Political Punch

Most non-smokers, even former smokers, view those who smoke today as weak-willed people with little regard for their own bodies. It revels a lot about a man's character.

Smoking is NOT acceptible in today's society. Back in the 50's when over 50% of the population smoked, cigarettes were even advertised as a healthy pick-you-up, but we've known how dangerous they really are ever since Obama was a kid. So why did he ever pick up such a depised, self-destructive habit in the first place? And why can't he kick the habit now? Again, it says a lot about his character.

WOW, THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF! Now maybe you should see if someone lied about something much less consequential- the $3 trillion war of choice, Katrina, budget deficits--you know, the small stuff

Except that I don't like feeling that I wasn't being dealt with honestly. And as much as citizens who are suspect of the media might scoff at such a notion, many of us consider ourselves to be your representatives to help make sure our leaders are telling us the truth, and leading the country down a path we as a nation are confident is the right one.

You guys kinda screwed the pooch on that Iraq thingamajiggy though, don't ya think?......

Wow, such DEEP journalism!

Why is McCain getting a free ride?

"...many of us consider ourselves to be your representatives to help make sure our leaders are telling us the truth..." about stupid meaningless things like smoking. For anything of importance, we roll over like little puppies.

I don't know how I missed this smoking issue. I admit it has a serious effect on how I feel about Barack. As a matter of fact, after being 100% behind Barack since the speech he gave announcing his candidacy, I don't think I can vote for him if he's still smoking. It's a blow to learn he ever did. My argument is "how smart CAN you be to start smoking EVER." That is my policy for everyone. I'm very disapointed.

You know what this is bizzare so he smoked a cigarette big deal, would it be better if he were drinking and driving like our bush has done in the past, and lord only knows if he was when those nuclear-warhead components wound up in Taiwan, write some real stuff some serious things like what the media just brushed under the rug so fast, with this nuclear-warhead compenets
in Taiwan thats IMPORTANT news not a cigarette.

Why is this an issue?

Has our media really stooped to this point?

Sen. Obama made quitting smoking a campaign issue when he publicly announced he was quitting because his wife insisted he do so if he wanted to run for President. He even joked that if anyone saw him smoking to tell Michelle. Even though I voted for him, I was, and am, troubled by his addiction. First, Sen. Obama downplayed the extent of his addiction, stating that he smoked very little. Yet months later he is still unable to wean himself off nicotine. Second, I find it hard to believe an intelligent person would not be more motivated by the threat smoking poses to their own health than by how it is perceived by voters. Third, while Sen. Obama supports raising Federal cigarette taxes and FDA oversight of tobacco products, he, unlike Edwards, Biden, and Dodd, has rejected calls for a national smoke-free workplace law.

Finally, for those who think this issue is inconsequential, I would point out that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the US. It kills more Americans than AIDS, illegal drugs, murder, suicide, and car crashes combined. It results in billions of dollars in health care costs, a large percentage of which is borne by taxpayers. It is estimated that smoking will kill a billion people worldwide this century. To imply that smoking is not, or should not, be an important issue is uninformed. 438,000 Americans dead each year from smoking stacks up rather well against the death toll from the Iraqi war.

"Not a big deal in the scheme of things" "Hardly worth mentioning" "Not that Sens. Hillary Clinton and John McCain or their campaigns are entirely innocent in this area either. Or even that Obama is the worst offender." "Still."

But I just CAN'T write about McCain's lies. He invites us to barbecues. My corporate-media boss says don't criticize him, so here's another shallow column about our opponents - I mean McCain's, McCain's!

*I removed the link to the BBC, in case that is why you won't post this comment.

Wow. How trivial can you get?

Well, the master of trivia, Justin Webb, North American Editor for the BBC, LINKED this "life-threatening" story on his BBC website blog. Check out the April 3 entry as well. What strikes you?

I tell my European friends about Santa Cruz, CA, which has a "public" smoking ban ... no smoking on the sidewalk, parks, middle of the street. Is this still true? Was it ever true?

Being from Boulder, CO, I believed it. Plenty of granola-fascists in the new L.A., Colorado's front range. Smoking on the street one day, a woman approached me, shaking her head and waggling her finger. "Shame!" she said. I checked my clothes to make sure I wasn't wearing any fur (not than I own any, but I thought "Shame!" was PETA's). I was confused ... until I noticed her spinning eyes fixing a bead the tiny bit of hellfire in my hand. Where there's smoke, there's a devil.

