'Face the Nation' cigarette query rattles chain-smokin' GOP big John Boehner
CBS Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner on Sunday’s ‘Face the Nation.’ Take our Poll Political Puffers
Should cigarette smoking politicians set an example by kicking the habit?
WASHINGTON – Memo to House Speaker-in-Waiting John Boehner: Be prepared for greater scrutiny on everything, including your nicotine addiction.
Nine minutes into Sunday’s “Face the Nation” broadcast, CBS moderator Bob Schieffer, a cancer survivor and former smoker, raised the matter of Boehner’s notorious chain-smoking habit.
The Ohio Republican, clearly taken by surprise, retreated to the it’s-a-free-country argument.
“Tobacco is a legal product in America,” Boehner said. “People have a right to decide for themselves whether they want to partake or not. There are lots of things that we deal with and come in contact with every day, from alcohol to food to cigarettes, that aren’t good for our health.”
After Schieffer answered that people also “have a right to shoot themselves if they choose to,” Boehner tried to extricate himself from the rhetorical ambush.
“I wish I didn’t have this bad habit, but it’s something that I choose to do,” he said. “You know, at some point, maybe I’ll decide I’ve had enough of it.”
Schieffer then suggested that if Republicans recapture the House in November and Boehner becomes speaker, perhaps Boehner could “set an example for the country” by quitting. He might even inspire President Obama, who’s trying to beat the habit, Schieffer said.
“Maybe the two of you could find a way to try to stop smoking,” Schieffer said. “That would be kind of a good thing, wouldn’t it?”
“Bob, I appreciate your suggestion,” Boehner answered, unable to mask a touch of irritation.
<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/13/2010-09-13_query_rattles_chainsmokin_gop_big.html?r=newstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/13/2010-09-13_query_rattles_chainsmokin_gop_big.html?r=newsMon, 13 Sep 2010 08:37:29 GMT 00:00″>'Face the Nation' cigarette query rattles chain-smokin' GOP huge John Boehner