[Brilliant]

Dowd is trying to cool off Obama's support from the liberal tobacco nazis.

[theDentist]

...he sometimes comes across as too emotionally detached and cerebral with crowds yearning for an electric, visceral connection

He's got that Dukakis thing going for him... as exciting as a towel in a closet.

[FreePaul]

Barack Obama looked as if he needed a smoke and he needed it bad.

How could we trust a man with this problem as president. In a major crisis he may become unstable from lack of nicotine or may even have to step out of the White House for a cigarette. No, we need a stable man or woman in office. One who has no bad habits and no other negatives. I guess we'll just have to keep looking.

[Huck]

The dems are making the same mistake they made with Dean. They ought to wait it out and take a full measure of their candidates. I have a saying...."Never be fooled by your own bullshirt." That's the mistake the dems make. They pull the wool over their own eyes first, then, when the candidate's true character emerges, they get disappointed, and left at the altar.

[BMIC]

Oh this is great. We all get to watch him go through detox.

[Rummyfan]

So there he was, trying to meet the deep, inexhaustible needs of both Iowa activists and the global press behemoth on his first swing across the state, while giving up cigarettes. He was a tad testy.

If he's testy on a campaign swing though Iowa a year before votes are cast, he's never going to make it to the finish line.

[OldFriend]

So mr.osamaObama had a heater on the platform with him during his annoucement while his constituents were freezing!

[EnquiringMind]

First of all, I'll bet he hasn't actually quit smoking, but won't smoke in public. The Nicorette was to get him through the day.

[KellyAdmirer]

It looks like it's going to be "ok" to criticize Obama if you're a liberal, like Dowd, but not if you're a conservative, like Howard. Some things never change....

[Redleg Duke]

Dowd has this thing about smoking. Remember when she described Anne as "that tough-talking, chain-smoking"?

[thegreatmalcolmx]

He is backed up by a strong, smart wife and a professional campaign team, but he doesn’t have a do-whatever-it-takes family firm with contract killers and debt collectors, like Clinton Inc.

---

She finally got one fact right.

[Montfort]

"He is backed up by a strong, smart wife and a professional campaign team, but he doesn’t have a do-whatever-it-takes family firm with contract killers and debt collectors, like Bush Inc. and Clinton Inc."

This is not very pro-Clinton. I guess she means it sarcastically. Who are the contract killers she speaks of?

[sono]

"Barack Obama looked as if he needed a smoke and he needed it bad."

Mo Do looks as if she needs a man and needs it bad.

[finnman69]

not enough CZJ pics on this thread

This is not Maureen Dowd

This is not Maureen Dowd

[smonk]

wow. if you are a democrat, and maureen doesn't like you, you have some real problems on your hands.