Whatever happened to REAL news...

And what's the fixation on Barry? Out of all of the Presidents in the last thirty years (probably more!) none of them seem to have had as much ink devoted to them as Obama in the first half of his first term. FDR probably didn't rate all of this in his three terms.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101209/ap_on_he_me/us_obama_smoking

I got a few problems with this:

1) I quit a two-pack-a-day habit of Luckies somewhere north of a dozen years ago. Why didn't that make the paper? Hell - I was working in retail auto parts at the time! If that doesn't kick up your frustration level, I'm not sure what will. I'm amazed that everyone who came in contact with me actually survived the experience...

2) Yeah, there are people still trying to quit - and using "smoking cessation aids" in an effort to do so (most of them didn't exist when I quit, and I refused anyhow. I was going to quit on my own or not at all.) Great, so he's chewing nicontine gum instead. Cheater. Might as well go for an "e-cig" or something like that - that cheats by satisfying the nicotine demon, fulfills the oral fixation, and gives his hands something to do!

Oh wait - it would kill his credibility to be seen sucking on a tampon during the day. Oh, excuse me. WHAT credibility? His "approval ratings" are in the toilet already, aren't they? Might as well finish the job...

3) If we could get him back up to 2-3 packs a day, I'm sure I could take up a collection so he wouldn't have to buy another smoke for the rest of his life. Everyone that voted for the fool - I hope you're happy, or you've come to regret your decision (I don't know what you wanted to have happen, but this isn't the country I fought for. And we keep going down the road to the Left... How much longer before a large enough segment of the population says "Enough!" and the Second American Revolution gets started? I hope and pray for a bloodless overhaul, but I'm a pessimist by nature and don't think we'll get it. I'm also a cynic - if you haven't figured that out already...)

The principal reason we have that yo-yo in the White House now is because he enjoyed an advantage that no other candidate has ever had since 1782 - the unfaltering and fawning adoration of the mass media. I knew the media outlets were leaning to the Left far more than is healthy, but when I saw how they were falling all over themselves to build up Obama and tear down both McCain and Palin, I figured that "media neutrality" was althogether gone.

And gang, I'd rather have Shemp in the Oval Office than Obama - I've always felt that way, and I haven't seen anything to change my mind. "First Black President?" Sure - but not Obama. Kinda like "First Woman President?" As long as it's not Hillary!, Pelosi, Feinstein, Boxer, or anyone like that...

(In the first case, I think I'd rather have seen Colin Powell. In the latter case? How about my wife getting elected - at least I know where her head's at. Women in politics otherwise I just can't bring myself to trust. We may have given women the vote, but I don't think it's improved things like they said it would. Then again, fully 70% of the "deer peepul" are silly enough to keep electing the incumbents wherever possible anyhow - WAKE UP, PEOPLE! WE get screwed because THEY know they will still have a job! Now, what are you going to do about it?

(I still say that it would be a useful regulation that, once you have served a term of office, you are disqulified from holding office at any level for a like term of years. Serve six years as Senator? You can't go on the ballot for bloody dog catcher for the next six years after you finish...)

But I digress. Back to my main point for this entry, which is this: I'm sick to the teeth of hearing about Obama every damned time I turn around, and you never hear that he's doing anything wrong. Even if it's something even somewhat negative (like this whole "quitting smoking" bit...) the tone is more like "Oh, he can't help it; he's under a lot of stress; it's hard to quit when you're stressed," and all that crap.

You know what? You're in the Oval Office now - "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred." Shut up and deal with it, or step aside and let someone else have a swing at it (preferably not Pelosi - I think we'd do better under Lieberman...)