Obama touts anti-smoking bill, can’t quit habit
When it comes to advising children on smoking, U.S. President Barack Obama’s message is turning out to be less than ideal — do as I say, not as I do.
A day after signing new anti-smoking legislation to prevent tobacco companies from marketing to children, Obama admitted to the nation he is still battling his addiction to cigarettes.
“Look, I’ve said before that as a former smoker I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes,” Obama said during a White House news conference.
“You know, I would say that I am 95% cured. But there are times when I mess up.”
Mr. Obama’s acknowledgment that he has not quite kicked the habit came as the White House is touting the bipartisan passage in Congress of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
The bill, for the first time, gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate the tobacco industry, under a new Center for Tobacco Products.
Like similar legislation now before the Canadian Parliament, the U.S. bill bans tobacco companies from adding candy and fruit flavours in cigarettes, which critics say are targeted primarily at children and teenage consumers.
It requires new warning labels on cigarette packs, forbids descriptions like “mild” or “light” on packaging and prohibits the marketing of cigarettes at U.S. sporting and entertainment events.
At a Monday signing ceremony, Mr. Obama criticized tobacco companies for the “constant and insidious barrage of advertising” directed at young people, and said he knows personally “how difficult it can be to break this habit when it’s been with you for a long time.”
But he refused Monday to answer a reporter’s question on his own habit and became perturbed when the White House media persisted at Tuesday’s news conference.
“First of all, the new law that was put in place is not about me. It’s about the next generation of kids coming up,” he told the reporter who asked the question. “So I think it’s fair . . . to just say that you just think it’s neat to ask me about my smoking, as opposed to it being relevant to my new law. But that’s fine. I understand. It’s an interesting human interest story.”
Mr. Obama said he is not a daily smoker and tries to set an example for his children.
“I don’t do it in front of my kids. I don’t do it in front of my family,” he said.
Mr. Obama’s smoking has been a steady source of fascination for the U.S. media and public since the presidential campaign, when he acknowledged difficulty breaking the habit while keeping a constant and stressful schedule.
First lady Michelle Obama said during the campaign that she hated his habit and that the couple had struck a deal that he would seek the White House only if he quit smoking. As president, he presumably needs to ask for cigarettes from staff or friends, since he does not buy his own.
On Tuesday, Mr. Obama compared his addiction to nicotine to an alcoholic’s need for a drink.
“I don’t know what to tell you, other than the fact that, you know, like folks who go to [Alcoholics Anonymous] you know, once you’ve gone down this path, then, you know, it’s something you continually struggle with, which is precisely why the legislation we signed was so important, because what we don’t want is kids going down that path in the first place.”
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By Caitlin, June 25, 2009 @ 3:40 pm
I love this quote from MSNBC’s Keith Olberman, “Where does this place on the list of recent presidential vices, you know among duplicitous war-starting and interns? Where does smoking rank against those two?” http://www.newsy.com/videos/the_800_lb_cigarette_in_the_room Although he seems to think it’s not a big deal, that’s not the perspective of all news organizations.
The only problem I would have with it is if young teens began to look at smoking as the “cool” thing to do because the president does it. However, they probably would not have known if the media hadn’t exploited it to such a high degree.