Barack Obama got testy yesterday in a press conference when asked about whether or not he still smokes. Yes, if you must know, he does. Excerpt:
Between denouncing the crackdown on protests in Iran and explaining his health care plan in Congress, Mr. Obama was asked if he still smoked. The expression on his face -- one part dismissive, one part perturbed -- foretold his answer."I don't do it in front of my kids," he said. "I don't do it in front of my family. I would say that I am 95 percent cured, but there are times where I mess up."
Look, I wish Obama didn't smoke. I hope he quits. But given the things he's having to deal with every day, I don't begrudge him smoking one bit, if it helps keep him calm. Really, who cares?
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I suppose it'd be too much to ask that Gov. Sanford realize he has done more to destroy marriage, than Andrew and his spouse being married.
Andrew is merely pointing out, that defenders of marriage need to look at the reality of who they should be defending marriage from. Keeping gay people from getting married is the latest rallying cry for the Christian right mostly because it keeps the focus on other's sins and away from theirs.
Being Orthodox, I am sure you disapprove of divorce - except that does not seem to be a battle you are willing to engage. It's far easier to denounce those presumptions gays and the harm they'd do to marriage...
When it comes to divorce, we are perfectly willing to have Church be Church and State be State. Why not the same for gay marriage?
"Obama brought his habit into it when he justified his new regulation of tobacco with his personal history of beginning to smoke as a teenager." Matt
TR: Absolutely. His smoking would not be an issue, but the policies he supports I think legitimately makes it an issue. The average smoker is poorer and less-educated than the average American. He's doing things that harm addicts like them much more than addicts like himself. It's relevant so long as the Democrats emphasize the hypocrasy issue in general.
Note: I'd never smoke, don't like smoking, but my parents smoke. I'm dismayed by the efforts to make them into pariahs without doing anything to help them.
I believe Eisenhower was the last unrepentant Presidential smoker.
And the hypocrisy thing is the only reason it's an issue. I think Republican-ish folks like bringing this up merely to tweak Obama supporters. They don't actually care that he smokes, they just understand that his supporters, generally, are supposed to care if those supporters are going to avoid hypocrisy.
Personally I can't stand this sort of kabuki political sniping over the picayune. But, as they say, everyone does it. The revenge instinct is as hard to overcome as smoking.
"So what?"
Well, at least this is a departure from the picture the media was pimping out to the masses during the campaign that Obama is some holier-than-thou fitness buff. We were told how awesome it was that he works out regularly--though W worked out regularly, as well. but we were told by msm types that W's commitment to exercise was "disturbing". Hey, no leftwing media bias there!.
He eats arugula. Nary a mention of his little smoking habit. That kinda, sorta never got mentioned. Even though reporters at some point complained that his campaign jet wreaked of cigarette smoke.
It's just more real than what we were getting before. That he really isn't the "perfect, fit, role-model-for-health" president. He might be, if you think black soot-filled lungs are healthy.
John E- a cigar is a perfect after meal smoke as per what you described. My hubby enjoys one after dinner on the weekends.
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