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

[curiousasheck]

Reagan didn't smoke he used Jelly Beans and we now see where that got us.

[curiousasheck]

Just as long as the stress doesn't turn him into a Beer Guzzling alcoholic.

[curiousasheck]

As nasty and vicious a habit as smoking is some of the greatest achievements and accomplishments and big jam escapes in U.S. History we're accomplished by driven over achieving chain smokers.

If this was then BO would be chain smoking four packs a day and so would just about everyone else just to try and keep our nerves steady.

But people have to bow to the Smoking Police now and apparently so does the President Elect.

[TheHandyman]

What a crock! Name some! Now name me a bunch more people who accomplished even more who didn't smoke!

[indypete]

Churchill vs Hit ler

[Benjine]

Hello Handyman; curiousasheck is dead right. Smokers in history have tended to overachieve. This list is BY NO MEANS EXHAUSTIVE! Just a small selection of some famous smokers;

Albert Einstein
Winston Churchill
Thomas Edison
Pablo Picasso
George Orwell
Alfred Hitchcock
Alexander Graham Bell
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Edwin Hubble
Sigmund Freud
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
John F Kennedy
Gunter Grass
Oscar Wilde
John-Paul Sartre
Lennon & McCartney
JK Rowling
Albert Camus
Kurt Vonnegut
Bertolt Brecht
Mark Twain
James Dean
Jagger & Richards
JR Tolkien
Elizabeth Taylor
Robert de Niro
Al Pacino
Sammy Davis Jr
Ulysses S. Grant
Lyndon B. Johnson
Mao Zedong
John Wayne
Johnny Cash
Frank Sinatra
Marilyn Monroe
Miles Davis

[Benjine]

To add to my comment above, its interesting isn't it that FDR, JFK, LBJ, BHO (cigarettes) and even WJC (cigars) were ALL smokers, ALL democratic presidents, ALL considerably better presidents than their Republican counterparts?

I know Nixon, Ford and, amazingly Bush 43 smoke(d) cigars. Clearly this demonstrates that cigarettes are Democrats and cigars are Republican. Cigarette smokers make better presidents. Cigar smokers make worse - Clinton aside.

[elcojonu]

JFK was a big-time cigar smoker.

[sparkal]

I could care less about him smoking....

[sphinxy]

He said you will not SEE any violations.

[FaceYourFears]

Leave it to PEBO, he's so clever with words!

[rdiaz921]

I caught that. He meant he will smoke outside. :(

Will all the stress his job will bring - he will be smoking ALOT.

[sunny555]

Please quit smoking for good, P.E. Obama. We want you around for a long time, and you will set a good example for your daughters -- as well as the many Americans addicted to nicotine.

[smartcookienyc]

Quit smoking for good? Yes, he can.

[RexPrimoris]

I know PE Obama's life is about to get a heck of a lot more stressful, and I certainly don't begrudge him the occasional cigarette, but I hope he does make a concerted effort to quit, eventually. He seems to be in great shape, he exercises regularly and also watches his diet, so it would be a shame for him to undermine all those efforts with the long-term negative health implications of smoking. I want this guy to be around for a long time, beyond the length of his presidential tenure...

[kellygrrrl]

Way too many young people look up to this guy. Just don't want to see them get the message that smoking is cool.

[23000Days]

Does Martin Sheen mooching cigs in "The West Wing" come to mind?

[ckfan]

You gotta love the lawyer in him. He said there would be no smoking in the White House and that he will keep his word on that. Uh-hu. So, when he goes outside and smokes or when he's flying on Air Force One and takes a puff that won't count, get it? Spoken like a true lawyer. It's ok though, because he"ll have to deal with Michelle on the smoking issue. I fear for him already.

[kellygrrrl]

I'm guessing MO will hold him to that pledge

[Dupree]

I do not care if he smokes cigarettes at all. I understand that he was never a heavy smoker to begin with. I use to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day and one day just said a simple prayer with faith in God's ability to release me from this habit that was getting the best of me and the simple prayer was: "Not by might, nor by power, but by your Spirit Lord ...take this desire from me" and immediately the desire left me and I went from three packs of cigarettes a day to none a day. It was miraculous. In spite of this incredible deliverance....I never once felt compelled to judge other who never smoked and respect the difficulties some people have in just quitting cold turkey. I absolutely believe that there are far more issues on the table than whether or not Obama smoke as long as he does it in moderation. I think this country thinks too long on some issues while ignoring the bigger issues that needs to be addressed. I care more about his character and judgment than whether he has one cigarette at the end of a hard day.

[Womanvoter4Obama]

I'm surprised he is pledging not to smoke. I'm going to be laid off and I haven't smoked since college but I was eyeing a pack of Marboro Lights at the store. Lately I've been wanting to smoke so badly trying to cope with leaving my job and having to train my replacement who is willing to take the 30k a year paycut I can't take. How the man responsible for getting us out of this mess isn't going to smoke..I don't know. I hope he doesn't but I would certainly understand it if he did.

[StopGlobalWarmingBeVegan]

I'll pray that Obama will quit permanently.