Is Obama a Quitter?
Obama Vows to Kick His Smoking Habit
Dec 19, 2008 Christopher Wilson
Time's Person of The Year Enjoys a Cigarette
The news comes as Time magazine chose to celebrate naming Barack Obama 2008’s ‘Person of the Year’ by printing a photograph of the President-elect its taker thought best to keep out of the pubic domain during the election campaign. The portrait, taken 28 years ago by a classmate, shows the student Obama staring blinkingly into the lens while drawing on the ‘Wicked Weed’ during his time at Occidental College, Los Angeles.
Obama Hid His Habit During the Election Campaign
Cigarettes have become such a hot potato in the United States that the photographer, Lisa Jack, only dusted off the print after her fellow alumnus had won the election. Its potential for political manipulation might seem unlikely to the rest of the world, but in the United States it was suggested that while a black man might win the White House, a smoker would be a step too far for the country’s notoriously conservative electorate. Indeed, the Obama machine made sure that their man wasn’t snapped indulging his habit during the campaign even though he admitted to ‘bumming one’ from an aide on occasion, especially when things got tough.
Obama Will Stick by The White House Rules
He is known to have cut-back in recent years at the behest of his wife, Michelle, and now lights-up very occasionally. His new job is likely to provide a further incentive to kick the habit completely as the White House operates a strict no smoking policy. Perhaps aware that being the most powerful man in the world is wont to inflate the ego, he announced his intention to stick to the White House Rules, vowing to the media “you will not see any violations of [the] rules.”
Obama: The Healthiest U.S President Ever?
The odd cigarette apart, it is believed Obama will be the fittest president the country has known. The 47 year old is a regular gym-goer and it has been reported recently that he is not happy that his new security detail has curtailed his work-out time. Prior to the elections, he was known to spend over an hour each day working out, whereas the Secret Service preparations for the trip now mean that he can now only manage a meagre 45 minutes. In an interview with the magazine Men’s Health he described the attraction the gym holds for him: “The main reason I do it is to clear my head and relieve me of stress. It’s a great way to stay focused.”
With cigarettes off the menu and his access to the gym limited by his security staff, it seems the in-coming president will have to find a new means of relieving the stresses and strains that attend the position of CEO of the world’s remaining super power.
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