Reluctantly, President Obama Admits He Still Smokes But Is “95% Cured”

Can someone please explain why we’ve never seen a picture of Obama smoking, aside from those goofy college pictures. If he’s a smoker, one would assume that all through the campaign he had to stand outside and smoke — while surrounded by a hundred photographers and camera men.
And not one picture was taken?
If John McCain, Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton had smoked a cigarette in front of cameras, you can be sure that that photo would have been shoved down our throats constantly prior to the election.

===Can someone please explain===
Because he’s Obama. No other explanation needed.

Because its not true because he appears to be a habitual lier?

Sounds like Obama is in denial about his addiction. There is no such thing as being 95% cured when it comes to cocaine, crack, alcohol or cigs, etc. Even at that, he calls himself a “former smoker.” Not good.

You know, uh, 95% uh cured my rear, you know. Uh, could a uh you know a heroin addict uh be 95% uh cured, you know?
He is my president and he is weak.

Why no pictures of Obama smoking? Because, like he has said a hundred times, he doesn’t have a cigarette very often, and because he’s ashamed he can’t fully quit the habit, he’s very careful when he does that no one is around with a camera. (Take note, Michael Phelps)

Can’t have it both ways. Him saying he’s 95% cured is like me saying I’m just a little bit pregnant. I’m either pregnant or I’m not. He is either a smoker or he’s not.

To the geniuses who made analogies between Obama smoking and him either using the restroom or being in his underwear — I have a newsflash for you — those are things you do INSIDE in a PRIVATE, locked room. This is 2009 and if you are a smoker, you will find yourself doing it OUTSIDE in PUBLIC 99% of the time. If you happen to be followed by hundreds of photographers at all times, as on the campaign trail, they have every opportunity in the world to photograph your smoking habit in action.
I guess bad analogies were a long way of saying you couldn’t explain the lack of public photographs of Obama’s disgusting smoking habit.

Many people have weaknesses and bad habits, it is part of what makes us human. I don’t care if Obama smokes, I care if he feels the need to cover it up and lie about it.
I care if my President is so ashamed of his habit that he passes ridiculous laws to punish and regulate the tobacco industry, those he feels are responsible for his own personal weakness.
Retalitory legislation and political reparations aimed at the President’s own faults, foibles and quirks seem a little self-indulgent, even under the political guise of “helping the children”.

“I suppose for those among us who don’t read so good, or who don’t like to waste time with reading, a photo would be better (kind of like those leaflets they drop in Afghanistan for the illiterate members of that country).”
Are you referring to the Gitmo photos that the radical left were demanding be released not so long ago?

Seems familiar…I recall John Edwards saying he was ’99% faithful’.
Does that mean he smokes a cig every 5 out of 100 minutes?
What’s next? ‘I’m 99% off cocaine’…?

“The president dismissed the legitimacy of the question”
I am really tired of Obama belittling reporters and interrupting so they cannot finish their question. He loses points with people like me each time he does that (same with Gibbs).
With around 1/4 of the US population still smoking; many of whom would like to quit. It would be nice if he recognized that his law impacted 25% of Americans and cared to take the full question she was going to ask…

OBAMA WHY YUO STILL SMAKE TEH CANCER STICKS!!!

YES I SMOKE AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP MY ADDICTION IS TO DO AWAY WITH TOBACCO ALL TOGETHEIR! IF THE GOVERMENT DOES NOT GET YOUR MONEY THAN THE HEALTH CARE PEOPLE DO SO ITS JUST A VICIOUS CIRCLE. MAKE IT EASEY FOR PEOPLE, GET RID OF THE CIGS, BUT WOW AGAIN THE GOVERMENT WILL BE LOSING ALOT OF MONEY!

WHAT!! Obama smokes!! nooo he is to holy, to perfect!
so he smokes 5 % of the time, it’s those loney leftist fault!!

“Teenage girl to mother: Don´t worry, I´m only 95% pregnant.”
And here I thought Bristol Palin jokes were off limits.

Whoa!! Big news! A shocking admission by the President!
Gimme a break. Can we get on with it now?

The name calling, right out of Alinsky. Use ridicule and mockery:
“Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
I personally don’t care for the whole ridicule thing in debate. The minute anyone brings this out they lose credibility in my eyes. I think ridicule is no substitute for an argument with substance. I can’t be convinced to support a position simply because someone ridicules me for not supporting it.
So, what is the purpose in using ridicule?

Addicts aren’t helpless victims, they stay addicted because they like it. Smoke and be proud, Obama! And stop it with the nanny state BS, I thought you were supposed to stand for greater personal responsibility.

