CNN

Don't care.

the answer is yes because he is a role model, and a good one, besides being a leader. as an ex-smokeri understand how tough it is, and in his job there is lots of stress 24-7. but I know how easy it is to rationalize a slip

Easy national push. Obama should try to quit and invite the American public to do the same.

BTW...You'd be surprised of the number of famous people and leaders are closet smokers....

Let's keep it real folks!

As long as he doesn't smoke in the White House or any other government building/vehicle!

I care if he can't influence Congress to pass a public option plan this year......Nothing else matters right now.....

I'm a very strong supporter of President Obama, but I have to say this was one of my strongest reservations about him.

I generally have a very low opinion of smokers; and someone the President's age who is as intelligent as he is would have been well aware–before ever starting–that it had been conclusively proven that smoking is hazardous to one's health. Having lived through the same stage of life as he would have, and only a few years after he did, I don't understand how an intelligent kid would have gotten hooked.

I'm sure that some combination of vanity, the bravado of teenage immortality, insecurity and peer pressure explains how most folks get addicted to cigarettes. We all know the stories of Obama's youthful drug use, so I suppose the (unfortunately) legal drug known as nicotine isn't all that surprising. It's just a little disappointing in this otherwise so admirable man.

I hope he is being sincere that he is fighting his addiction as best he can. It would be wonderful if he can publicly manage to get past this while still in office, to show that quitting is possible, even when one has the most stressful of jobs and lifestyles.

who cares, it's his lungs. As long as he doesn't smoke near me.

No Hillary = No Obama July 10th, 2009 5:49 pm ET

Obama smokes – that's his maladaptive coping mechanism – see his hair turn gray right before your eyes. What does this say – his ability to handle stress is weak and he's the President! What Obama is most is a "Gestural President", that's what you do when there is no substance.

................................................................................................................................

Ever notice what happened to W's hair over his term?

"LET HE WITHOUT SIN, CAST THE 1ST STONE"...
It is not my ( or yours) place to judge Pres Obama, or anyone..I dont think his smoking is anyones buisness as he is NOT blowing smoke in anyones face etc..there are way too many other things to be concerned with...Lighten up on him folks, for by the grace of God it isnt yOU...

Obama is trying to quit and that is a good start. My brother is trying to quit too.

They both know it is tough.

My sister can't quit eating doughnuts and she's going to die of a heart attack.

Smoking is not good for anyone, and I hope the president stops. He won't be the first president to stop, and I'm sure he won't be the last. He is the best president we've had in a very long time, so I hope he stops. I'll be honest, it bother me, but George W. Bush's disrepect of the Constitution and the US government bothered me more. I'll take the smoking, over chasing women, lying to Congress, wire taping, starting senseless wars-ANY DAY.

I dont care if he smokes.Hes getting the job done,not like the fake cowboys we had the last time that couldnt even ride a horse or catch the bad guys..

Oh by the way. Since Sarah Pailin ran for the governorship because she wanted to make some money. Why on earth would she stay on when she's got a new book deal. She get the money, laughs all the way to the bank because she suckered the people of Alaska–and doesn't have to deal with Alaska's problems.

She suckered John McCain, she suckered his staff, she suckered the GOPers and now she wants to sucker the rest of America with that stupid book, that she wouldn't be able to write if you strapped pens on all of her hands and toes.

But I must admit, Miss Brainless is getting the last laugh. Whooboy.

"It's Your Lob".

Give me a break.

Smoking cigarettes is bad and effects the person who is smoking the most. I want Barack to stop, but he's an adult.

Torchering, lying about wars, wire taping, killing over 4,000 men and women hurt the entire US. Don't you dare talk about Barack and smoking when Bush blew up our entire Constitution.

No wonder GW Bush is the 7th Worst President Ever.

Obama smokes – that's his maladaptive coping mechanism – see his hair turn gray right before your eyes. What does this say – his ability to handle stress is weak and he's the President! What Obama is most is a "Gestural President", that's what you do when there is no substance.

Heck no it's his lungs!