The woman informed me it was ILLEGAL to smoke in Boulder -- even outside on the street. I told her it was not (it isn't -- yet), moved away from her and thought GEEEZ. Boulder's becoming Santa Cruz.

How precious can we get? Sure, I wish I'd never started (which, by the way, was what Obama advised) but all the same, when did lighting a cigarette become an occasion for a Citizen Arrest? Worse yet ... an indicator of a hopelessly weak character? This is silly. We all have addictions. My sisters can't live without SSRIs. I prefer tobacco. I've loved and trusted many smokers, my mother among them. She lived to 78.

I'm curious. How does dissembling compare to smoking? Is there a 12-step program for compulsive cover-uppers? Compulsive exaggerators? Compulsive missionaries?

To Geevil, and all others who have complained about trivial reporting: Bravo!

Should we be wondering about the editors as well? The bosses who send these guys out to "smoke out" and promote ... distractions?

Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned NEWS DESK?

I am so tired of being talked down to ... by the President, by the Vice-President, by the Fourth Estate.

To the Editors: We are begging for more. We promise we'll read, listen and contribute what we can. But please ... if there is no dirt for the day, why not use the space to present issues?

I suppose the days of a professional press are over. Along with the Executive branch murdering habeas corpus, the loss of an intelligent press corp is the final nail in the coffin of Emerson's America.

Wow. How trivial can you get?

Well, the master of trivia, Justin Webb, North American Editor for the BBC, LINKED this "life-threatening" story on his BBC website blog. Check out the April 3 entry as well.

I tell my European friends about Santa Cruz, CA, which has a "public" smoking ban ... no smoking on the sidewalk, parks, middle of the street. Is this still true? Was it ever true?

Being from Boulder, CO, I believed it. Plenty of granola-fascists in the new L.A., Colorado's front range. Smoking on the street one day, a woman approached me, shaking her head and waggling her finger. "Shame!" she said. I checked my clothes to make sure I wasn't wearing any fur (not than I own any, but I thought "Shame!" was PETA's). I was confused ... until I noticed her spinning eyes fixing a bead the tiny bit of hellfire in my hand. Where there's smoke, there's a devil.

The woman informed me it was ILLEGAL to smoke in Boulder -- even outside on the street. I told her it was not (it isn't -- yet), moved away from her and thought GEEEZ. Boulder's becoming Santa Cruz.

How precious can we get? Sure, I wish I'd never started (which, by the way, was what Obama advised) but all the same, when did lighting a cigarette become an occasion for a Citizen Arrest? Worse yet ... an indicator of a hopelessly weak character? This is silly. We all have addictions. My sisters can't live without SSRIs. I prefer tobacco. I've loved and trusted many smokers, my mother among them. She lived to 78.

I'm curious. How does dissembling compare to smoking? Is there a 12-step program for compulsive cover-uppers? Compulsive exaggerators? Compulsive missionaries?

How utterly pathetic of you to call someone's honour into question in this way! Neither did he lie to you, nor, if that's the way you 'follow up' on an informal chat, did you deserve to be talking with him in the first place. And you're wasting people's time if that's all you can rustle up and you're actually in Washington...'As any close friend or family member can attest,I have an unusually keen sense of smell...blah, blah, blah'.

It's probably all the stress from having nosy journalists sniff his every move..

Don't worry though, Hussein Obama like, Al Qaeda, has assured us he will push for a nationwide smoking ban.

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2008/03/rwjf-ctfk-nicoderm-funded-pr-consultant.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/09/al-qaeda-smoking-ban-is-one-of-reasons.html

"And as much as citizens who are suspect of the media might scoff at such a notion, many of us consider ourselves to be your representatives to help make sure our leaders are telling us the truth, and leading the country down a path we're confident is the right one."

Very idealistic and commendable; IF indeed all ya'll at the mainstream media did do that! I think we know that you guys, "our representatives", have been sleeping at the wheel. Lazy, me thinks?

Why don't you guys get off your butts and do some REAL journalism, investigative and informative? No wonder no one watches network news anymore!