If he is smoking publicly, you’d think some paparazzi would snap a picture. They are into that sort of thing. And such a picture would fetch some money on right wing websites.

“The name calling, right out of Alinsky. Use ridicule and mockery”
Rush Limbaugh is disciple of Alinsky?

“ROFLMAO!
How deep does the rabbit hole go paul?”
You’d have to tell me. Surely anyone who rolls on the floor laughing as much you claim to must have spent some time in the rabbit hole.
Would you care to step up and actually attempt to address the question of how it’s possible that we’ve never seen a recent picture of Obama smoking? Particularly when he admits that he does it, must do it outside just like regular folk, and has been followed for the last two years straight by an army of photographers.
We’ve seen him at basketball games, we’ve seen him getting a burger, we’ve seen him in his swimsuit on vacation…just about anything he’s done. Except for his little smokey time breaks. How’s that happen, Ryan? Coincidence? Or media filtering?

“Would you care to step up and actually attempt to address the question of how it’s possible that we’ve never seen a recent picture of Obama smoking?”
He could very simply be sneaking a cigarette outside in the evening when the WH press corp is not around.
“Particularly when he admits that he does it, must do it outside just like regular folk, and has been followed for the last two years straight by an army of photographers.”
You seem to be taking the GOP charge last summer of his being a celebrity too literally.
He’s not followed 24/7 by the press.
In fact his relationship with them in terms of access could be described as wary.

“He could very simply be sneaking a cigarette outside in the evening when the WH press corp is not around.”
So you’re admitting that Obama is sneaky? I agree with that, but as smokers generally smoke throughout the day rather than one scheduled cigarette break at the end of the day, that’s ludicrous.
“You seem to be taking the GOP charge last summer of his being a celebrity too literally. ”
Now you’re denying that Obama was followed by hundreds of press people round the clock for the last two years? Uh, that’s not even in question. That’s a fact.
So basically you went the long way around once again in admitting that you couldn’t explain the lack of photos of Obama smoking but for the fact that the media filters the news. Thanks. I agree.

95% cured? What a joke. It’s like an alcoholic saying I’m 95% cured as he drinks his next beer. LOL

Poeple,people! Reporters are just like the rest of us. They have bills to pay, so they have jobs to do, they want and need to advance the careers, they want to looked upon as the best. Trying to catch our POTUS in what they perceive as a lie,will help them succeed in some of those areas. I would invite anyone WHO DOESN’T SMOKE,
and learn something about nicotine addiction. It may take more than 1 try to quitall together.Success is measured for most smokers, not by, if they stop completly, but more about how they are able to cut down on the # of cigs smoked until they are no longer smoking. There are also certain things(events,emotions,etc)that are referred to as “triggers” that would make someone want to smoke. And lets face it,if anyone has triggers it’s our POTUS. So if you are really concerned about our POTUS, be so related to his health, because we do want him around for a long time.

Ed . . .
You’re having trouble smoking due to the upcoming legislation? You poor thing.

“”Now you’re denying that Obama was followed by hundreds of press people round the clock for the last two years? Uh, that’s not even in question. That’s a fact.”
Except its not a fact. ”
There you have it, folks! Now who are going to believe — Ryan C or your own lying eyes and ears?
So does this mean that all of the articles about life on the Obama campaign trail that I read in the NYT and Newsweek et al were just a bunch of lies? Were all of the videos I saw of Obama and the press on his plane and in cities all over the country…was that all staged like the moon landing* and the 9/11 attacks*?
“If one wants to see how the press following a candidate is herded, see Alexandra Pelosi’s documentaries Journeys with George & Diary of a Political Tourist.”
Wow, you’re going back to comparing Obama to Bush again already? Are you sure you don’t want to just go for it and contrast him with Hitler?
*I don’t believe that the moon landing and 9/11 attacks were staged…or that hundreds of reporters and photographers weren’t following Obama for the last two years. I’m just going along with the patient, so as not to trigger an episode.

“There you have it, folks! Now who are going to believe — Ryan C or your own lying eyes and ears?
So does this mean that all of the articles about life on the Obama campaign trail that I read in the NYT and Newsweek et al were just a bunch of lies? Were all of the videos I saw of Obama and the press on his plane and in cities all over the country…was that all staged like the moon landing* and the 9/11 attacks*?”
Where did I say he was not covered by the press?
I stated that your perception that such coverage was 24/7 was quite faulty.
Only an insane person would have thought I was claiming he was not covered by the press.

