Is The Bush Admin. Blowing Smoke?

(CBS)  Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

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First disclosure: I'm a cancer survivor, and have lived for a long time with another disease called ulcerative colitis, both of which I probably got because of a long-ago, heavy addiction to nicotine.

So I am delighted the House will vote this week on legislation that for the fist time will give the Food and Drug Administration real power to regulate tobacco products. I hope it passes.

For the record, John McCain and Barack Obama, who don't agree on much, agree this needs to be done. So does the American Cancer Society, as well as the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and on and on.

The administration - incredibly, in my opinion - opposes it for a reason that would make the Queen of Hearts from "Alice in Wonderland" proud.

Their reason: that the FDA already has such a huge job monitoring food safety that it just doesn't have the resources to take on the additional job of regulating tobacco.

If it did, the administration argues, regulating food and drugs might suffer.

I couldn't be more serious. That really is their main reason.

By that logic, we shouldn't have asked the military or our intelligence agencies to get involved in fighting terrorism after 9/11. For sure, they already had plenty to do before Osama bin Laden came along.

In "Alice," after the Queen of Hearts issued her weird orders, her husband the King had a way of undoing them when she wasn't looking.

Well, maybe Congress can do the same and pass this by veto-proof margins.

Because every day, 1,000 children in America are learning to smoke, and for 20 years now, 400,000 Americans have died each year from tobacco-related diseases.

That's no fairy tale. Those are just the facts.

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E-mail Face the Nation.
By Bob Schieffer

[martublade]

http://niconotnow.blogspot.com/

[ewinters2]

What I find amazing in this forum and almost every other forum is that the democrat-liberal-marxists use any and every opportunity to call Bush names and make baseless and stupid accusations without ever defending their positions. Is the left in this country even capable of developing an argument in favor of their bigger government, more taxes and greater control over The People''s lives policies? I am rooting for Obama and a democrat congress just to be able to say "I told you so" as we pick ourselves up from the shambles of Marxism 4-6 year hence. So sad.

[ewinters2]

Veteran188,

You are nothing but a malcontent and an extraordinarily ignorant person. Your statements in this forum are so idiotic, so completely outrageous and without foundation that you should be ashamed of yourself.

What are you a "veteran" of anyway? The insane asylum??

[rossborba]

Mr. Schieffer should check his facts before asserting that smoking (nicotine) causes ulcerative colitus. Here, from the Medicine Net website (http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/page4.htm) is a direct quote by: "It has long been observed that the risk of ulcerative colitis appears to be higher in nonsmokers and in ex-smokers. In certain circumstances, patients improve when treated with nicotine."
Additionally, if FDA were charged with regulation of tobacco products, they''d have no choice but to outlaw it, totally.
I agree with President Bush that FDA has enough on their plate without becoming political footballs for the anti-smoking crowd.

RB,J

[veteran188]

gunfighter51

socialism is what your senator , McSame, and even Bush use to get their healthcare, they have socialized medical care,

have you heard any one of them complain about socialism,

the only thing wrong with socialism is that people like you do not understand it

[veteran188]

is Bush blowing smoke?

what a joke , has he ever done anything but blow smoke?

the criminal conservative agenda, hey will protect any business, even tobacco, prostitution, illegal drugs, or religions, if they can keep a little of their power because of it,

They are greed driven, anything for money

check out Larry Craig and Ted Stevens for good examples

gunfghter51 is another typical example of the kind of

goose stepping fascism we are talking about,

It is a mindless voting machine that props up republiCons

[rosalbanj79]

Soultion: Get the the resources to take on the additional job of regulating tobacco.

[gunfighter51]

If it was''nt for stupid liberals talking about issues not even related to the article, I would have kept my mouth shut.

[gunfighter51]

Chalres,
What does the party that''s controlling America have to do with losing union jobs?
That sounds like a union problem to me!

[chalres-2009]

Gunfighter51 You have got to be kidding me. You conservatives (neocons) have been running the show since 1994. Newt and the contract on america. Get you facts straight befor spouting them...