringing on the rights of other sovereign nations.
96. Tony | 12.08.08
I thought Christians believed that the body was the temple? I think he must really be an athiest….that would explain it.
97. Fred Sornce | 12.08.08
The fact that he fibbed about this is only slightly more newsworthy than the fact that he lights up from time to time.
DISCLOSURE: I am a smoker.
Granted, he should have just been honest whan asked the original question back in the day. But I wouldn’t exactly call it a hangin’ offense.
As for the smoking itself, I find it hard to understand how anyone could do that job and NOT smoke.
99. philip z | 12.08.08
Funeeee. FDR, U.S. Grant, LBJ, Ike were all big-time smokers. Only Grant died of cancer because he smoked about 10 stogies a day since his teens. The rest died because their hearts stopped one day.
I love it when all the HealthNazis demonize the simple pleasures people find in life.
If you live near a freeway you’re breathing **** all day everyday. Your tap water ?? Remember, it’s the government that says it’s okay to drink all that chlorine. Trust them. How about the deodorant you plaster onto your underarms everyday ?? Don’t worry, you’re not absorbing carcinogenic chemicals into your bloodstream…….government says it’s okay !!! Orange diet soda ??? Drink it by the case. No problem.
I could go on and on.
Smoke em if you got em !!!
100. ben | 12.08.08
If he’s in a long meeting with the Russians and he starts having a nicotine crave, can we expect that to be good for U.S. national security? What if he signs the papers so he can duck out early to go have a smoke? I don’t blame him, it’s a tough addiction to break. Some politicians would have just lied and gone to the next question, so I at least admire his honesty if not his choice.
101. John O’Brien | 12.08.08
Are you really complaining about this. Obviously your paper has run out of talented writers and is not even able to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Who cares if he smokes. As long as he does his job I don’t care if he smokes,drinks, and has crazy kinky sex.
102. JW | 12.08.08
Not only is it disappointing that he smokes in 2008 — this isn’t 1974, get it together and have some personal discipline, Mr. President Elect — but it is far more alarming that he misled the press and public into believing that he had quit, which both he and his spokespeople consciously and consistently did throughout the campaign. Did he stand up and say, pre-election, “Yes, I smoke but I am trying to quit.” No, he said that he quit. So he lied directly and intentionally. Yet another example of wink & nudge character failure (”Well, fair enough…”) that defines American politics and business as usual despite all the hype. Well done pursuing the story, CSM.
103. Karen | 12.08.08
You’d think we haven’t had smoking Presidents in the past (when doctors even said it was OK!). I don’t like that he smokes, but that’s really his call. Of all the vices a President can have, smoking is probably the lowest on the list.
104. Surgeon General | 12.08.08
Everyone misses the point. His smoking and his inability to quit is a sign of a serious character flaw. Would you have voted for an alcoholic? No. Most people probably wouldn’t have voted for even a recovered alcoholic. This is a sign that he has poor coping skills and an inability to deal with stress in a healthy way. Not to mention this is a horrific example to our children. Do you want your child looking up to someone who asks them to do as he says, not as he does? This is a serious psychological flaw.
105. Michael D. Stephens | 12.08.08
First of all……I believe it was the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor ( perhaps the writer should have sat yesterday and watched the History Channel) Plus, have we forgot about the other presidents who have smoked? How about a popular photo of FDR with Winston Churchill and Mussolini. FDR has a lit smoke in his fingers for the photo.
Go ahead america, be petty. This same pettiness has landed us where we are today. HAVE FUN!
106. Kat | 12.08.08
I can’t believe I’m reading an article that discusses the President-Elect’s less-than-good habits. What does smoking have to do with the ability to lead a country anyway? This is ludicrous. If he smokes, he smokes. As long as he doesn’t light up in the White House or puff like a dragon on TV, who cares what he does in his private time to curb the insane amount of stress that comes with the job (as long as it’s legal)? I mean, realy??? Cigarette-smoking? Is there nothing else more relevant to report?
