Obama's "Dirty Little Secret?"

Recently, the news media has been buzzing over what they are calling Barack Obama's "dirty little secret" or "dirty little vice." Obama admits that he has been a long time smoker and that he is trying to quit as he runs for the presidency.

When I first heard the news that Obama was a smoker, I thought that his image was going to be destroyed. Some reporters are saying that Obama's habit shows "character flaw, weakness, and lack of willpower."

However, the fact that Obama smokes might not be the "image suicide" I initially thought it would be. Obama has been genuine and truthful about the subject. I think the most important part of that is the truthfulness. This subject has the potential to be very damaging if it isn't handled the right way. Putting your flaws out in the open, rather than letting people dig them up on their own, gives you the advantage. By being up front with his habit, Obama comes across as a normal guy who is more authentic than the stuffy, fake politicians that swarm D.C. This is the angle that George W. Bush capitalized on, and like him or not, he got elected twice.

The following is a link to a CNN video segment about Obama's smoking habit:
http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/moos/2007/02/14/moos.smoking.obama.cnn&wm=10

Here is a link to the video of Obama and his wife on 60 Minutes:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2459484n