I don't care. And that article by Kinsley is laughable (was he serious? Or was I really supposed to have a good chuckle?). I mean, dramatic introduction much? "It is still okay to discriminate against one group of Americans. This discrimination is not only legal, it is encouraged. You see members of this oppressed minority huddled outside in rain and snow, forbidden to seek refuge. No one feels sorry for them. And yet we may have just elected one of these pariahs as president." I felt like it was a voiceover for a commercial asking me to donate to charity.

who flipping cares, people are so consumed

but i do find it funny that he is searching for the perfect dog for the allergic daughter yet wont quit smoking, second hand smoking is a lot more severe then first hand, and yes smoke stays on clothes, before anyone says well he probably doesn't smoke in front of them.

oh and he didn't strike me as a smoker.

I hope he has quit or is quitting, smoking is nasty and his daughters deserve a healthy father. I have no tolerance for smokers.

I think its disgusting and if we want the nation to get healthier then the President should lead the way.

Good point, pink.

Most smokers I know with kids - (and most without for that matter) don't smoke inside the house.

I am a non-smoker but I seriously fail to see how this is newsworthy.

Seriously - are we going to discuss boxers or briefs next?

Silk or cotton?

I still can't imagine him smoking, but oh well. I don't care what he does on his own time, but he is a role model to a lot of people, children included. I think he needs to realize that, however, he will only be successful if he quits on his own accord though.

whoah, please excuse those errors in grammar!

I am thinking Barry goes Commando

CaterpillerGirl,

It was Kerry that said he goes commando...and McCain wears Depends.

well now that the election is over i guess we're on to smokers and fat people. gotta run, got 6 big macs and a pack of marlboros waiting for me.

No words for the stories today.

From the perspective of being a role model I think he should not smoke.

And this wins the award for most pointless post of the day. And it's only 7:30am!

how is this not news worthy???????? kids will look up to this man. If it is newsworthy to talk about smoking in movies, how is it not in this scenario. That is just ridiculous. AND the smoke on his clothes can trigger allergic reactions and asthma. And are you kidding me, if this man HAS to have a cigarette or cannot possibly function, then maybe he should be removed. Ughh I used to be a smoker. I just don't buy that argument. And he broke a promise to his lovely wife... horrible man!!! (that was sarcasm) I just think it is funny that people will talk about how john mccain was gonna die in office, but what about Obama and his health risks due to Smoking???? doing heroin???? God knows what else... A 50 year old man than smoke is as likely to die in the next 10 years as a 65 year old who has never smoked. They required many candidates to release health records during the campaign... where was ObamaS????? I have a right to know if my president is going to die.... Stupid to say this isn't news worthy!!!!

How about boxer BRIEFS, shadow? And nope. Still don't think it's newsworthy. Whether he smokes or not is his personal business. I don't give a sh*t. Kids look up to Britney and Paris too ... if I jump off a bridge, are you gonna jump too? "Mom, the president is smoking. Therefore, I should be able to/want to light up too." Right. Furthermore, no one says he can't function without a cigarette. The article says, "Another question is what effect a president desperate for a cigarette and trying to quit might have on your life expectancy and mine. Obama's steely calm is now one of our country's major assets. If he needs an occasional cigarette to preserve it, let's hand him an ashtray, offer him a light and look the other way." This is the author's own imagined assumption. Give me a break.

I don't smoke, and don't particularly enjoy being around smokers. But there are many worse habits that people could have. I am amazed that smoking has somehow managed to become as socially-unacceptable as it has.

My 20 YO sister-in-law says her friends won't touch cigarettes, but are more than happy to light up the green stuff. That seems seriously screwy to me.

As for Obama - I think the writer is either effing with us or has fallen down and hit his head. Hard. I fail to see how smoking would affect his Presidency. Who cares.

YAY!!! Hainan has an avatar!

"As for Obama - I think the writer is either effing with us or has fallen down and hit his head. Hard. I fail to see how smoking would affect his Presidency. Who cares."

Thank goodness I'm not the only one. That article is ridiculous - I'd be embarrassed to publish that. Unless it was for an April Fool's edition.

McCain smoked until he was 50, that's all I'm going to add to Hainan's comment. I don't think he should be publicly seen smoking because he is a role model, but whatever he does in his private life is his business.