Beyond the spurious claim currently being spun and spread far and wide by Machine Republicans that "Obama lied" about his quitting tobacco, as a result of the tacit innuendo in your report-

consider the importance and relevance of tobacco use to statesmanship:

Churchill and FDR were smokers.

Hitler was a non-smoker.

I wouldn't make too much of it, if I were you.

yt, cabdriver (non-smoker)

Come on, man. Usually, i do think you have worthwhile stories to report, and that you do so more than competently.
But this? Not only was it none of your business, it was petty.

Hold on a minute...you're claiming that Barack Obama was lying to you- because 1) you had a close personal encounter with him and noticed that he smelled as if he had just smoked a cigarette; and 2) you later called his campaign office, and they claimed that Obama hadn't had a cigarette since last February?

Four points: 1) Obama did not lie to you about his tobacco use- you never even asked him the question. 2) The Obama campaign office that you did query about his tobacco use is not in the business of continual monitoring of the success of his attempts to quit tobacco, or any relapses in that struggle. It would certainly be exceptional if they were. 3) Even if the person speaking to you on the phone about Sen. Obama's personal habits knew about his relapse and lied to you about it- it was their lie, not Sen. Obama's. It wasn't even a lie publically disseminated by "the Obama campaign", in regard to a position of public policy. If it was a knowing lie- and you've provided little reason to assume that it was- the exclusive responsibility for it resides with the person who answered the phone. 4) Sen. Obama answered candidly and truthfully about his problems quitting tobacco, when queried about it in a public interview.

I don't get your high moral dudgeon.

But, as long as we're on the topic of substance use and addiction- next time you see him, why not ask John McCain how his status as son-in-law to one of the largest alcohol distributors in Arizona affects his views on drug prohibition and substance abuse? At least that's a matter of public policy.

People upset about Sen. Obama's tobacco use and its possible effect on his ability to govern ought to pick a biography or autobiography of Winston Churchill. Consider this excerpt from Wikipedia:

"On one occasion during an election campaign Churchill was speaking in a church hall in rural England. The hall was decorated in the well accepted colour scheme of that era – mission brown up to shoulder height, then cream up to and including the ceiling. When he finished his speech Churchill called for questions. The first came from a middle-aged woman dressed in country tweeds. "Mr Churchill, I am a member of the Temperance League," she said, "My local branch has been examining your use of alcohol. Are you aware Prime Minister that, during your lifetime to date you have consumed enough alcohol to fill this hall up to here" stretching her arm dramatically to indicate the mission brown zone on the wall. "We want to know what you intend to do about it?" Churchill looked at the woman, followed her arm to the top of the mission brown zone, and then slowly allowed his gaze to move up through the cream zone to the ceiling. "So little time, so much to do" he said."

This typical american
Discussions are not about esentials ike healthcare-mortgage disasters-iraq. V But about whether obama did smoke another cigarette the other day.
No I understand why America is loosing leadership in the world

What hasn't Obama lied about?

As much as I hate smoking, I have to admit that it does make you look cool. Barack has charisma no doubt, and it reminds me a lot of James Dean and his persona of being cool and authentic. Barack's smoking habit is a definite flaw, but perhaps it keeps him human and keeps us from elevating the man too high on a pedestal. His positive energy and constant message of hope is a lot more sincere than the smoke the other candidates blow in our face every election cycle.

Wow talk about a petty, pointless story.

Let me get this straight: you called the Obama campaign to ask them to ask him if he had a cigarette? And this is relevant HOW?

Aw, I understand your feelings were hurt because of a perceived slight (that the campaign wasn't completely honest with you). About the Senator quitting smoking.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is running around telling pointed stories about dodging sniper fire (which were confirmed to be false), and now we hear that her favorite health care stump speech is also made of similarly fictional threads.

I've not had the chance to read any of your other musings this campaign season, but I must say that this article leaves a horrible first impression on someone not familiar with your work.

Gabred said: "to deal with petty dictators like Castro, Chavez, Hsu, and their elk"

erm... Chavez is not a dictator - internationally observed elections took place and were deemed fully fair. Read up and stop repeating the BS spouted by the American press.

Also, I don't believe any of them own any elk (or did you mean ilk?), but that is as inconsequential as to whether Barack wanted to admit to his smoking (which he did do anyway).