YES, we care a lot because we want him to live a long, long life. I think it's a shame that the good people die young. The cantankerous old farts who make everyone around them miserable live forever and forever, like Rush Stupid Limbreath. But people like Barack, are not on this earth long enough.

I hope the president will stop smoking. Not only does his family need him, but we need him as well.

Obama/Biden 2012

I don't care if President Obama smokes..he's a grown man!!!

come on cnn , what is that got to do wtih ,whats really going on in the country ,what about sanford, or esign, or some substance.

It wouldn't bother me at all if he smoked two or more packs a day

Why is this even an issue?

It is fitting that Obama still smokes. It is part of his personality and his political policies: sign a bill to ban smoking but oh ya – it doesn't apply to him! Two faced as usual!

I don't care if the President is human, we all have our vices. I DO care, however, that CNN is supposed to be a respected news source and yet they have headlines like, "Do American care if Obama smokes?"

@mississippi mike

Are you for real? What kind of example is he setting? Your mind is so twisted that you don't know the difference between a good example and bad example. The POTUS openly talking about his struggles with addiction to smoking and the trials of quitting is setting a great example! Setting a bad exampe would be to keep smoking openly and telling people to butt out of his life! He on the other had is admitting he made a mistake by ever starting and is trying to quit...what more do you want the man to do?

I have a feeling he could cure AIDS and you would find something to complain about. Do you go down to AA meeting and tell them what bad examples they all are too? Ripping someone who is trying to better themselves and struggling shows you are of low character. Kind of person who kicks puppies and screams at elderly folks.

His smoking is the only one of his policies that I like.

I have noticed that since Obama took office the price of a pack of cigarette went up 2.00 dollars.

President Obama has made a concerted effort to fight for health insurance coverage for all. To achieve this goal the cost of health insurance must be driven down. Lung disease is costly to treat. Lung cancer is costly to treat. Pancreatic cancer, also caused by smoking is costly to treat. Throat cancer, also caused by smoking is costly to treat. There may be a link to smoking and other cancers as well. Insurance companies are paying out huge amounts of money to treat what could be a preventable illness. President Obama is not endorsing cigarette smoking but by continuing to do so he sends a message that is counterproductive to his goal of affordable health care.

It would be better for his health and that of the people around him if he did not smoke., and he would be a better role model if he did not smoke. Nobody's perfect , and he could have worse flaws than this, I suggest we appreciate him for his strenghths.

OMG, is this a SLOW news day CNN? We are talking about smoking and who smokes and who doesn't.

ENOUGH with the senseless reporting. There is a LOT more important issues to focus on than President Obama's smoking. He CLEARLY stated he battles with his smoking habit. HOW many ways can he state this fact? Jesus.......

I don't care if Obama smokes, drinks, or curses if doing so will in any way help him solve even some of the problems Bush and the GOP created.

Yet another point the far-right has gotten wrong.

They claim Obama wants to rule America with an iron fist.

As it turns out, he's working on ruling America with an iron lung.

Come on, this isn't news.

Smoking soothes the nerves. If he feels the need to
go out for a smoke, that's his right!
Better than going out for few drinks!
Alcohol costs America billions $$$$$ more in
health care costs,
court & legal fees,
jail costs,
rehab costs and
death related costs than tobacco.
But then, it isn't politically savvy to attack the alcohol industry.
I'd rather fly with a pilot who smokes than one who drinks.

As long as he doesn't get to smoke in restaurant like the rest of us, who cares.

REALLY WHO CARES

And who has to foot the medical bills for his lung cancer... Oh... yeah, that's right... all of us who are paying the taxes for the universal health care.... so why does he care?

Practice what you preach, but based on what I have seen and heard from him proves he is either a hypocrite or a deceptive individual.

If Obama smokes its his own personal business!! Cigarettes aren't illegal, nor is alcohol, which I'd assume he consumes a little bit of just like most people in the world that can afford to. Its Obama choice ..

