Bob Schieffer to John Boehner: "You should quit smoking."

[The Hollywood NeoCon]

Wanting to appear every bit the loyal sycophantic lapdog, aging douchebag Bob "I didn't know anything about those Black Panthers" Schieffer preaches to the future Speaker of the House on the evils of smoking:

Schieffer: “Mr. Boehner, I'm going to ask you this question because I'm not objective about this - I'm a cancer survivor, I used to be a heavy smoker. Do you still smoke?”

Boehner: “I do.”

Schieffer: “You have taken $340,000 from the tobacco industry. They've been the largest contributor to your political campaigns over the year. How do you square that with the fact that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in this country, 435,000 people, their deaths are linked to cancer, that's 1 in 5. How do you justify that in your own mind?”

Boehner: “Bob, tobacco is a legal product in America. The American people have a right to decide for themselves whether they want to partake or not. There are lots of things that we deal with and come in contact with every day, from alcohol to food to cigarettes, a lot of the things that aren't good for our health. But the American people ought to have the right to make those decisions on their own.” …

Schieffer: “If you should become Speaker, you could set a good example for the country by saying, 'I'm going to stop smoking.'

You know who else could (except not lie about it again), you miserable, obfuscating bastard? Yeah, Chairman Zero.

[cavegal]

  OK "BoB" your guy in the WH smokes..... NO?  

Just noticed article dated O8?

[Thor]

Just about the most whiniest, evil, vile and fascist people on Earth are reformed smokers......

I happen to agree with John Boehner.....

Boehner: “Bob, tobacco is a legal product in America. The American people have a right to decide for themselves whether they want to partake or not. There are lots of things that we deal with and come in contact with every day, from alcohol to food to cigarettes, a lot of the things that aren't good for our health. But the American people ought to have the right to make those decisions on their own.” …

I was exposed to asbestos, VOCs, and petrochemicals when my ship got partially blown up. I'm amazed that my lungs are as good as they are. Then, there was the major part of a month sitting right outside the oil well fires in Kuwait. It was so bad that we couldn't start flight ops until 1030 in the morning.

[DefiantSix]

I happen to agree with John Boehner.....

I took my first and last cigarette at the age of 12.  I agree with him, too.

[debk]

I happen to agree with John Boehner.....

I took my first and last cigarette at the age of 12.  I agree with him, too.

I had my first "half" cigarette at 15, my jr year of HS, second half about 6 months later. Haven't had even another puff in 42 years.

I live with 2 smokers, now....same as when I was a kid.

As much as I dislike like cigarettes...I do agree with John Boehner.

I also think, to publically attack someone as Shieffer did Boehner, is wrong. Boehner's answer was much more polite than mine would have been. 

[Eupher]

Is the overall issue with this thread yet another stance on smoking? Evils of smoking? Pro-choice? Quitting is good for God, Mother, and the American Way?

Or is the overall issue and point of this thread the rather lame attempt made by Shieffer to ruffle Boehner's feathers?

Now Shieffer is a lapdog - of that there is no doubt. He asks softball questions of ALL of his "guests" on Face the Nation.

I've watched plenty of his broadcasts. I wouldn't categorize him as a leftwing moonbat douchenozzle sycophant of anything other than the overall WASHINGTON ELITE CROWD on whom he depends to keep his ratings up. That transcends political party and overall political stance.

Bob Shieffer serves himself first and does his best to appear challenging, but as HWNC has stated, he's an aging Washington journalist born and bred to service the Washington elite.

Oh, and Shieffer has a hard-on about smoking. So what? That kinda shit is newsworthy? 

[TheSarge]

That kinda shit is newsworthy?

It is when you're carrying the water for the President and carrying out the order to "get" Boehner.

[Eupher]

It is when you're carrying the water for the President and carrying out the order to "get" Boehner.

I ain't buying that, TRG -- unless you've got a smoking gun.

Schieffer is simply lobbing a softball because he doesn't have any kind of howitzer, and even if he did, he wouldn't use it.

My point is simply this -- Face the Nation, as a viable, legitimate, challenging source of news, isn't. It's merely a forum for the Washington elite to come and spew their bullshit, irrespective of party. Schieffer is part and parcel to that, indeed all of CBS is.

I don't watch every episode of FTN, but I see enough of them to have drawn this opinion. Yours may differ. That's fine. But this is my position.

[TheSarge]

Schieffer is simply lobbing a softball because he doesn't have any kind of howitzer, and even if he did, he wouldn't use it.

