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SEN. OBAMA TRYING TO KICK CIGARETTE HABIT: Presidential hopeful wants to quit smoking before formal campaign launch Saturday.
*Sen. Barack Obama says he’s determined to quit his nasty smoking habit before the official launch of his presidential campaign tomorrow, fearing a nicotine-addicted candidate would not go over well with voters…and also because his wife, Michelle, insisted that he stop.
"My wife wisely indicated that this is a potentially stressful situation, running for president," Obama said Tuesday. "She wanted to lay down a very clear marker that she wants me healthy."
Pundits have already weighed in on the matter. Anti-smoking advocate John Banzhaf III, a law professor at George Washington University and executive director of Action on Smoking and Health, told the St. Petersburg Times: "For many people, smoking is seen as a sign of weakness and lack of willpower. A presidential candidate would not want to be seen as lacking strong will or lacking determination.”
But others say Obama's smoking and his struggle to quit could enhance his image. "I think it humanizes him," said Chuck Todd, editor of the Hotline, a political Web site. "He's got a vice. We all have vices."
Obama said he has always been discreet with his habit, which he picked up as a way to deal with the stress of former campaigns and writing books.
"I've never been a heavy smoker and don't smoke in front of folks or in the house," he said. But like many smokers, he has been unable to quit.
"It's one of those habits you can quit for a while and then you start back up," he said, adding that his use of Nicorette gum has been working “pretty well” in curbing his nicotine addiction. The Democrat’s effort to quit smoking is being well received by antismoking activists.
"Whenever you have high-profile people do this, it has a secondary effect in encouraging others to try," said Stan Glantz, director of the tobacco control research center at the University of California at San Francisco.
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Hollywood Black Film Festival
June 5 - 10, 2007
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Final Deadline 2/15/07
Accepting feature, short, documentary,
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submissions, as well as screenplays
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310.407.3596 or www.hbff.org
for more info
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