should we 'let the guy smoke'?

i recently found out that our president elect is a smoker - i was probably the last to know. the news came to me when i heard michael kinsley on brian lehrer this morning:



political columnist kinsley just wrote a piece in the washington post titled "let the guy smoke"
like the title implies he thinks that if obama needs smoking as a crutch while he leads us through war, recession, and whatever else the times throw at him then no biggie. he also wonders how obama gets away with smoking when mccain was predicted to croak because his skin cancer might return. is obama still in a honeymoon period with the media? why not give him hell for smoking? isn't that what we do nowadays as part of the nicotine fiend witch hunt?

i speak from experience.

i think it was my 12th birthday when my mom quit smoking for me. i'd always given her a hard time (as much or more out of my own embarrassment than out of concern for her health and longevity) for her smoking. on again and off again quitting ever since (back on as of the thanksgiving break) it sounds like obama and my mom may have something in common. apparently obama has never said he didn't smoke. he honestly answers questions about it and talks about chewing nicorette gum and sticking on patches - my mom would do the same. but i somehow doubt (as does kinsley) that obama is really going to quit. seriously, if you had been a smoker on a regular day would you find inspiration to quit while running a fierce campaign on little sleep or food without your hypocrisy police (michelle and the kids) nearby?

so when i say it bothers me that obama smokes is that bother out of concern for his health? or is it a concern for the image (weakness in failing to quit) that his smoking projects on him as leader of our country? how can the guy talk about installing a basketball court in the white house when he's blackening his lungs? to say nothing about my concerns for his ability to crack down on the tobacco biz. kinsley warns us not to worry about obama's health. he points out that the odds are in favor of obama dying of assassination (u.s. presidents don't have a good track record) not smoking. as if that wouldn't cause you to light up to calm your nico-nerves!

so to obama (and my mama) while i wish you'd quit you should know that my concerns are likely more for my health than yours. take my scolding with a grain of salt (as if you weren't already!) and i'll try a little harder to just 'let you guys smoke.'