“If one wants to see how the press following a candidate is herded, see Alexandra Pelosi’s documentaries Journeys with George & Diary of a Political Tourist.”
Wow, you’re going back to comparing Obama to Bush again already? Are you sure you don’t want to just go for it and contrast him with Hitler?”
Journeys with George and Diary of a Political Tourist show the press’s interactions with various candidates both in 2000 and 2004.
You get a real sense of how the press pools that follow candidates are very managed and controlled.

“But seeing that you have gone insane, I doubt that will change your opinion.”
ROTFLMAO!
I must be insane because I expected you to give a legitimate answer to the question of why we’ve never seen a contemporary photo of Obama smoking.
You could not provide one.
So we’ll just have to go with my explanation that the media filters the news we receive in order to promote their own agenda.
But thanks for tryin’ Ryan. Hope they still pay you today.

I don’t care is he smokes but I give a hoot if he cares I do. Is just about more money to dems and their croonies. Raise taxes and make more money. Smokers will spend more money on cigarettes because they have less nicotine and need to smoke more to get the nicotine hit.

With current world events today, who could blame him for taking liberties with his habit..But to say I am 95% cured is..well..just dumb..Best not to say anything..

Frank . ..
My view is that there is no hypocrisy in wrestling with a personal addiction to tobacco – and wrestling with the tobacco companies who are attempting to entice young teenagers with candy-flavored cigarettes.

Dear President Obama, I have never been a smoker, but I have many relatives that are/where smokers. Many of those that where, died of lung cancer, a cigarette related disease. I’m sure quiting is not an easy thing to do, but look what you have accomplished in your life. I know you can do this too. We need you here and healthy. Please try very hard to STOP SMOKING, for all of our sakes. I’m an over eater so I struggle with that “monkey on my back” so I do understand a little of what you are going through. Good luck, I know you can do it.. Have a piece of gum or better yet a dunkin donut!!! linda

First year you think about it every day a lot, 2nd year every so often, 3rd year once or twice a month…after that maybe 3-4 times a year…gave it up 19 years ago and still can have that knawing urge…

This President is in denial. He sounds like the typical druggie, who swears he is clean but still shoots up every chance he gets. If you still smoke one cigarette a week, you are still a smoker. You are NOT cured, by any percentage. I quit smoking 23 years ago and have not had a single backslide. And exercising, fast walking or jogging, did it for me. I didn’t have any of the “crutches” like gum, patches, etc. Cold turkey, all the way. This President is weak and a wussie if he can’t quit smoking! Shame on him!

Mr. Obama is so predictable. He admits personal fault and character defects when they are not political risks, so that his admirers would then say “What a great honest politician”. They are not aware that Mr. Obama is the most BS of them all.

“Mr. Obama is so predictable. He admits personal fault and character defects when they are not political risks, so that his admirers would then say “What a great honest politician”.”
June 10, 2008 2:14 PM
ABC News’ Sunlen Miller Reports: Senator Barack Obama told reporters in St. Louis today that he has fallen off the wagon and smoked cigarettes in the last few months.
Oct 2008: Barack Obama has admitted he still has the occasional cigarette.
“But I figure, seeing as I’m running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack,” he said.
The Democratic presidential candidate also said he wishes he had more time for staying fit.
“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.
The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.

Gregory . . .
President Obama has a rare cigarette now and then. He has had the strength of character to cut back significantly. He does not smoke in front of his children or his family.
He has had the strength to come out front about wrestling with this.
Are you really implying people who smoke tobacco are weak of character because they smoke or can’t kick the addiction? It’s one of the hardest addictions in the world to break.
Seems to me your just be judgmental to condemn the President.

“President Obama has a rare cigarette now and then. He has had the strength of character to cut back significantly.”
“Are you really implying people who smoke tobacco are weak of character because they smoke or can’t kick the addiction?”
No, you did that for them when you said that his “strength of character” was how he “cut back”.
Tsk tsk…so judgemental.

Not just a smoker but a liar as well and not a good one either. Good example for your children.

Saying that you are 95% cured of smoking is a totally ridiculous statement.You either smoke or you don’t smoke. Obviously he lacks self control. He of all people has enough money to use counseling , and other beneficial therapies. Smoking to alleviate tension, or stress related to a job is a wussie excuse!

He’d be a lot cooler if he kept smoking.
I know I wold respect him a lot more.

You smoke, I choke.