How is this even remotely newsworthy? As if the grammatical error in the headline wasn't enough, the content in the body of this article is frivolous, uninspiring and unreadable. I'd much rather read FACTS about the wonderful things Mr. Obama is doing for this country.

This is more important than sex scandals. Right on!

If Obama has a smoke .. Its his own business..Cigarettes aren't illegal, nor is alcohol, which I'd assume he consumes a little bit of just like most people in the world that can afford to.
It his choice !!!!

I don't care if Obama smokes, but it's not being a good role model for the youth (or adults) of America. I think a U.S. President should be a role model. Maybe we should have the folks at Disney create a Wax Replica of Obama puffing on a Pall Mall during his big speech in the Hall of Presidents.

I don't care what he does in private. What's with this smoking thing. I hear statistic after statistic but what about alcohol, prescription drugs and illegal drugs. What are they costing us. One researcher I know says it is a clever attention redirect and completely hypocritical. I would rather have Pres. Obama out back having a puff then a lot of other things that have been done at the White House!

There are a lot more important things for the most powerful man leading the most powerful nation in the world to worry about than that.....
Grow up and find NEWS

It is sad that people think Hillary has anything to do with the American trust in President Obama. How soon do we forget: Obama won the nomination over Hillary Clinton. No one know what position Hillary would have in his cabin when he won the nomination.

I hope he will stop smoking for his personal health, however, him smoking does not affect his job.

My opinion of him is the same because the promise to give up smoking was with his wife not us. Even if it was, I think that when we as citizen can keep every promise such as, eating too much, smoking and other things that are not good for us, then we should hold the president or other elected official to higher or the same standards as we hold ourselves.

Let's see an economy in the toilet, 2 wars, health care, climate change, pirates plus EVERY leader in the world "testing" him...please someone give this man a smoke.....If smoking is so bad then ban it!!! I'm sure he's not the first POTUS to smoke but then again he IS black so there's a different standard. How about this CNN maybe you concentrate on your editing and use of grammar rather than what the POTUS does on his own time and has absolutely NO effect on you!!!

I know you won't post this...but the truth is the truth...get a life!!!!

Did Americans care that Bush drank? It's none of our business, despite what Faux News tells its brain dead lemmings. For a party (GOP) that claims it wants to stay out of everyones life, it sure cant help but try to insert itself into all our lives.

I would rather that he quit. He is smart and smart people usually don't smoke.

I believe that the issue is about choices and why we make the choices we do. First of all, as president of the US, he is a role model to young people all over the world.
We have to be the change we want to see in the world. It is not about what we say; it is our actions that speak volumes.
Secondly, Obama is a really advocate of the environment and smoking is a poisonous pollutant.
Thirdly, it is about the future of the planet. Tough choices are hard to make. I know that addictions are really hard to break.. It isn't fair to his children, it just sets a bad example and a mixed message.
Believe me, I am a HUGE supporter of Obama. I think he is doing a tremendous job. Nobody is perfect, but smoking is just so dangerous and the corporations like Phillip Morris exploit the world's poorest nations. Smoking supports them and their message.

I think this could be President Obama's big chance to show smokers that it is indeed possible to quit simply because it is the correct thing to do.

The fact that he is still openly struggling with his addiction even though he knows the question will be asked at any given moment is mind-boggling. One would think he would quit if for no other reason than to answer the question NOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Oh the hypocrisy, look at all the people who have a problem with cigarettes, and many of same said people will smoke marijuana or a cigar with a clear conscience. Look I don't have a problem with people smoking MJ but I do have a problem with MJ smokers that have a problem with people that smoke cigarettes. It's all smoke.

You typo police need to get a life. Nowadays with news breaking all the time and articles posted online only, not in print, obviously there are going to be some stories that are put out quickly without a whole lot of editing. Who cares!? You can all tell what the author meant. You guys are just so smug it is sickening!
And about Obama smoking... I don't care what anyone does to themselves, as long as it doesn't affect others. He already said he doesnt smoke around his kids, if he did that it might be a different story, I think smoking indoors with a family is irresponsible. I also dont like smoke in bars because it affects non smokers, but if he wants to go out and have a smoke every know and then who cares? He has the most stressfull job in the world. It is better than cheating on your spouse...