THIS is something you people are giving serious thought to?? And you're trying to tie this guy having a cigarette into his character?? Are ya NUTS??

If this is what passes for political discourse, and you people vote, then we get what we deserve. Except there are a lot of us who don't deserve people like you even having the right to vote, if a cigarette can influence you.

The dumbing down of America is now complete. Guess that means McCain will win by a landslide.

Sad to see so many mean-spirited attacks on you, Jake. Of course, you have a sense of proportion on these things, despite the hateful comments. Your point clearly is that a candidate who will lie about something small will also lie about something big. And that point is well taken, and has been demonstrated to be true in other contexts.

The American Cancer should endorse Obama to help him dealt this nasty habit.Maybe he quits for votes

I don't mind him smoking at all , but not in my house Not in the White house , it's public property. and he keeps leaving the Ovam office to get a puff in the Rose garden who is minding the store?
He is a chain smoker and of a need of an ashray nest to him for one. If he smokes in his office why would not others smoke in theirs. Its a huge problem. We need to reevaluate our laws.

people who take the moral high ground when it comes to smoking had better examine their own lives very closely. this means you, people like commenter Alma -- so painfully self-righteous! take the plank out of your own eye, church lady! do you drink coffee every morning? do you eat too much? (if you are an american, odds are good you do - far too much.) do you ever walk anywhere or use public transport, or do you always have to take your car? addiction is addiction -- very few people can claim to not be dependent on anything to get by. an addiction is an addiction. society has just decided that are just more heinous than others.

So, here's the way I see it.

Obama:
"I admit, I have fallen off the wagon a couple of times and then gotten back on"
+
"Smelled like smoke" one day last year.

Hillary:
"I was afraid for my life [because of the sniper fire over my head]."
+
Wife of "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."

I am stunned that whether Obama smoked a cigarette or not could influence someone in their voting.
A feeling, but not proof, that someone in his campaign may have misled the reporter (or made an honest mistake)is really not a consideration when the stakes are this high and Political corruption particularly in the GOP is more openly defiant than ever before.
Americans will end up with the president they deserve,

So what if he smokes, we have had presidents lie about things worse than that. Why don't you write about something worth talking about like how we have thousands of people losing their lives everyday due to lies and how their families are coping with their losses. Oh yeah, ask them how they feel about Obama's possibly lying about smoking and see the reactions you'll get.

Baby steps....

Now try looking into all the other lies and posting them here and it might actually look like you are being a journalist.

Geez...the man lies as much as Hillary does.

And the Republicans have no probelm seeing what a 'glass jaw' Obama has...when they finally have their way with him I wonder if the 'fainters' are going to be able to contain themselves?

this is a joke, right?

I'm trying to quit myself....it's VERY hard to do.....all this talk about cigarettes makes me REALLY want one.....Sorry....that's the end of my comment.....I have to go light one up!

Are you kidding me with this story? How immature...there's a war in Iraq...innocent people dying...talk about that. And maybe the last time he wore the suit was when he smoked and it hadn't been dry cleaned. Do you guys ever quit with the Obama bashing?

I really thought this was a joke.

Americans are so stupid, they hate who they're told to hate. FOX tells you to hate Obama and you obey like robots.

You don't deserve a good president.

I don't know about Obama's funny smell but all these folks who claim they used to admire Obama up until world class journalism from abc revealed "the true dimension of his character" are blowing some serious smoke. And it doesn't have a funny smell, it stinks!

Nicotine is an addiction and is a sign of great dependency. Dependent people scare me. Lying about it is a sneaky thing to do. Also a sign of denial. I want a strong, emotionally sound, upfront leader not a sneaky addict who can't stop smoking. Anyone who still smokes in light of the great medical evidence that it is a killer, has a serious reality problem. Just another sign that Senator Obama has issues. Maybe not a big deal to some, but it is to me. Thanks for the story.

"One last thing -- if Clinton had been caught in a lie like this -- one Obama supporters are calling inconsequential, as are ALL matters in which the chosen one does not sport his halo -- she's be eviscerated."

oh that's right--because Hillary Clinton doesn't lie--she only "mis-speaks" about things like sniper fire.

What kind of crap is this supposed story? Why don't you report some real news?

