Advice for Obama on How to Kick the Cigs

Seems like just about everybody wants to put in his or her two cents on Barack Obama's smoking habit.

A professor of medicine at the University of Louisville writes in an open letter to Obama, published in Sunday's Chicago Tribune:

"I viewed with great interest your recent comments about your struggle to quit smoking. As a professor of medicine with a long-term research program focused on tobacco use and its consequences, I strongly believe that your discomfort is entirely unnecessary; your dependency on cigarettes can readily be resolved."

The professor, Brad Rodu -- whose advice, we feel certain, was not solicited by Obama campaign officials, who typically cringe at smoking-related questions -- says the solution for Obama is smokeless tobacco. (Read on to see why this professor has such a vested interested in promoting smokeless tobacco.) Stonewall is one such product. Though Obama chews Nicorette gum, which, while it contains plenty of nicotine, isn't a smokeless tobacco product.

Rodu suggests what the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee needs to do is buy a "modern" smokeless tobacco product," which he says "can be used invisibly in all social settings, including stressful press conferences."

This is the opposite advice that Obama got from author Tony Horwitz, who satirically opined in the New York Times last week that the Illinois senator should ditch Nicorette for cigs -- just to win over blue-collar workers.

"Bottom line: small-towners in the Rust Belt and Appalachia don't cling to guns and religion so much as they do cigarettes," Horwitz wrote. "By rejoining them, Mr. Obama would also touch voters in several heavy-smoking swing states: Michigan, Missouri and Nevada. Added bonus -- Virginia and North Carolina, two leading tobacco-producing states, are both in play this election."

Rodu, who has been researching smoking cessation methods for 15 years, won't say who he'll vote for for president this fall. In an interview, he declined to say whether he thought America was ready to put a smoker in the White House but he said, "I can just say...I've seen smokers more and more vilified and more and more marginalized."

Asked whether he, as a staunch no-smoking proponent, would feel comfortable voting for a smoker, he paused for several seconds and said, "I would base my decision on many other qualifications other than just whether the candidate smokes."

But if we had to bet, we'd bet the professor will vote Republican. The folks who fund his research certainly do. On his web site, Rodu confesses his research is funded by Swedish Match, which makes cigars and snus, a smokeless tobacco product, and by the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (USSTC), one of the biggest manufacturers of smokeless tobacco. Both companies, according to federal election records, give generously to GOP candidates.

The Obama campaign, as you may have guessed, declined to comment on the professor's unsolicited advice. But earlier this month, Obama admitted that he had "fallen off the wagon" and smoked occasionally. Obama's primary care physician, David Scheiner, indicated Obama has kicked and resumed the bad habit several times.

As he put it, his most famous patient has quit smoking "on several occasions and is currently using Nicorette gum with success."

Comments

I would rather see him chew nicorette rather than Skoal. That tobacco is more gross than cigarettes.

Posted by: Car | June 23, 2008 3:14 PM | Report abuse

He could do coke and ditch the cigarettes . . .oh wait, he already did that.

Posted by: 761-091 | June 24, 2008 11:50 AM | Report abuse

Does the Post really have nothing more important to write about than Obama's smoking and McCain's mother's driving? Maybe information on the candates positions on the issues would be nice.

Posted by: Barry | June 25, 2008 7:43 AM | Report abuse

He could quit if he wanted too. Yeah yeah I know it is a hard addition to leave behind. It can be done because I did it. Not quiting even though it is known to be determential to ones and others health is a sign of weakness and shows a lack of will power. This off again on again is a bunch of bull.

Posted by: Thomas Owens | June 25, 2008 11:49 AM | Report abuse

ahha...big tobaco

Posted by: Anonymous | June 25, 2008 11:59 AM | Report abuse

Talk about lack of judgement - really dumb habit - and I used to do it myself but come on Barack you want to be President and you cannot quit smoking???? That's scary!!!!

Posted by: LynnB | June 25, 2008 12:01 PM | Report abuse

Nice going BHO, the guy that wants to take over the US health care system can't even quit smoking to run for office.

Posted by: Anonymous | June 25, 2008 5:20 PM | Report abuse

Hey, Bush did blow and hard liquor to excess. If Barack needs a cig to get through his stressful days, I say leave him alone.

Posted by: Soonerthought | June 25, 2008 5:36 PM | Report abuse

gum chewing is the worst of all - try going without anything- use some restraint

Posted by: a | June 25, 2008 8:11 PM | Report abuse

Why are you referring to the use of nicotine as a HABIT? Wake up, it's a DRUG!!

Posted by: Russell Martz | June 25, 2008 8:48 PM | Report abuse

This aspect of smoking would be of help to Mr. Obama, too. I suspect the discomfort some Americans feel about him has less to do with race than style. He can seem reserved, over-groomed and busy about eating the right foods and getting sufficiency exercise.
_______________________________
John Smith

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Posted by: john smith | June 27, 2008 9:04 AM | Report abuse

I hope he never quits cigarettes. In fact, I encourage him to smoke MORE. Preferably Camel filterless...

Posted by: MJ | June 27, 2008 5:54 PM | Report abuse

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