Far be it from me, even after I have gone on record in this thread as not caring one whit that the president smokes on occasion, to pass up the opportunity to take Ryan C to task for taking someone else to task with his tiresome “right wingers lie” line. So here goes.
It began when “young voter” wrote a not very nice put-down of the president that included the line, ” He admits personal fault and character defects when they are not political risks, so that his admirers would then say “What a great honest politician”.” Ryan sprang, as usual, to the president’s defense with a long post complete with dated quotes from interviews with candidate Obama in which he talks about his smoking habit.
Does the dnc give you a special data base of source material to pull from or do you have to do your own research?
Ryan, I think you either misunderstood, to be charitable, or deliberately misinterpreted, to be less kind, what young voter was saying. It was not about the TIMING of the president’s statements but their subject matter. You interpreted YV to be saying, as far as I can tell, that the president only admitted to still smoking after the campaign when it had no political downside, and you rushed to prove that he had always admitted he was struggling with the habit. But I think YV (and YV can jump in and correct me if I’m wrong) was actually saying that the president admits to the little things like smoking that are not politically risky. The country’s safety is not put at risk because the president sneaks a cigarette now and again. No one is going to call for his impeachment for being a closet smoker. So that sort of character flaw, one that sort of presents him as a “regular guy,” is safe to admit to in order to endear himself to voters (and this is NOT an argument with which I agree– I am simply trying to interpret YV’s argument as I understand it.)
So having lept to the president’s defense, Ryan closes his comment with his favorite “zinger”– “The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.”
I have to say this seems a complete non sequitur. First of all, what evidence do you have that YV is a “right winger.” Oh, yeah, I remember, anyone who disagrees with you about anything related to the president is ipso facto a “right winger.”
And what on earth gives you the right to call this commenter a liar? S/he expressed an opinion about how the president presents himself. An OPINION, Ryan. You interpret the facts differently, and have a different opinion about the president’s character. NEither of you is a liar for holding the opinions you hold. If YV had said, “The president is actually only 5 feet tall and wears special shoes to make him look tall,” you could accuse him of lying. If YV had said, “the president makes the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening,” you could accuse her of lying. However, YV said nothing that deserves to be labeled a lie in his/her comment. I think you need to find a new tag line, or use your current favorite one more judiciously.

Amazingly typical responses, people! If you are Democrat, his answer to the question is great. If you are a Republican it is a terrible answer, and he is a very bad person. Truth be known, NONE of us is without fault, and until we as a society stop acting like babies when we don’t get our way, or our team doesn’t win, we are destined for failure. I wonder how many of the folks pointing the finger at the President drink too much. Alcohol sure does wonders for the human race. While the real problems facing our world are ignored, let’s continue to argue like 5 year olds. How’s that workin’ for us? . We need to be “one nation, under God with liberty and justice for all”.

The difference between how the public is treating Obama and cigarettes and bush and drinking is interesting. I think most of the difference stems from the difference with which cigarettes and alcohol are viewed by society in a more general light – there’s an article on this over at economixt.

So if he smokes…
…and the tobacco execs are bad manipulative people…
…and we know that cigarettes are bad for ya…
…in our society of no personal responsibility, it would stand to reason that the US government should bring charges against the tobacco companies and executives for attempting to do harm to our President.
Nothing would surprise me.

Ryan-”Yes, its a super secret database called google.”—-
ahh the same Google that endorsed Obama and is a left winger supporting site. the one site that manipulates the site to make it look favorable for Obama. no wonder, you are so brainwashed.

It’s none of anyone’s business how many cigarettes Obama smokes a day, or whether he has completely surrendered his own will to the Puritanism of the masses. It makes me cringe when people ask him these questions, because smoking is a private behavior and you don’t see him asking Margaret Talev or Diane Sawyer or anyone else personal questions like that in front of the cameras.
I don’t think he lacks will at all. If he wanted to quit smoking at any cost, he would do so. But obviously he values the enjoyment he gets out of an occasional cigarette and there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s just human and like many humans, he does not embrace the ideals of Puritanism that everyone must abstain from all pleasurable activities, all the time.
I would much rather have an imperfect but honest president than one of the many self-righteous hypocrites who say one thing in public, then break their own rules in private, all the while expecting everyone else to abstain from any source of comfort or enjoyment in life.

for those who have never seen obama with a cigarette there is an easy way to find one google image search Obama Cigarette
now as anyone who says the 95% thing is a cop out and that he is a smoker. try getting addicted and smoking multiple packs a day and then quit. it is hard i feel for him. it is a hard addiction to break and the fact that he claims he s 95% cured means he is down to the occasional cigarette and that is applaudable i have gotten that far and quit totally twice out of 3 attempts. it is hard to quit smoking and being 95% cured is hard to do. the habit is just as hard to leave as the addiction. when i quit i found myself mimicking the act of cmoking with things like pencils and pens and other cylindrical objects. for those who say it is a cop out or a wussy statement obviously have never tried quitting from a hard nicotine addiction.

Either you smoke, or you don’t. It is very simple and there is no middle ground. One cannot be 95% pregnant, or 95% cured of heroin addiction, or 95% alcoholic. He is a smoker, he never quit, and he is a liar.