Bad judgement gets you into a bad marriage where your spouse messes around on you over and over and over----

Character and strength are needed to stand up for yourself and your daughter and all the women you want to respresent and leave the good for nothing Bill Clinton!

Hey people if you ever smoke before you will remember how addictive nicotine is . Sometimes you think you are done with it but suddenly you find you are back at it.
More than mere wishes . it takes a strong will . its often a medical case .
But i believe this is too personal to worry about . its minuscule in relation to bigger issues and i wouldn't worry so much about it . the smoking or non smoking . Barrack is human afterall . He perhaps thought he was done with smokeing and said so . but like many addictions it might come back i would be more worried about drug addiction or other similar issues. let him be and i believe he is capable of fixing this later along the line . its his life

Yo people, don't you see what's happening here. This man doesn't care about the truth. He is just sitting back and watching you all tear each other apart over a pastor and a bosnia trip while the dollar goes down the drain and a few more soldiers die in Iraq. Tomorrow he might say that Clinton/Obama/McCain uses double-ply toilet paper when in fact he/she has claimed to use only single-ply! And he/she doesn't even fold it ... oh the horror.

"Obama ran off before I could ask him if he'd just snuck a smoke..."

"Except that I don't like feeling that I wasn't being dealt with honestly."

How were you not dealt with honestly? You never had time to ask him personally. Never mind, this is great reporting in action, an intense story, on the same level as the NYT bowling story. Yet, another "political reporter" showing his great talent and ability to undercover some serious truths

This is a joke, right? An elaborate, albeit belated April Fools prank? That you even *bothered* to ask such a piffling question of Obama's staff is puzzling enough. But to see the incident as being illustrative of anyone's character is absurd. Dollars to doughnuts Obama knew nothing about this little exchange. Imagine it: "Senator, I know you're very busy running to be leader of the free world, but we've been asked to confirm why you smell funny."

"Except that I don’t like feeling that I wasn’t being dealt with honestly."

Obama probably said "Good to see you Jake." Think about that one Mr. Intrepid Reporter Guy.

This is what they pay you for? Seriously?

We've been lied into an illegal war, and continue to be lied to about our economy, foreign policy and all other aspects of our lives as Americans, Clinton lies about Iraq War votes and her trip to Bosnia under sniper fire, and McCain lies on a regular basis about his intentions on both the domestic and international fronts, and you're upset because Barak Obama snuck a smoke? Get over yourself, please.

Barack's petty lies are not important or unique, they are part and parcel of the "holier than thou" syndrome among politicians.

What is of really significant importance in this presidential race, is the admitted conviction of both his and his wife's toward this country and the ruling majority. First Mrs. Barack: the fact that she did not consider her opportunity to be schooled in two Ivy-league institutions and the chance for being a successful partner in a law firm as a reflection of the privilege and opportunities she was afforded with by this country, of which she could be proud of, tells us a great deal about her character. Plus the fact that for a long period of time, with her intelligence and culture, she did not find it offensive to belong to a church and be close friend of a man who calls himself a “pastor”, and who is also a close friend and admirer of a hateful and “dictator-like” little punk with bow-ties, tells you more. Furthermore, a mother, who did not consider it brainwashing with hate of her small children, exposed to the same pastor’s speeches, during a long time, she has no place in the White House in my book.

Now, back to the candidate himself. Obama with his excellent mind, intellect, great capacity to deliver heartwarming and glorious speeches and world-saving promises, did not have either the courage to contradict his religious guide and friend for twenty years in either convincing him to modify his teachings,(a pastor is a “teacher” or not?) or enough courage to simply leave that church for one that dedicates itself to “religion” and not politics. Secondly, here is a man, who wishes to ride to fame by promising so much to all, sinners and saints in and out of the country, to deal with petty dictators like Castro, Chavez, Hsu, and their elk, as well as good and great leaders alike, simply because he dreams of being an enlightened knight on a white horse? Where has he been all his life, living in a dream world, an imaginary land where simply because he went to great schools, delivers great speeches, they will all bow to him? Give me a break, to paraphrase a TV journalist. Sounds like he is a great dreamer, just like the bright Chamberlain of the U.K. was, if anybody remembers him.

