The 800 lb. Cigarette in the Room

He's the president, not the pope. Let him take a drag if it gets him through the day.

I would say although the fact he smokes is largely irrelevant (yes, it's bad for his health, but we all eat things we know aren't good for us), the suggestion that he might be trying to cover it up is very relevant.

I've heard it could also be an 800 lb. elephant...It doesn't look like anyone is afraid to ask him about it or talk about it. And he definitely dodged the questions she asked him. She asked how many cigarettes, where, and with who..Obviously he wouldn't answer those. But what I'm concerned about is his promise to his wife, and the hope he gave smokers when he was campaigning after he announced he quit. He referred to himself as a former smoker even though he still smokes? It's apparent he can't quit, he's been smoking for 30 years. And all this comes after he signed the new tobacco legislation. I would have rather heard him say "no comment", or "next question" and move on to something more important.

Charles, it's a play on the "800 lb. gorilla"... the topic everyone wants to know about but is afraid to ask about.

Anyway, it just continues to surprise me that someone as with it as Obama can still be a smoker. Maybe I'm naive about it, but aren't we getting past that as a nation?

there is a rich tradition of secret smoker presidents there used to be a site that listed them but I can't find it if anyone can.. hook it up! ( side note: Laura Bush was rumored to be a secret smoker, she also killed a guy once...). His secret smoker status kind of adds to his myth, it would be like finding out that Lincoln secretly loved unicorns or something, it just makes him seem more interesting and mysterious.

I don't have a problem with him smoking, but he shouldn't claim he is cured if he is still fighting it.

He may not have been dodging the issue in this interview, but in several others, including one for ABC, he did. I don't think he would look as uncomfortable answering the question if he didn't feel guilty for smoking. Perhaps he is smoking more often than he is admitting to?

If I was the President of the US, I would smoke a pack a day and I'm not a smoker! Good god, give the man a break. If we had a obese president, would we make him go on a diet? Would we constantly ask how many donuts the obese president had that day?

p.s. Newsy is flooded with Obama stories. If Newsy is about "multiple perspectives" maybe it should cover a story about someone from the other side of politics.

I wouldn't say he has dodged the issue either. He has made it clear that he hasn't completely stopped and I don't think that's a big deal if he hasn't--it is legal. He is paying the increased price for cigarettes like everyone else and he notes that he doesn't do it around his children.

I don't understand the headline.. Can someone fill me in?

I wouldn't say Obama dodged the issue. In fact, I applaud him for his honesty in admitting that he hasn't completely kicked the smoking habit.