Haha I'm not sure if I should find that funny or sad - people wondering about their president's smoking habits. The way he handles smoking with kids around is completely up to him imo.
Yeah, smoking is bad for your health, but so's drinking too much coffee or eating too many fries - but surprisingly enough, journalists aren't picking up on that.

From the moment he's not smoking while doing a speech in front of cameras, I don't think that's any of our business. What's next, people commenting on the colour of his suit because it's going to influence younger generations?!

I don't think it'll be a shock to people. I think most people know that he was or is a smoker. I think it's best that he didn't smoke since it's not good for you.

Besides it might keep him calm while in the White House lol.

"And are you kidding me, if this man HAS to have a cigarette or cannot possibly function, then maybe he should be removed."

Yep, that's exactly what the article said! Nice summary.

hainan, relax. obama's smoking was public knowledge before the election too. and obama DID release his medical records... in MAY! http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/05/obama_releases_health_informat.h...

and one final thing... get off smokers' backs. if they don't do it around kids, animals, or you - it's their business. drinking can be just as unhealthy if you abuse it, AND you can kill someone if you drive drunk.

The President on the West Wing smoked. Not that that has anything to do with anything...

I don't really think it's a huge deal, it's not like he's going to be puffing away while he's giving the State of the Union.

Obama's smoking is common knowledge and as far as I know he was trying out nicotine replacement therapy to quit- his success rate with NRT will be triple than if he tries quitting cold turkey. Since he is in a high-stress job- he needs to be on medications. Not only is it good for HIM but is important for his family and the country to see how quitting smoking, while difficult, is possible.
Smoking is an addiction -just expecting someone to quit without any intervention or calling them names is not only ineffective but does nothing to help.

I think it would be great for him in his personal life if he tries to quit. Obviously, I want Sasha and Malia to have their Dad around as long as possible.

Other than that, though, who cares? As someone else mentioned, it's not like he's going to be lighting up at a press conference. I put the news-worthiness of this story even below where the girls go to school!

advah, eating fries isnt addictive, no one dies of "fry cancer" or "coffee cancer" dont trivialize the negativity of the effects of smoking by comparing it to those things please.

Kranky I see you've mastered the fist bump

Yup! I'm working on a new one:

:bananas:

Yes, I DO have the memory of a goldfish.

Hopefully, that will work this time. I had to cut and paste.

Who cares...it's his right to smoke if he wants to. No one would get on him for drinking or doing anything else that's not exactly healthy.

I think he USED to smoke, but gave it up for the election.
This was in the Newsweek where they had a reporter follow him for the past two years. They mentioned that he gave it up. If he is still smoking, he's doing it privately.

But this post is all based on speculation that he is still smoking, which may not be true.

Okay, NOT an Obama Supporter here, remember that first. I will support my President, but I'm still very worried about what direction we're heading. Now, i said that for a reason.

This is not an issue people. I'm a smoker, and sometimes the cigarette is just the "excuse" to get away for a moment and collect your thoughts. There are times when I take a cigarette break and do not need a cigarette, I just want to step away from what I'm doing.

Do I think he should be up on the podium addressing the US with a ciggy in his hand? HELL NO, but you know what, if he's having talks with Putin or Ahmadinejad (Or however it's spelled) and wants to step out for a moment for a smoke, hey, more power to him. I'd rather it's a cigarette than alcohol to be honest. We all have our vices and our vices do not make us who we are.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if McCain were elected I'd have felt the same way. Ask yourself honestly, if it were YOUR candidate, would you REALLY care about this?

if i didn't give a flip about bill getting a blow job, (lol and just kidding,) i sure as hell don't care that this man is smoking a cig, hil should have left that man although i really liked bill and wished he had never been pleased especially by monica

I have a friend who's wife almost left him on their wedding day. In a momentary lapse...he took a drag off his MIL's cigarette. Apparently he'd promised to never smoke again. It took 3 hours of convincing his new wife (who I hardly knew) not to leave him. Obama should be glad Michelle isn't like that!

