Letters to the Editor
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Even the smoker was bothered?
Wow. I would have thought the smoker at least would have some sympathy for someone fighting nicotine addiction. OK, I'm sure we'll all agree it should be a non-issue, and I'm sure we'll all agree small things get overblown, but why? And what do we do about it?
I don't have an answer to the second, but I have a guess for the first. People seem to seek stories to grip onto to use as guides for bigger questions, like who to vote for. Obama smokes, therefore I can conclude about him that... Same with Hillary and her choking up in New Hampshire, Edwards and his haircut, Kucinich and the story that he saw a UFO. Sometimes these stories are accurate guides, like Bush Sr. and the supermarket checkout scanner led to a correct conclusion that he was out of touch. So maybe I do have a notion to answer the second question. Supporters of a candidate need a different story. In Obama's case, the story about him cluing in Richardson when he didn't know the question during his turn in a debate seems to have stuck with Richardson. Repeating that story can show Obama as someone who fights fair and has the confidence to think he can help an opponent and still win, and that his basic instincts lead him to do the right thing.