The One Thing That Bugs Me About Obama

There's an article in the New York Times today about the health of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates and what has been disclosed and what hasn't. It points out that there are a lot of gaps in the knowledge about the relative health of all the candidates - and the ability of these people to fill out their duties is an important issue. You can read the article here.

Much was said about McCain, because there is much to say about McCain - you can read about his melanomas for yourself. There's stuff to be said about Biden. We know nothing at all about Palin. And not much is known about Obama.

What we do know about Obama is that he was a smoker. When primary season first started, it really turned me off. I felt much better about him when I read that he had quit smoking.

But the Times article says this: "Mr. Obama said he quit smoking in 2007 when he began his presidential campaign. But he has “bummed” cigarettes since then, he has said."

How disappointing. I understand he's under a tremendous amount stress, but the idea, in this day and age, and knowing the risks, and as a role model to so many, that he's smoking at all, even occasionally, is so disappointing.

I'm no saint myself. I smoked in late high school and college. Not a lot, but I did. But it was when we lived down south amid tobacco farms, it all really started to gross me out. A lot. Then seeing how the big tobacco companies were behaving down there - ick.

Then there was C's illness in 2003. I am so fanatical about lung health now. The idea of a smoking president is not at all appealing. At all.

I wish Obama would quit once and for all. He may or may not. As a role model to so many - not to mention his own kids - he should. I suppose as long as he doesn't allow himself to be photographed smoking, I suppose I can reconcile it in some way. Wish I didn't have to, though.

I recognize that this is a personal thing - both Obama bumming cigarettes and my being upset by it. It is not health care policy, foreign policy, economic policy. And that IS where the focus should be right now.

See, I'm not blindly biased here. I am not denying flaws exist in my candidate of choice. But I am still going to vote for him. Between the history and relative health risks of McCain and history and health risks of Obama, I'm still pro-Obama.

Damn straight I am.