107. John J. | 12.08.08
We all have our weaknesses. Obama likes cigarettes…… so did a whole lot of our former presidents, great athletes, and movie stars whom we called “role models.” Bill Clinton couldn’t seem to get enough sex with women other than his wife. U.S. Grant loved alcohol. Lyndon Johnson loved booze, cigarettes and philandering. John Kennedy thrived on adultery, drugs and he smoked. Hmmmm…. Barack’s jones seems mild compared to those indulged by some of his predecessors. As long as he doesn’t fall asleep with a lit smoke in his hand, and burn down that incredibly expensive, tax-payer maintained house on Pennsylvania Ave., I don’t have a problem with his habit. There are much more important things for all Americans (including president-elect Obama) to worry about right now!
108. Richard Atwood | 12.08.08
Did is miss it or was it made clear exactly WHAT it is that he smokes?
109. aurial | 12.08.08
who cares??!! We finally have someone in the white house that undertands every aspect of the working class people, including those of us that smoke! Give him a break we have more important things to worry about.
110. Elizabeth B. | 12.08.08
The comment preceding mine makes an interesting point. Clinton preferred fornicating with White House staff, Grant was tipping the bottle, Johnson was also an alkie, and the list of vices and continues. I wonder why everyone must compare Obama and these men. Look at Obama’s habit as a stand alone factor. Smoking is bad for your health, and those around you. I think it unwise for the president to set a negative example of health-damaging habits for America and his children. I am not on any soapbox, but rahter am simply concerned with the President-elect Obama’s example to the world. Also, how did the media not catch Obama smoking anytime during the campaign? With the practically continuous media coverage of Obama, it would be almost impossible to never catch the man smoking, especially under such stress. Just another example of the liberal media turning a blind eye, I suppose. Finally, habits like smoking are something for the American people to be aware of in our leaders. While there is not a direct correlation between smoking and leadership, it does indicate some addictive personality traits. These attributes are things to be aware of when picking a leader, and I for one am glad that the news has spread, even if it is coming out after the election fever.
111. DontVoteForMe | 12.08.08
Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room.
I must have tried to quit 100 times. Every time I quit for more than a couple of hours I would say that I quit. That’s what “you” do when you’re trying to quit. All your friends do what they’re supposed to do also by saying, “Good for you, keep it up.”
Once a smoker, always a smoker. You can stop, but you can’t ever really “be” quit.
Frankly, I’m glad he smokes. I hope he stops to.
He’s a black man and he smokes - Haleluja.
112. dontgivea | 12.08.08
i heard a rumor that Obama sometimes doesn’t wash his hands after using the toilet.
but without investigative journalism we’ll never know if its true.
To the BrockawMobile!
113. Al Gershen, aka GassyAl | 12.08.08
Submitted Dec 08, 2008 at apx 6:27 pm pst
I think it should be disclosed how much money the cigarette companies contributed to the Obama presidential campaign? (The overpaid CEOs of the cigarette companies must be celebrating that the smoker has become President of the United States.)
Personally, I believe people who smoke, knowing that the habit is bad for their body health-wise, have a “personality” problem. (If he were a “light smoker, he could easily rid himself of the habit…but I suspect he’s an addicted smoker.)
It doesn’t matter if the person is a Republican, Democrat or Independent….if he or she smokes, I don’t believe that person should be the President of the USA.
The media knew that Obama was a smoker but they failed to disclose this matter to the public as a serious issue. They, the media, made that decision for all of us.
What about Obama, the parent? Does his wife smoke? What about their two young children….do they know he smokes? (I suspect that there is a strong linking between children with a parent or parents who smoke and themselves becoming smokers as they enter their teens.)
I’ll be that over the next four years, you’ll NEVER see a photo or video of Obama smoking a cigarette.
The President of the United States is supposed to set a positive example to all Americans by the way he or she lives their life. Obama was at bat and he already struck out!
114. Smokindian | 12.08.08
Fine Mr Preacher.. Mr President-Elect smokes occasionally.. so.. your point?
