Obama is trying to kick the habit of smoking but has expressed some trouble along the campaign route. He said he has bummed for cigarettes more than once claiming that he can allow himself some slack since he’s running for president. His smoking situation begs the question though, is that a good example for the American people? A leader who smokes? And people make jabs at McCain for being old, but Obama could be dead just as fast from lung cancer…
Obama Admits Bumming Cigarettes on the Campaign Trail
Barack Obama says in an interview with Men’s Health magazine that he has bummed cigarettes “a couple of times” along the campaign trail.
AP
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
NEW YORK — Barack Obama says he wishes he had more time for staying fit. And the Democratic presidential candidate admits that he still occasionally smokes a cigarette.
“Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts,” Obama told the magazine Men’s Health in an interview for its November issue. “There’s always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I’ll lift one day, do cardio the next.”
If he had the time, Obama said, he would spend 90 minutes working out.
Quitting smoking didn’t create “huge withdrawal symptoms,” the Illinois senator said, partly because he smoked only seven or eight cigarettes a day at his peak. His wife, Michelle, pressured him to quit, he said.
Obama’s advice for those trying to kick the habit? “Eliminate certain key connections — that first cigarette in the morning, or after a meal, or with a drink,” he said. “If you can eliminate those triggers, that should help.”
Obama said he’s bummed a cigarette a couple of times during the campaign.
“But I figure, seeing as I’m running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack,” he said.
Obama said when he told daughters Sasha and Malia that he was running for president, they asked whether the “secret people” — his Secret Service detail — would be following them around all the time.
“And I told them, well, not right away,” he said. “They’ve adjusted wonderfully. And I’ve tried to make sure that they haven’t had to participate too much in the political process.”
I did not know before this article that Obama smoked. To be honest I was very surprised, and disappointed. I agree with Chelsea this does not at all send a good message out to the America people. Seeing and knowing that the president smokes especially sends the wrong message out to kids, teenagers. Obama needs to quit for his health and for the country. Obama needs to stay as healthy as he can for his country. America can not handle a president who has lung cancer and all the other diseases that come from smoking.
By: lcbennett on October 8, 2008
at 3:39 pm
I was equally surprised at this article. I would never have guessed that he was a smoker. I also agree with Lilly that this sends the wrong message to the American people. If it was McCain I would be less surprised. I feel like, though it’s slightly unfair, it is much more acceptable to be older and smoke. Perhaps this is because when McCain grew up it was accepted in society. While Obama isn’t from this generation either he grew up in the 70’s when all the new information about the harmful effects of smoking were coming out. I know that personally, my grandma stopped smoking in the 70’s because of all the new medical knowledge. I definitely agree with both Chelsea and Lilly that Obama’s smoking is not good for his image or for the [potential] president of the United States.
By: tkwells on October 9, 2008
at 5:49 pm