A man, no matter how intelligent and cultured and “handsome” he might be, should never be considered as a leader of this country who has demonstrated such poor judgment in his personal life.

Thank you, Jake. This does bother me. Why would Obama have to lie about it? He is slowly revealing his true self in these moments. For someone who said words do matter he's been very flippant about Wright & Farrakhan - it does matter whether he denounces & rejects Farrakhan. Most of the media keeps fawning over him but why did he vote present 129 times in Illinois & why would someone with such great judgment make deals with Rezko? He's gotten nothing accomplished in the US Senate & only did a few things when the Illinois Senate went Democrat.

Why does he think he's the person to lead a national conversation on race when he's been supporting a racist bigot who spews hate speech for the past 20 years.

What we need is real legislative accomplishments, not empty calls for hope & change from a hypocrit.

character and strength is needed to stop an addiction....and good judgement to avoid the habit in the first place.

Yeah, come on guys, it's not like his wife cheated on him, and he forgave her, and now he wants to be president.
And it's not like Rev. Wright is out there lobbying to ship more jobs to another hemisphere or anything. Lighten up.

The candidate didn't lie, his campaign staffers didn't know he was off the wagon.

"I'm a Clinton supporter but I'm not going to bash Obama if he fell off the wagon when it came to quitting smoking. It's not uncommon."

You are missing the point.

The point here is not that Obama couldn't break the habit, but that he/his campaign lied about it.

Similarly, in the Rev Wright issue, the point is not what the Rev said, but that Obama sat listening to that for 20 years, and finally when the pastor was (persuaded to) quit, he comes out with an explanation that "had he not retired, I would have quit".

He is very clever in morphing an issue into something else, and addressing that instead.

As someone else on this forum said, "Obama says whatever he thinks will work at the moment". The strange thing is he is getting away with it for so long. One of these days, his "Acquired Immunity from Criticism" will wear out and he will start unravelling. Too bad if it happens after he clinches the nomination.

Amos,

People have seen Obama smoking backstage and outside before a event. He is also known for hitting up staff members for cigs. He is chain smoker who has no self control. He has no judgment to be president.

How dare you accuse Blessed Barack of lying? Can't you at least use euphemisms? Such as prevaricating, stretching the truth, etc...

The extent to which Obama fans come to his defense on the smoking is ridiculous.

I never smoked; my father did. I understand how difficult it (apparently) is, to kick the habit. That itself should be explanation enough. But oh no, The Barack cannot be tarnished with a blemish. the staff has to protect him, lying if necessary, in the greater cause.

Molehill politics.

As someone who has quit smoking, I can tell you that suits can reek for years, even after cleaning, and it's especially noticeable outside and in smoke-free environments. Also, one snuck cigarette a week prior can still cling to the suit.

Third, every time I stood near someone who was smoking, the (delightful to me) fragrance stuck to me, and later that evening my wife would accuse me of sneaking a smoke.

I don't think you were lied to. I also understand how hard it is to quit and that one can't give up just because one makes mistakes.

We all lie a little, especially when we fail to live up to the standards we have set for ourselves. This would be a big deal if Obama based part of his candidacy on the inner strength he exhibited while quitting smoking. This would be a big deal if Obama used quitting smoking as an example of an experience that qualifies him to lead. Why is this a story?

"Still."

Still what? You are lied to about Iraq, about torture, about any number of issues important for our nation, and that's fine. Oh, but let Obama MAYBE fib (and it wasn't him, it was his campaign staff) about sneaking a smoke and that gets you all hot and bothered. How trivial and debased can you be? Seriously, do you think your job is just to play "gotcha" regarding candidate's personal peccadillos?

Also, comparing Obama and McCain in terms of helath concern is absurd. Obama is 46, never had a health problem, whereas McCain is 72 and has been diagnosed with cancer (melanoma is mild one, but inusrance companies still consider that cancer - I have a friend who can't get insurance because she had melanoma). So yes, it is reasonable to be concerned about McCain's health, not so much for Obama.

They pay you to write this crap?

"Obama ran off before I could ask him if he'd just snuck a smoke, so I called his campaign."

What kind of investigative reporting is this? Seems more like tabloid to me...Maybe you should follow up with an interview with his alien brother from Mars who secretly has a love-child with Britney Spears...really...

