Obama And Cigarettes: No Smoking Violations In The White House (VIDEO)

Obama sought to reassure the nation that while he occasionally sneaked a cigarette during the rigorous presidential campaign, he won't succumb to such temptations in the White House:

Obama was asked -- as he occasionally is, most recently by ABC's Barbara Walters -- whether he still sneaks a cigarette now and then. He suggested he does, but said he won't at his new address.

"What I said was that there were times where I have fallen off the wagon," Obama said. "What I would say 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."

Watch Obama's full interview with Tom Brokaw on "Meet the Press" here.

Comments

[greysells2]

Yes, you can! Do it for the kids. I did.

[carljr]

This is important why? Enough said.

[LALC]

Who cares?

[Rattlesnake]

Give the guy a break. President Elect has enough to worry about. If he wishes to to have a butt, let him. I am sure that Laura Bush will leave her ashtrays, as did FDR, JFK (Cubans) and Jackie O. It would be interesting to know who are or were in the public eye smoked. Never in public, but do you want the new president to sneak a smoke in the loo? I can't wait to see the New Yorker. Obama will be depicted in the Rose Garden, hiding behind the bushes. I am not that old, but I remember smoking in hospitals. Give our new president a break.

[kath1y]

I'm much more concerned about his continued chewing of Nicorette gum. Stuff's dangerous and we're going to have a huge uptick in oral cancer in twenty years...they'll say "oh, well, he was a smoker" but it'll be the Nicotine gum that caused it. FDA approved it with the caveat that it be used for only about three months. But then Big Pharma got it made non-prescription and people who used to smoke chew the stuff like it was Doublemint. Unhealthy as chewing tobacco but nobody cares...it's not tobacco.

And of course, the Veterans' Administration quit prescribing Chantix because it tends to increase the suicide rate.

Here's the thing: the nonsense about "second-hand smoke" started when Nicorette went on the market...gotta sell more drugs so they got that social pressure thing going. Even the term "second-hand" smoke was brought to you by the same factory that produced the term "death tax".

It's remarkable how easy it is to herd the populace into group-think.

I'm glad Obama smokes/smoked...it shows he's not a group-thinker but an independent, intelligent individual who doesn't let himself be herded. I like that in a president!

[SantaFeConservative]

An intelligent individual born in the sixties wouldn't have started to smoke.

[win2kpro]

With the problems we have in this Country today, don't we have more to concern ourselves with than whether Barack Obama has a cigarette in the White House?

[Emerald1943]

Oh for Chrissake, let the man have a ciggie!

[hortonhearsawho]

Hey John, got alight ole buddy...

[hortonhearsawho]

Brownies instead..oh not that kinda smoke, nevermind.

[schicklett3]

Our country is crumbling down around our ears... 2 wars raging, millions of people going bankrupt, losing their jobs, no way to feed their families, and that people are getting all up in arms about Obama sneaking a smoke is just plain ignorant.
Who really cares?!!

[Pepper14]

I care because he is supposed to be this smart man but doesn't have enough common sense to stop smoking. He has two children, so what does that teach them. He is smoking more than plain cig with all this money he plans to spend.

[rockyb26]

if that's the case, it's his choice and he's free to do whatever he wants.

[Yurdelite]

It's not the common sense it's the nicotine addiction, plain and simple. Nicotine is the most addicting drug and it's all legal.

Obama, I suggest you get some Carlton 100's and smoke as many as you like until you ask yourself why you are smoking. That's kind of how Smokenders did it--gradually reducing your nicotine and tar intake. Carlton cigarettes were the last on the list when I quit smoking. Did it in 3 weeks and never looked back. It helped that I was not a heavy drinker and not a coffee drinker who enjoyed cigarettes when drinking.

If Obama wants to and he believes in God, why not ask God to take it away? I'm just sayin'...

[skunky93]

smoking addiction has nothing to do with intelligence. Stop being a kicd

[PuddyKatz]

This is stupid non-news. I can't believe you guys, and the media, are still doing this sort of thing while our economy and our national security goes down the drains.
Also the major media ignored signals that Bush is drinking again, it could at least have investigated or asked him.

[rollingdivision]

Tens of millions of people have quit with nothing more than their own will power, it isn't hard.

[nippyfan]

okay Tom Cruise. No addictions, aren't hard to kick.

[rollingdivision]

Obama is weak.

[tatianalensky]

honestly, only in the US would this even be brought up. Me - being a smoker - find it mucho simpatico that he does smoke. He´s human after all.

[Shzron1946]

And to the vegan person--get a grip! One thing at a time.

[Shzron1946]

I believe that his statement means that Obama will go away from the White House to have a smoke. And if he does, then that is nobody else's business. Nobody who is trying to quit smoking needs to be judged. At least they are trying. It took me over five years, and I couldn't even afford the damned things. I often actually chose food over cigarettes.

It took actual heart failure and quitting cold turkey to make me stop after 30 years. It has been fourteen years and I still find myself occasionally willing to stand near a Winston Light 100s smoker just to get a whiff of the old feeling of comfort, but that's getting pretty old, now, hardly ever happens anymore...Everyone has to quit the way that works best for them, and you don't know what works best until it works. You just have to keep quitting. I wish Obama success in his efforts

[Pepper14]

Good try in defending BamBam but I am sure if this was President Bush you would be up in arms.

[Yurdelite]

Bush Shite...maybe we wouldn't be in this mess if W had smoked something...In other words BU LL CR AP.

[Paralogos]

Maybe he'll set up a smoking tent in the Rose Garden, the way Schwartzenager did in California.

[Colmore]

They always had to set up a smoking tent for Laura Bush, also. She probably spent as much time away from the WH as possible, so she could smoke. Being away from Georgie was a bonus, too!!