116. Hamish Henderson | 12.08.08
I smoked for 20 years and the day I met my former wife (who was bothered with asthma) I quit - cold turkey. It takes discipline for sure, Back then, I used to have a few pints of beer and that’s when I missed the cigarettes the most. But I kept at it. And I have to say in Barack’s favor, that on occasion I would succumb and have a cig now and again. But I honestly wouldn’t give the man a hard time over it. Smoking cessation is not easy and having one now and again won’t do him any serious harm as long as he keeps it that way. In fact, with the strain of becoming not just the president but the very first ever African American president, a few puffs every once in a while probably will ease his nerves a little.
Now, watch the Evolution of the Presidency :
http://www.spivideo.com/allthepresidents_short
117. Joseph D | 12.08.08
Lets run this through. Your father smoked cigarettes, and he always paid the bills, and put you through college. He never went, but he got you there, and while you disliked his habit, your respect for him is unquestioned. President Elect smokes and its time for a new election. Fine. Pick McCain. He doesnt smoke right? Or does he? We don’t need a president who says he’s like us, and acts like us, and drinks and smokes like us, and gets sad like us and cries like us, and fights like us. We need someone as far removed from humanity and its vices as possible. Riggghtttt. Give me a human president, I’ll take that. And also, not all brown folk smoke Newports ( as I’ve been labeled ), just like not all white folk are lazy slave owning hypocrites. Get real people. It exists. Get **** real.
118. TXdemo | 12.09.08
I worked in social services/child protection for over a decade, and I could tell you some real horror stories. I know firsthand there are many, many worse things than smoking. But the world is hysterical on this subject right now, just as our great-grandparents 100 years ago were hysterical and irrational about alcohol. They kept up the frenzy until they actually changed the Constitution of the United States to prohibit all manufacture, distribtution, and sale of alcohol - which turned out to be a great mistake.
We look back now and think, how silly. We decided after that failed attempt at national purity to live with alcohol and all its attendant risks; and one day I think people will also get over the tobacco hysteria. Despite a few attempts at quitting, I’ve been smoking for about 35 years; I thoroughly enjoy it, and I’m willing to accept the risks. Just like all the righteous nonsmokers who are stuffing themselves to the point of obesity, and those who can’t live without their beer, booze, or marijuana. Nobody is living a perfect life, nobody. Get over it, and stop being so fanatical and perfectionist, is what I say.
Obama’s smokes are not a sign of “serious psychological issues.” (I’d say the need to force everyone else to conform to a hyper-righteous standard of moral purity is the deeper psychological problem.) It just means he’s as human as the rest of us. And that’s a good thing, a very good thing.
119. Annoyed | 12.09.08
Personally, I don’t care that Obama didn’t quit. It just shows how easily he lies about even the most trivial things. When I first saw this article, I thought, during the campaign didn’t he tell us that he had quit? Why not tell us THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH for once.
120. John O’Neill | 12.09.08
He’s a young guy. He will remain healthy for eight years no matter what he does. Let him enjoy his smokes and a beer once in a while. Why the **** do US Presidents have to be saints all of a sudden? We can only imagine the furror if we get a picture of him drinking a beer while holding a cigarette at a picnic. Leave him alone for four or eight years. Besides, I’m absolutely positive that his wife is nagging the **** out of him every single day. This is from a conservative - Republican - smoker with a non smoking wife. I know what he’s going thru.
122. Not A Hater | 06.22.09
OK, so he smokes. Big deal; compared to what MANY past Presidents have done I find it laughable that some people are making such a big deal of this. And yes, he probably **** and belches too. My point being, he is human. Now lets just hope he doesn’t do with a smoke what Clinton did with his cigars LOL.
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Malcolm | 12.08.08
I can see the secret service sneaking down to buy the President a pack — not quite as bad as the SS smuggling in bimbos a la JFK, but close. I also bet people would love to know which brand Barack smokes. It’s probably a media secret.