Whether President Obama smokes or not is really none of our business. It's not our job to micromanage his life.

Who cares, on the other hand he raised taxes on smokes when he said no new taxes....Liar

I care. I don't believe tax dollars should be used to pay for the increased health care costs incurred by idiots hell bent on killing themselves by smoking – even if that idiot is the President. He can smoke, but taxpayers shouldn't have to foot his health care bill.

If I don't have to breathe it, then I don't care.

guess clinton got bad info when he bombed them first.
funny how you all overlook the whole story.
hearing the same bs everyday about any subject is getting real old

It makes absolutly no difference if President Obama smokes or not, it's not the healthest habit in the world, but it has no connection as to wheather he can do the job for which he was elected. I wish him all the luck in the world trying to fix the mess Bush/Cheney left the Country in.

I care. What kind of example does that set?

I don't care if he smokes, most American's do not care if he smokes. It's his right. The problem is anti smoking militant wackos that want to police peoples habits. They are the ones that need a hobby.

Hey Al in Fl, i'm with you man

Hillary will leave her job within 2 years, Obama will drop in popurality...

Democrats will be running away from him in the next election..

Go Palin

Sarah Lives

At least he can afford to smoke. After a $10 a carton tax increase on July 1, on top of other increases, it is becoming harder for the ordinary person to keep their habit going. What happened to 'no tax increase for those earning under $250,000'???

Wait, there's more to come suckers.

Kennedy and Clinton chased skirts, Bush ,among many other presidents, (hell, Jefferson grew weed...gasp!) drank and Obama smokes. What do all of these guys have in common besides being President? They are all HUMAN! Humans have vices, whether it be chocolate or drugs.

Hey, Al in Florida? And, Bush and Cheney can lie us into a war that has killed thousands.

What kind does he smoke? I'll pony up for a few cartons.

Always a double standard...if he was Republican all of you would be complaining about the medical care a smoker needs...etc. etc.

Give me a break...if the man wants to die of lung cancer, then let him.

I don't care at all. It's not against the law.

Tom July 10th, 2009 3:19 pm ET

Do American care that there am no editors anymore?

lol, they are in a hurry to bash the President. Did you see the photo of non issue that was going around in the morning?

hey folks its a free country...

Michael Jackson can do drugs,
Obama can smoke,
Pelosi can lie to congress,
OJ can kill spouses...

But you can be a Gov from Alaska and say betcha.

Talk of digging the dirt. Leave him alone. We love him the way he came to us!

Yes I care. If he thinks he can regulate what I eat and drink and whether I can smoke on my own porch then, yea, I care if he smokes.

I think that he is working his butt off to fix this country, and while I am personally against smoking, if he does that, it is his own business. Again, if he is working and trying his best, what he does with his health is his own business. Besides, he is trying to quit. I have family members who have tried multiple times to quit, and they have failed or had some bumps in the road. " United we stand, Divided we fall."

CNN! What is going on? How did any of you get hired? The title should read "American(s)". The typos are mounting. The link titles do not reflect the videos. What are you guys doing beside making a bad name for journalism?

There errors are simply neglect and laziness. Get with it!

It isn't against the law and he doesn't do it around his children. It isn't our place to care or not.

"Do American Care" typo in headline. Who writes this crap?

2 words - TOTALLY unimportant!!!

It doesn't bother me at all, but I'll bet there are plenty of people out there who will be all over another excuse to hate the man. The President has to be making decisions constantly and some of them life or death. If a smoke helps him concentrate instead of sitting there trying to fight the craving, go for it!

Do American care that there am no editors anymore?

Were any of these people asked if they would mind if Obama sat down next to them or their children and lit up?

I hate smoking , but not the smoker, so prefer he kick the habit. To me is is just an unclassy thing to do .

I couldn't care less if the President smokes or not. Live and let live, I say.

