Obama, a Hardened Smoker

Fifty-four percent of United States citizens agreed with Barack Obama’s politics when they voted for him. Also, a majority of the population agreed that he seemed to be slender and in good shape; he exercised and was the spitting image of a man in good health.

One year after his arrival to the White House, the commander in chief underwent his first official medical review last weekend, and the doctors reported that the young head of state suffers from pain and inflammation in one knee, has high cholesterol, and has been unable, despite his promises and many attempts, to quit smoking.

And the fact that Obama has not yet been able to kick the habit despite constantly chewing gum and using nicotine patches, has caused a large commotion and discussion in the capital. His critics allege that he lacks character and determination, while anti-tobacco activist groups are angry because the president has not joined their cause nor inspired others to quit the habit.

In a country where smoking has high health costs and social implications, and is the cause of one in five deaths, the fact that the president smokes is a subject of national debate. Since taking office, it has garnered much more attention than when Obama admitted to having experimented with drugs such as marijuana when he was young.

Some people feel that he should set the example as president and leave the habit behind. Others argue, for medical and image reasons, he should quit once and for all. There is no lack of people who assert that the president’s refusal to talk frankly about his problem is owed to his tendency to lie.

However, the president’s situation is similar to that of many of his compatriots who cannot abandon the vice. In fact, there are 45.1 million smokers in the U.S. That is to say, 21 percent of the population suffers from this addiction, and around 500,000 die every year because of it.

But Obama, who in the past has smoked between eight to ten cigarettes each day and has tried to quit for years, is not, however, the first White House president to suffer from this affliction. Half of past presidents have smoked; some, such as Dwight Eisenhower, smoked up to eight packs a day. So did Lyndon Johnson, who eventually quit upon entering the White House. Others, like Gerald Ford, enjoyed smoking a pipe.

Bill Clinton, when he was permitted, enjoyed a cigar, but it was his wife, current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who officially prohibited smoking in the White House during her time as first lady. Therefore, it is unknown, and his spokesman did not have an answer either, where the current president smokes his cigarettes.

Obama, who in the past has said that he already does not smoke every day, and never does it in front of his daughters, has declared himself as “95 percent cured,” but he has recognized that at times he “messes up.”

However, even when the strong smell of cigarette smoke is frequently detected on Obama, there is no photograph in which he can be seen smoking in the 14 months of his presidency, not even in the two years of his campaign.

Obama, whose wife had demanded that he quit smoking before declaring his candidacy and had assumed that he had done so, is otherwise in “magnificent physical condition,” according to his doctors. Unlike 75 percent of his fellow citizens, he does not have a weight problem and keeps his weight at [180 pounds].

The report speaks of an enviable blood pressure of 105/ 62, and thanks to his exercise routine, he has a heart rate of 56, when the average among people his age is 60. So we can sleep well, since it has been established that he does not have to return to the doctor until he turns 50 in August of 2011.

But, the Republicans say, not even in the question of health has he surpassed his predecessor George W. Bush, [who will be 64], an exercise fanatic who did not drink soda or alcohol, avoided all types of drugs, and never smoked.