I don't watch any of them because they are all the same echo chamber with a different logo in the corner.

My point was that The President...the DNC...as well as the MSM have made Boehner this year.  And they will say anything...ask any stupid softball question they can think of...hell they'll even talk about stupid opinion polls on his tan...in an all out effort to smear him.

[Eupher]

I don't watch any of them because they are all the same echo chamber with a different logo in the corner.

My point was that The President...the DNC...as well as the MSM have made Boehner this year.  And they will say anything...ask any stupid softball question they can think of...hell they'll even talk about stupid opinion polls on his tan...in an all out effort to smear him.

I'll buy that. Boehner is a target, but I'd submit that ANY politician who appears on any of the alphabet "news" programs is automatically a target. Schieffer simply picked a stupid talking point as one of those misshapen softballs.

The key thing is, Pelosi is done as a political force. She'll be reelected from her Zombietime constituents, but as Speaker, she's toast.

[TheSarge]

I'll buy that. Boehner is a target, but I'd submit that ANY politician who appears on any of the alphabet "news" programs is automatically a target. Schieffer simply picked a stupid talking point as one of those misshapen softballs.

The key thing is, Pelosi is done as a political force. She'll be reelected from her Zombietime constituents, but as Speaker, she's toast.

And that's exactly why the Libs are going after Boehner.  When the Republicans retake the House...he's the expected next Speaker of the House in January 2011.  So they are going after him early.  From Obama on down.

[Eupher]

And that's exactly why the Libs are going after Boehner.  When the Republicans retake the House...he's the expected next Speaker of the House in January 2011.  So they are going after him early.  From Obama on down.

That's not news, though. Why else would he be own FTN in the first place? It sure as hell wouldn't be about his smoking.

[The Hollywood NeoCon]

That's not news, though. Why else would he be own FTN in the first place? It sure as hell wouldn't be about his smoking.

He was on purely because teh Mocha Messiah decided to call Boehner out during a speech the TOTUS was giving and referred to him something along the lines of "the guy who thinks he's gonna be Speaker of the House."

Of course, given the increasing likelihood of that actually happening, the aging douchebag wanted to appear current by having him on, yet still maintain his prmitive street cred by lobbing some half-assed anti-smoking bullshit on him.

[Eupher]

He was on purely because teh Mocha Messiah decided to call Boehner out during a speech the TOTUS was giving and referred to him something along the lines of "the guy who thinks he's gonna be Speaker of the House."

Of course, given the increasing likelihood of that actually happening, the aging douchebag wanted to appear current by having him on, yet still maintain his prmitive street cred by lobbing some half-assed anti-smoking bullshit on him.

Which speech was that? Musta missed it.

[The Hollywood NeoCon]

Which speech was that? Musta missed it.

This one on Ohio. Hell, even NPR is beginning to see that it's the White House who've made this guy a household name!

[Eupher]

This one on Ohio. Hell, even NPR is beginning to see that it's the White House who've made this guy a household name!

Yeah, was out of pocket that day - I had to bury my MIL. Lord Zero is doing his level best to wear out AF1 before he's tossed out on his ass.

No wonder Schieffer was all over it. And in the 8 minutes allocated for this interview, he has to come up with questions about smoking? Asshat.

[Airwolf]

Hmmmm  "Bob. Why are you so ******* stupid?"

[debk]

Yeah, was out of pocket that day - I had to bury my MIL. Lord Zero is doing his level best to wear out AF1 before he's tossed out on his ass.

No wonder Schieffer was all over it. And in the 8 minutes allocated for this interview, he has to come up with questions about smoking? Asshat.

Right.

I find it interesting that of all the things to go after Boehner...not saying that there is anything...but it seems so childish to go after him about his smoking or his tan.

It's not just childish...it's a "girl" type attack. When girls are a certain age...maybe from about 4th or 5th grade, through HS, they can be very judgemental about another girl's clothes, hair, makeup, etc. Clique-y girls will be critical of the "smart" girl...because they can't criticize her for being dumb, or anything like that, they will snipe at her for her clothes (not "cool" enough" ), nerdy glasses or shoes, etc.

The lib progressives going after Boehner for his tan and cigarettes is the same thing and it means two things...1) they don't have anything else, and 2) they hope to "sway" the anti-smokers and anti-tanning bed people away from him.

Personally I don't care that he does either...I just want him to do his job. Just as most Conservatives would want.