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Obama embodies paradox of candidates who did inhale

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 19, 2008 3:57 PM CST

(Newser) – The days when drug use could derail a Supreme Court nomination or make a hairsplitting presidential candidate look ridiculous are long gone, Hendrik Hertzberg writes in the New Yorker, and Barack Obama has broken yet another barrier: He is apparently "marginally less of a pothead than he has made himself out to be."

Hertzberg uses the prism of a recent New York Times account of the "big news, or bit news, about Obama and drugs" to tackle the issue. John McCain seems “downright apologetic” in explaining his lack of stoner credentials, “sheepishly” offering a generational excuse: “Remember my age.” But if honesty is now the best policy, Hertzberg asks, why are 700,000 Americans arrested each year for pot possession?

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

Juges Dowerah, 21, of Nevada, Iowa, holds a sign supporting the legalization of marijuana during a Barack Obama rally on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, Friday, Sept. 21, 2007. (AP... (Associated Press)

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a rally Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, in Youngstown, Ohio. (AP/Photo Mark A. Stahl) (Associated Press)

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., makes remarks during a news conference following a tour of the RMI Titanium Company, Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, in Youngstown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Rick... (Associated Press)

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Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out

Obama embodies paradox of candidates who did inhale

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Barack Obama • John McCain • New York Times • marijuana • US Supreme Court

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