Whatever, I bet he never inhaled....lol.

When all is said and done, I'm sure history will remember Obama's campaign as the dirtiest ever, punctuated by the cover of "clean" but painting the Clintons as racist clearly crossed the line. He lies a lot, but seriously, of all the reasons he shouldn't be President, not that it could happen, McCain will clobber him in Dukakis fashion, but smoking just isn't it. The media need cover the growing list of lies from his team an uncover the charlatan he is and the dirty machine running him, though it might expose the dirty Democratic establishment pushing him, but not this. Yes, I am a Republican. I eagerly await the Obama nomination, I was originally worried we'd lose this year, but it looks like the Dems are going to give us one of the greatest gifts in elections history, Barack Obama.

Come on. I've eaten in places and have come out smelling like smoke.

And no, I've never smoked in my life.

Are we serious? Smoking?

Smoking is one of the most difficult things for your body to give up physiologically and psychologically. It is also something that millions of Americans struggle with. I applaud him for making an effort.

With him being a role model, I do not expect him to come out and say how much he enjoys ciggarettes, its a bad example for kids especially.

Should he have been more honest, despite the fact that some clown would make an issue out of it? Certainly. No lie is good.

Is whether or not Obama smokes important? Absolutely not.

There are far more important Lies and half truths out there to cover. If this is an honesty issue, this is far less important than lying about the experience you've run your campaign on. (Clinton) Which in turn is far less important than lying to conflate Iran with iraq (McCain)

Lets get real people.

Okay, so maybe he did lie about having a smoke. Big whoop! An addiction is hard to quit no matter what it is, eating, drinking, smoking. I'd rather he lie about harming himself than lying about being shot at by Bosnian snipers. Also, not once did the author state that Obama himself told him he didn't have a cigarette. So, was he actually lied to?

This is a ridulous story. Obama has the right to smoke if he wants to. He is in the fight of his life and needs a smoke occasionally to ease the tension of dealing with Hillary Clinton!

The "war on Iraq" ended in April, 2003, nearly five years ago.
We won.

The correct response would have been, "Yes, I smoke" Now lets move on to something that's actually important.
The fact that the media has placed such significance on it, should tell you a lot about what's really important to the media. It has nothing to do with qualifications for the job.
I don't have a horse in this race.
Clinton & Obama, are both socialists.
OH wait, sorry, now they're calling it "progressive". It's certainly a more pallatable term, so.. my mistake.
McCain is out of touch with reality.
Are these three really the best America has to choose from?
Sad.

HAS OBAMA BROUGHT WHITE AND BLACKS TOGETHER WITH HIS CAMPAIGN?

TOGETHER 30%

FURTHER APART 22%

MADE NO DIFFERENCE 42%

When you add apart and no difference it is 64%. And the numbers will get larger and larger. Obama is a divider.

"many of us consider ourselves to be your representatives to help make sure our leaders are telling us the truth, and leading the country down a path we're confident is the right one."

that's a friggin whopper if there ever was one.

I second that. a self important one at that. If you think you're a representative for public interest, maybe you should be more concerned about lies to the public and not trivialities like this.

He lied because he can. And no one calls him on it.

He lied because he knows people think badly of a rich, educated person who cannot break himself of the smoking habit, which is known to be bad for you, and because he knows there are people whose opinion of him are impacted by his smoking. (And yes, I know people who have said this.)

But lying about this was idiotic. And it shows a smallness of character and a lack of courage that should serve as an alarm bell to others.

One last thing -- if Clinton had been caught in a lie like this -- one Obama supporters are calling inconsequential, as are ALL matters in which the chosen one does not sport his halo -- she's be eviscerated.

"Except that I don't like feeling that I wasn't being dealt with honestly. And as much as citizens who are suspect of the media might scoff at such a notion, many of us consider ourselves to be your representatives to help make sure our leaders are telling us the truth, and leading the country down a path we're confident is the right one."
What is this a joke? In these times with all that has transpired you make a statements like this? How is one supposed to take this.

Yes, he's just a mortal politician after all...MSNBC hasn't gotten word yet though. They think he's the Messiah.

The man believes killing babies is a fine and wants to give licenses to illegals which are much more troubling. Not to mention his and his wife's lack of patriotism towards our great contry.