Every day things just keepgetting worse.

I disagree with Obama on almost every policy, but I still respect the man. I truly believe he has the country’s best interests in mind. Even if they’re different than my own views, and I won’t vote for him, I respect the man.

Smoking and other uses of the tobacco drug represents a DRUG ADDICTION, not a mere habit. Smokers and other tobacco users are mentally ill from this drug use. Smoking and tobacco must be banned and the tobacco pushers must be executed for the murder and genocide of the human race.

Well the way i feel i work for the government… President Obama is a good person what does it really matter becuase he is an adult just like you and me so let him do what he would like.. and other than that other presidents smoked but im guessing o thye were mor classy…. how rude of you people just to talk to and about the presidernt he is a very good person… so i have no problems whith…

Quit! It’s unhealthy and deadly. You should know better. You can’t be 95% cured. It’s either all or nothing.
I am a recovering smoker and have not had one for 14 years and will never have one again.
lk

Just yet another example of the “do as I say not as I do” Obama administration. He continues to smoke knowing it sets a horrible example, and gets indignant when questioned about it. Is this a crime? No. But this is the same guy blathering about how we all need to sacrifice to lower health care costs, when smoking is a major contributor to driving costs up. And then he demonizes the tobacco companies and the drug companies – the same ones who’ll help treat his cancer someday, I suppose. What an idiot.

Give the guy a break , you try and do his job with out some sort of stress relpy. Sure smoking is bad but (i dont smoke ) are we all suppose to live until we are 80 / 90 years old ?amagine what the social and economic costs would be on goverments around the world if we all lived to be that old, a hell of a lot more than smokers cost us.

Come on guys give him a break. Just because he is the first black president doesnt mean you guys should talk about what he does in his personal life and hold it against him. Smoking is his personal thing and nobody should have anything to do with it.

im a little disapointed in the guy, but seriously, he is human, and plus all my neighbors smoke and the media doesnt go after them, posting vids and stuff. gosh people. he smokes. SO? get a life! stop trying to live his!

he smokes –you can see it in his face

WHY IS THE PRESIDENT BEING S SMOKER SUCH A BIG DEAL? EVEN THOUGH IT IS A STINKY, NASTY HABIT NOT TO MENTION THE HEALTH ISSUSES, IT IS NONE OF OUR BUSSINESS. HE MADE A STATEMENT ABOUT BEING A SMOKER BEFORE BEING NOMINATED BY THE DEM. PARTY. HE KNEW WHAT A BIG ISSUE THIS NON-ISSUE WOULD BE FOR NOSEY REPORTERS AND THE ONES THAT SLAM HIM EVERY TIME HE TAKES A BREATH. IF YOU PAY ATTENTION HE GETS SLAMMED STATING FACTS AND AGREEING WITH SOME IDEAS OF GEORGE BUSH BUT, THEY DON’T REALIZE THEY ARE ACTUALLY CALLING THEIR FORMER HERO ( BUSH ) AN IDIOT THEY JUST AUTOMATICALLY DISAGREE BECAUSE IT’S COMING OUT OF OBAMA’S MOUTH ESPECIALLY PAY ATTENTION TO S. HANNITY ON FOX YOU CAN CATCH HIM ALOT AND ALSO THE “I NEED A ZOLOFT THE SIZE OF A BASKETBAL” GLENN IDIOT BECK. AND I ACTUALLY ENDORSED HUCKABEE BUT, I FIND THESE PEOPLE AMUSING AND I KNOW BILL WISHED BECK’S SPIN STOPPED PERIOD OR AT LEAST TO ANOTHER NETWORK !

Smoking is one of the hardest addictions to kick. My wife worked 19 years for a hotel that added a policy after 19 years that if you smoke cigarettes you are fired. And yes she was what I don’t understand is she was hired as a smoker and never even took cigarettes to work with her only smoked at home. Tested her for nicotine and failed.I am not a smoker but think a person has the right to smoke a legal substance as long as it does not offend a non smokers space.

I quit smoking just two weeks ago. I had to because I had a severe case of bronchitis. I’m better now and still have not touched a single cigarette. I now consider myself a non-smoker. But if I were to have just ONE cigarette, I would consider myself a smoker again. There is no halfway, 99% or anything like that, either cigarettes are part of your lifestyle or they are not. One cigarette a day or a pack a day, you are still a smoker. It’s an addiction, I know, and when you quit it’s either all or nothing. And just like in AA, you have to “stay quit”, one day at a time. It’s the only way to get through it. This also speaks to Obama’s will power and self-control.