I do hope he's planning on quitting. It would benefit him and his family immensely. Although I do agree with Mykie, everyone has their vice. Maybe he just needs a new, non health-threatening one?

i don't know if it would make a huge difference, but i think that it would be good for everyone, himself included for him to quit. i think that back in the day it was seen as a symbol of prestige to have a cigar or pipe, but now it's just a gross habit to smoke. (my own opinion i guess)

Oh, for God's sake. Must be a slow news day, between this and Palin's turkey snafu.

in the ten thing you didnt know about Obama they said he did still smoke. that is what I am going off of. A parent can limit access to britney and paris, should we limit access to the president???
I think smokers get a bad rap, I used to be one. I personally don't mind smokers. I go outside with my friends that do smoke. BUT... the reason that this is upsetting to me is that this is supposed to be the highest public influence in our nation. Whether you like it or not, kids will look up to this man. The fact that he cannot quit shows a weakness... and whether or not you specifically care that he smokes is not the question... anyone who does will consider this newsworthy. I for one thought the story about michael moores opinion on a topic he knows nothing about, not to be newsworthy... but it made it on here none the less, because I know someone (however twisted they are) care about what that man says. And you say what he does in private is his own business...there is no privacy in a president IMO and all the ads/commercials about anti-smoking say that people shouldn't be subject to second hand smoke.... whether is be in the rose garden which is not 100 feet from an entrance???? so people can be subject to that smoke from inside... the residue on his clothes check out this website
http:// faculty.washington.edu /chudler/shs.html
speak of the dangers of indirect second hand smoke. they are still there and still relevant. on the hands/clothes/hair of smokers that residue CAN cause ill effects ie. cancer/asthma/allergic reaction!

floppy//// alcohol is damaging his own body.... second hand smoke is damaging to his girls and everyone else who works in that office. It's just a bad example to set.... Not to mention only weak people cannot quit... don't care what any of you have to say. If he really wanted to quit and couldn't, he is a weak person.
I smoked for 7 years. And when I finally decided to quit....I quit... COLD TURKEY I smoked a pack of marlboro reds on 12/31/99 and not a single one since

I feel like I've already seen a picture of him smoking during the campaign... anyone else with me on that? Could be that I just read about him doing it in his memoirs and formed my own image. I think smoking is gross and hope that he has or will quit, but it certainly isn't something that will make me think any less of him as a president, especially if he does a good job at that!

"I have a right to know if my president is going to die" - Oh really you do. What he does on his personal time is no one business. People just need to get over themselves and realize that at the end of the day regardless of the title people are still just that PEOPLE (they use the bathroom just like all of us stop making them so unhuman).

I agree that it is an unhealthy habit however let him and his family work it out.

I care about this story, not because he's the President, but just because he's a parent. I don't know how many times I've begged my parents to quit smoking, and they never did. It ALWAYS broke my heart when they would give quitting half-assed tries, or just flat out tell me no. My heart continuously breaks for children of smokers, the Obama girls included. It doesn't matter if he smokes around his daughters or not, I hope he'll quit to simply put their minds to rest. I've no doubt that they worry about his health because of cigarettes. It's a crappy feeling to constantly be waiting for your mom or dad to be diagnosed with cancer.

Where are the Libertarians when you need them? Can't we just live and let live?

I'm not going to persecute the guy for smoking but I have to admit that I think it's selfish when people who have children smoke. It doesn't matter if you smoke around them or not, it's an unhealthful practice and I doubt it leaves a good impression on the child. I'm really glad that my dad stopped smoking when he met my mom, I might not have liked being around him so much if he smelled like a chimney.

""I have a right to know if my president is going to die" - Oh really you do." yeah I do ... if you had a right to know mccains medical records which plenty of you have made several comments about on this site, then abso-freakin-lutely I have the right to know.... I feel like maybe you are defending his privacy so staunchly because he is your candidate. I feel the presidency is and should be an open book. EVERYTHING is fair game

I never said he didn't have the "right" to smoke. But I have the "right" to think what I want of a man who is weak and cannot quit and what kind of a father he could be subjecting his children to toxins!

Hainan, nicotine affects everyone's body differently. The inability to quit smoking is not necessarily a sign of weakness nor is it a sign of being a bad father. (Not just for Obama, but for any and everyone.) It is no secret that I voted for McCain, but honestly, this is just ridiculous. Laura Bush is also a lifelong smoker; is she a weak person and a bad parent, as well?

(Sorry, I shouldn't have said also, since we aren't even 100% sure that Obama still smokes.)

Laura smokes? Really? Didn't know that one...