Even light smokers like Obama get a dependable hit that improves the memory and sharpens concentration, however briefly, Pomerleau said, which could prove irresistible during Iranian revolutions and North Korean missile launches.
Obama might have meant it when he promised his wife, Michelle, to kick the habit way back when nobody thought he'd win anyway. But like President George H.W. Bush's "Read my lips: No new taxes" vow, the pledge proved too hard to keep. On Tuesday, Obama likened the quest to Alcoholics Anonymous. "Once you've gone down this path, then 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. OK?"
Obama is not unlike any smoker struggling to quit, if you don't count the fact that he's trying to drive gargantuan healthcare reform legislation through Congress, which could make him look like a hypocrite.
But some were beginning to complain he was coming off as annoyingly perfect, especially after he took the first lady on a New York dream date, then killed a fly with his bare hands on cable television. An unconquerable addiction could be good for his political image.
Then there are those who would prefer that the president not make his job any more challenging.
In the words of one blogger named Sam: "Was it really wise to try to arrest the economy's free fall, bring peace to the Middle East, fix healthcare, save GM, save Wall Street, stop global warming AND quit smoking? Most of my friends can't do any ONE of those things. He should go ahead and smoke."
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faye.fiore@latimes.com
