Hope and Fail

Still smoking

President Obama had his first official medical checkup, and it revealed what everyone already knows: Despite claiming to have quit and signing anti-smoking legislation, the president still has an occasional cigarette.

From the New York Times:

President Obama “is in excellent health” and likely to remain able to carry out his duties for the rest of his term, his doctor said Sunday after completing Mr. Obama’s first routine medical checkup since he took office.

But Mr. Obama, 48, continues to struggle to stop his 30-year smoking habit and needs to modify his diet, said Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, a Navy captain who led the medical team that performed Mr. Obama’s physical.

Obama told reporters last summer that he still smokes, so this really isn’t news. However, it is telling.

In February 2008, candidate Obama claimed to have quit — mainly because his wife said he had to if he wanted to run for president. Clearly that was a lie.

As president, he has signed two pieces of legislation designed to get Americans to kick the habit or prevent them from starting to smoke at all. One increases the tax on cigarettes, the other puts new regulations on the tobacco industry.

So with the president, it’s do as I say, not as I do (as is the case with many smoking parents). As a president who has taken such a stand against smoking cigarettes, Obama should not be smoking. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a big deal (if the president wants a cigarette, let him smoke).

It also means that when Obama says, “I haven’t signed a bill that’s raised taxes yet,” he knows it’s a lie. The price he pays for a pack of Marlboro Reds went up along with the price paid by everyone else — so he could pay for health care for poor kids.

Also in the physician’s report:

The examination also found that Mr. Obama’s cholesterol count has risen to borderline high levels since his last publicly released medical records, though his pulse rate and blood pressure remain normal.

… Mr. Obama’s cholesterol increase comes at a time when his wife, Michelle, has started a program to fight childhood obesity.

He hasn’t followed the First Lady’s directive to quit smoking, but maybe she’ll get him to watch that cholesterol.