Obama Kicks the Habit

President Obama hasn't had a cigarette in "almost a year" according to his wife, first lady Michelle Obama. Talking to reporters at the White House Tuesday, Mrs. Obama said the president "never smoked a lot" and always wanted to quit.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs echoed that sentiment in his briefing with reporters saying, "I think that when somebody decides to quit smoking, to overcome the physical addiction, they do it because others around them want them to quit, and have support to break what is a tough habit to break."

Prior to stopping, Obama considered himself an occasional smoker who admitted to giving into the pressures of the office with a smoke once in a while. In 2009 he acknowledged that as president, he often battled the nicotine temptation, "Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No."

And the president's will power has apparently rubbed off on others in his administration. Gibbs announced in his briefing Tuesday that several White House aides quit smoking along with President Obama, including special projects coordinator Eugene Kang and trip director Marvin Nicholson, two frequent golf buddies of the president.

Does the butt stop here or might the good will travel to the hill where House Speaker John Boehner is a notorious heavy smoker? He was recently asked about the addition on Fox News Sunday, but from the sound of it, Boehner isn't investing in Nicorette anytime soon, "It's a bad habit but I have it. And it's a legal product. I choose to smoke. Leave me alone," the speaker joked to Chris Wallace.