I will admit, though, that I'd like to see him smoke a pipe rather than cigarettes. Better for his health and definitely more dignified. It's been a long time since we had a pipe smoker in the Oval Office.

Do Americans care if CNN can use proper grammar? Apparently not, otherwise why would the title line say "Do American care if.." I think CNN meant to write "Do AmericanS...", plural.

Smokers spend all their time thinking about when they're going to get their next smoke. Obviously he should stop so he could be thinking more clearly about all these zillions of programs that aren't working and about spending zillions of our dollars that our kids and grandkids will have to pay off.

Mr. President, Step out into the rose garden, light up a cigarette and RELAX!! The world will not end, promise!

Who gives a SHHH now excuse me ima go smoke a marlboro.

" Do American care if Obama smokes?"

haha...who proofs your articles? I think most Americans wish Obama would just go back to Chicago.....smoking or not....

I think being a smoker humanizes him to some degree. I for one would like to see him quit because I'd like to think he would be healthy as an example to his kids and youth everywhere, but whether or not he smokes doesn't really affect his ability to be a leader in any way. Ultimately, its really not a big deal.

He should stop smoking altogether. Smoking the "occasional" cigarette is a pointless habit. Why do it at all if he doesn't have a legitimate addiction?

Who cares. Smokers have been made out to be scapegoats. What about aggressive drivers, obese people, those who view porn, shout and holler and have no respect??? We ALL have our faults and idiosyncrasies. It's just that some people take things to the extreme in order to point fingers at the ones who do have them [and WE all do] just to "reflect" the "shame" away from themselves and try to feel better than other people. We need to LQQK inside ourselves b4 we point fingers!

Jenny poll: Do CNN care about subject-verb agreement?

No, but American do care about silly grammatical mistakes on major news websites.

Who cares, as long as he doesn't smoke in front of his daughters.

OK, so yea it is a bad example to be setting...

However aside from that, no I don't care and can't see why anyone else would.

Rerublicans are soooooooooooooooo desperate to find something on this guy, anything, and all they have is this?!?!?!?

Why in hades is this considered "news"? Honestly, we've lost sight of "President Obama" and instead treat "Barack Obama" as if he were a super star. I'm starting to believe that most people voted for the hype and not the man or his views.

Ironic, the congress is talking about banning smoking on military facilities, but there is nothing being mentioned about the Commander in Chief smoking on government property.

Get this crap outtahere

Yet another meaningless poll! Nothing else going on today that's news worthy?

Who cares if he smoke's if that is all the American people had to worry about then we are in good shape.

What a ridiculous poll. CNN, stop putting every stupid thing under a microscope.

By the way, I have my problems with Obama. But, when are people going to start giving him credit for stopping the bleeding with the banks? Or, the fact that he potenially saved GM?

Only a RWnut would care.

RWnut "logic" =

Invade wrong country on bogus intell = good.

Sneak outside for a smoke = bad.

Incredible. Obama smokes?????? I had no idea. I hate to say my opinion of him dropped a little!

Probably half of this viewing audience had battled cessation from smoking. Yes, it's a bear to quite. I smoked for 25 years and tried everything to quit: bottom line is that it takes will power and that alone. Any American who has a problem with this should probably just move to Pyongyang and be done with it.

At least, unlike his Republican j-off critics (read: Rush Limbaugh) he's openly admitting something addicting and it's neither illegal nor apt to get you in an embarrassing (read: like pain killers – nothing like taking oxy- or hydrocodone for a papercut, eh Rush?).

I don't care if Obama smokes or not. What I do care about is raising the price on cigarettes in order to pay for health care. Booooooooo!!!!!!!!

the rightwing babies will soon tell you how this shows he needs to be criticised,guess what guys?remove the log in your eyes before whinnig about another.he is not perfect.and he doesnt pretend to be.

Smoke em if you got em Mr. President.

Which American was surveyed? Your headline says "American," not "Americans," therefore only one American must have been surveyed. I cannot answer your question unless I know which American was surveyed.

Obama,Promise Change Hi not change for himself ?
Like stop smoking?

