Sweet: Obama tells MSNBC's "Hardball" Chris Matthews he fell off wagon re smoking
CHICAGO--Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) just told MSNBC's Chris Matthews on a special "Hardball" college tour edition on Wednesday that "I fell off the wagon a couple of times" when it comes to smoking.
Obama told the students at West Chester University in Pennsylvania--with an April 22 primary against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)--that after lapsing he "was able to get back on" the wagon right away.
Obama quit smoking when he starting running for president last year, a condition laid down by wife Michelle.
"I fell off the wagon a couple times during the course of it, and then was able to get back on. But it is a struggle like everything else. And I think that it is important to just keep in mind, I have a nine-year-old daughter and a six-year-old daughter," Obama said.
" And I want to give them away in their weddings and I want to see my grand kids, and I want to set a good example for all these young people here, and I want to make sure as president of the United States, everybody knows that I'm going to try to stay healthy.
" I need you guys to stay healthy, too, because we need to bring our health care costs down," Obama said.
Comments
A heart attack and the necessity of quadruple bypass surgery prompted me to quit.
Posted by: John H. Olsen | April 2, 2008 07:16 PM
Once an addict, always an addict. Does he care what his smoke does to the lungs of small children? Of course not. Because he and his wife are both narcissists. He only quit because smoking is a point against a candidate. Like being single.
Posted by: Korla Pundit | April 3, 2008 10:14 AM
It ceases to amaze me what the media deems newsworthy during this election. Obama talked about gay marriage/unions, stem cell research, college tuition costs and alternatives to college loans. But no, let's search for the one smallest and negative thing that he revealed (yes, openly told us about) and harp on that.
Guess what, he is human and is not afraid to reveal that to us. His honestly, in telling us these little nuances that people will nit-pick apart, is what is important. GWB, did not openly talk about his drinking issues until recently, that tells me a lot about the differences between the two, and why one is going to make lot better president then the other.
Posted by: Veronica411 | April 3, 2008 10:19 AM
Wasn't able to catch this interview last night. But any truth to the rumor that Matthews proposed marriage to Obama last night?
Posted by: Jerry | April 3, 2008 11:51 AM
He's weak.
Posted by: Korla Pundit | April 3, 2008 01:20 PM
Jerry, saw the interview. It should be called SOFTBALL, not Hardball. There must be a rule that you can't ask Obama really tough questions. So talk if he still smokes. And Veronica, Bush didn't have to talk about his drinking. The Gore campaign, if you remember, leaked-out his DUI in the early 70's to the public. And newsmen made a big deal of it.
Posted by: John | April 3, 2008 10:52 PM
A SMOKING HABIT IS A HARD ONE TO CONTROL, THE NICOTENE IN
CIGARETTES IS VERY ADDICTIVE. STAY STRONG BARACK I KNOW IT'S A
HARD LONELY ROAD ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, BUT YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT,
CHEW ALOT OF THE NICOTENE GUM, ALSO TRY THE NONI JUICE, SWISH
SOME UNDER YOUR TONGUE, BELIEVE ME IT WILL HELP!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA! SOUNDS GOOD
DOESN'T IT, YOU'RE THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB!
STAY STRONG!
Posted by: PHIL SMITH JR | April 3, 2008 11:32 PM
John, even Pennsylvania democratic governor, Ed Rendell, said it is "stunning" how bias MSNBC has been in their coverage of this primary. By bias he means pro Obama and anti-hillary. BTW, Rendell also said Fox News has been the fairest network in their primary coverage.
Posted by: Jerry | April 4, 2008 10:49 AM
You either smoke or you don't. He says he gets right back on the wagon after he falls off. That means one thing--he's still a smoker. And, if he says any different, he's in denial.
Quitting isn't easy--I haven't had a cigarette for 9 years seven months and four days. The length of that quit is the main thing that stops me from having my next cigarette after having smoked more than one million of them. I simply don't want to start my quit all over again. And that's what I would be doing even after a single puff.
And, he's got to stop those silly alternative nicotine delivery mechanisms--the gums, and the patches. If a person's body is still demanding, and receiving, nicotine, that person is still addicted.
If he can't get through this, he doesn't have the moral authority to do demand sacrifice of anyone.
Posted by: Flatus | April 4, 2008 11:36 AM
Kudos to you, Flatus, for staying strong! You've got a lot to be proud of. When my dad was told to quit, he never picked up another cigarette in his life. However he had an addictive streak, so he picked up other habits, eventually started drinking. Some people just have to have a crutch and the campaign trail is a lot of pressure.
Posted by: VFH | April 4, 2008 06:46 PM
THEN RENDELL IS FULL OF IT, IF HE BELIEVES FOX NEWS CAN GET
ANYTHING RIGHT!
FOX NEWS STINKS AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT, THEY COULDN'T HIT A
HOMERUN IN A PHONEBOOTH!
THEY COULDN'T HIT AN ELEPHANT IN THE BEHIND WITH AN IRONING BOARD!
THEY ARE FULL OF SNIPPETS!
Posted by: PHIL SMITH JR | April 5, 2008 02:09 AM
...re hardball's take on obama: as the rev rend~a~choir lite might say, chris did obama like monica did bubba!? what happened to the four stumps (google it): meeks, jones, rezko, and ayers. and what about michelle's princeton thesis!? how long has wuss chris been bowling with dainty obama!? where were the 'hard' questions!? most of the boomers (chris' gen) that i talk with want to know when glad'em h graduated from flight school ~ there is a deep seated distrust for the guy.... flight school aside, what prevents chris and the msm from asking the tough questions!? press secretary chrissy!? what!?
Posted by: mike wiggins | April 5, 2008 07:51 AM