Be the change that you want to see in the world. – Mohandas Ghandi

Obama,Promise Change Hi not chnage for himself ?
Like stop smoking?

Be the change that you want to see in the world. – Mohandas Ghandi

He should step up to the plate and quit. At least we'll see some of the 'change' he promised us.

next cnn poll..do americans care if the president showers? we see rite tru u cnn!

As an ex-smoker, I understand how hard it is to kick the habit. The simple fact that he has been open about this shows that he is a human being, like the rest of us, who has his own struggles. And frankly, I can appreciate that about him.

The rethuglican's call him the Messiah...I call him a normal human being just the like rest of us. Frankly, I like him that way.

With everything going on in the world and in this country really affecting our lives, you were actually motivated to do a poll on this? CNN you stink!

He should appoint himself the healthcare czar, in line with Geithner-the-tax-cheat tax czar.

Nobody's perfect and I would rather have someone in office with an imperfection that's right out in the open than some sort of behind the scenes scandal going on like a lot of these infidelity cases that have been exposed lately. I don't care if Obama smokes, if it helps him to deal with the massive pressure of being President and do a good job, I'll buy him a whole carton!

An additction is an addition; be it nicotine, drugs, or alcohol.

With his health benefits we should all care............just more careless spending from this administration.

While smoking is a bad habit, it does make President Obama more like the rest of us. We all struggle with our inner selves to become better persons. I wish him the best of luck.

Kind of... we want him to be healthy.

who cares if he smokes. but i say he should smoke about 9 cartons a day

Obama's smoking is just about the only thing about him that I like. It's the only thing he does that actually shuns political correctness and shows independence of thought.......just don't do it around me, Mr. Prez.

Why is this even a CNN story?

I don't care if he smokes a bong so long as he keeps up the good work reversing Bush policies and gives us healthcare refrom.

He can smoke all he wants, he is helping America by paying Cigarette taxes! Go Obama!

YES, I care that POTUS smokes. Not because of his position as much as for his own HEALTH sake. I would like to see that he is healthy and able to withstand all the pressures of the Office. The stress and demand is so great on his life. I think smoking compunds the matter causing a higher risk of illness. I would like to see him complete all eight years of his term and walk away able to continue to enjoy his life with his family. He is already 'greying' too quickly.

Next up: Do Americans care if President Obama has big ears? It's a burning question that requires an answer, never mind the economy, health care, the restoration of Constitutional government, etc.

If someone called to ask me such a vacuous question as the smoking question, I'd think it was a radio station prank, not a poll.

I think a smoker understands most how difficult it can be to quit and how it's easier to never start smoking than to try and quit. I'm glad there's finally some more anti-tobacco policy.

Whats it matter if he smokes or not........if Republicans can have sex with other women instead of their wifes then President Obama's smoking is trivial

Cigarettes aren't illegal, nor is alcohol, which I'd assume he consumes a little bit of just like most people in the world that can afford to. The day I see or hear of him hitting a bong like Phelps, I'm gonna do cartwheels in the streets. Because then Pres. Obama will probably break a few world records on peace, healthcare, environment, economy, bigotry and so forth and so on...Hopefully in his second term he'll legalize the industrial, medicinal & personal useage of pot! If not all three than at least the first two, so the world can begin to heal itself and make a few billion and save a lot of lives to boot! I love my Pres., smoker or not! He's a breathe of fresh air everyday for me, especially while I read these defaming and distracting blogs from the Obama haters!!!

The more people smoke the more I make money on my Phillip Morris stock' so keep smoke Mr President and all you other smokers out here, thanks for helping me make money while you slowly shorten your lives.

his business his fight!! at least he knows the addictive power of nicotine and can set the bar to prevent more to be caught up with the big deception promoted by tobacco companies in the past. a major cause of many health care concerns and expense

Praise Obama and report tabloid rumors about Republicans on CNN's Political Ticker. That how we do it! If you say anything bad about our Dear Leader Obama, you will be sent to prison. CNN The New State Controlled Media.