As David Cameron woke up today to more headlines about smoking cannabis at Eton, I wonder if Barak Obama’s drug past will hinder his bid for 
the White House.
He has openly admitted taking cocaine as a teenager, saying this about himself in a book he wrote 11 years ago: “Junkie. Pothead. That’s where I’d been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man. . . . I got high [to] push questions of who I was out of my mind.”
Not pretty words, yet this confession is considered as taking Americans into a new political era, that such revelations are no longer shocking, and Fox News has even suggested he was a drug addict .
Even murkier is the hint that Hillary Clinton could have tipped off the media about Obama’s past, such is her desperation to win the Democratic nomination.
Obama hoped his admission would serve as an example to what others can achieve:
“In an interview during his Senate race two years ago, Obama said he admitted using drugs because he thought it was important for “young people who are already in circumstances that are far more difficult than mine to know that you can make mistakes and still recover.”
What’s clear is that the public cares little about teenage misdemeanors and is much more concerned about the character of our politicians, whether they were bullies, cheats and liars. I’ve heard nothing along those lines. Do you think teenage mistakes should haunt politicians more than 20 years later? Does it bother you at all? Should it make any difference to the political aspirations of Oboma, as well as David Cameron?
Ellee on the telly looked very nice.
Icedink, Thank you, it was a brief appearance, the result of one hours filming. Not so sure about the close up shots. I thought Iain put all the essential points over excellently, but I found Yasmin Alibhai Brown very uptight, she just does not have the openness which makes blogging work, it would not suit her character. She believes that answering emails is being interactive, she is far off the mark.
The fact that even NuLabour and the Lib dems have little to say about Dave’s youthful experimentation with cannabis points to how insignificant this story really is. I wonder how many of the current Cabinet similarly experimented -to say nothing of the Lib Dems previous leader.
I’m livid that I mistaped the show that you were in, Ellie and didn’t see it!
quite right about jasmin alibi brown. i thought she was in favour of free speech and open debate. loathsome and made a fool of herself.
Icedink, She obviously regards herself as far superior to us lesser mortals, she was almost snarling with contempt of bloggers.
We shouldn’t perhaps be too judgemental, but I think past actions must play a part in one’s assessment of a politician. After all, one would have to be pretty gullible to take at face value the words of a member of one of the most distrusted sharlatan ridden professions going.
I’m happy to forgive Cameron for having a crafty puff in the dorm after lights out, but I’d have think a bit more about voting for someone who thought it was fun to take cocaine.
I missed you on the telly this morning. Sorry. Out at Hampstead Heath for a 5-miler with a fellow trekker. But I’m not sorry I missed YAB.
As for Dave and Obama. IMO,they’re from the same camp.
Jeremy, I think your training takes precedence for your BIG day.
The American press don’t seem to be making a big deal about Obama and his drugs past – and that was cocaine. It was obviously a very bad news day here for our media to splash again on this so much.
I was staying with friends in Hampshire and I made everyone get up to watch you Ellee. I was hoping to hear more of what you had to say. It was good to se Iain dale make such an idiot of that silly woman. I think they they missed the point in away. It is nothing to do with news only rare journo type bloggers like Guido break stories. (and Croydonian is ahead of the main stream).
The point is who on earth is ms. Alibhai. A not especially interesting mediocre writer with nothing much to add either politically or as a culture consumer. People either visit blogs or they don’t based on something they either get or do not from them . It is a democracy of opinion and in your case almost a free news summary service in addition to a sane view of most issues.
How many columnists could make much impression . Some perhaps but many would not . There are huge barriers to entry into the national Press . I know quite a few journalists and they are all very good . They have no chance of becoming as feature writer. You pretty much have to know someone . In a addition the national Press no longer find news they get it form available sources that those vaguely in the know can access for themselves if they have the time. There is a threat and they know it also to mainstream politics
I was especially impressed by the numbers game. I wonder how many people look into your site Elee.
Keep it up young lady
( as the bishop said to the actress arf arf)
I too missed Sunday AM this morning – but found it here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/sunday_am/default.stm – with the blogging stuff starting just after 28 mins. Off to watch it now, so might come back and comment again later.
Not one of your best posts, sorry.
GWB is a known drug taker and recovering alcoholic. Did not stop him.
DC is right on the button here. What people do when they are young and before they decide to politics or the world of work is immaterial.
Drug taking at 30 would be an issue; not at 17.
Newmania, I am not famous, so it was incredible to be featured on the programme for even just 2 minutes, especially as the opening slot, hard to believe that was the total result of 1 hours interview.
I share the view of cityunslicker, I think that is the case in America too with Obama.
Chris, thanks for tracking down the link, hope those who missed the programme will be able to catch up with it now.
I don’t think it matters if Dave had a spiff or two when young. In that era, it would have been surprising if he hadn’t! If he had harmed someone else in some way, it would be a different matter.
I was out walking too but i did record it to watch when i got home.
You missed out on a great walk.
Oh gawd, I’m confused now. So Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton are opponents, but are on the same side? So do we know who the Republican candidate is/are?
Elle – there’s some streaming video of you at the BBC site.
Jim, I’m picking up on what is being reported from the USA, the Democratic candidates have aroused tremendous media interest and they are using the internet to full capacity to reach out to potential voters. I’m interested in that side of their campaign.
I have mentioned the Republicans briefly in the past, but it is much quieter on their side so far. The former mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani is among the possible contenders, as well as Jhn McCain. See wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_and_potential_2008_United_States_presidential_election_Republican_candidates
I know UK Daily Pundit and Praguetory would disagree with me on this but it doesn’t seem nearly as bad as letting the Lizard Queen get her hands on power. Once she does that, whatever Bush has done will pale into insignificance.
I shook my head in incredulity when I saw this news headline flash up. Not in shock, but disbelief at such a non story being news.
‘Man in prominent job smoked joint as kid’.
Er- not a headline.
Not even relevant.
Are you telling me Tony didn’t have a joint when he went through his long haired rocker phase?
None of this will harm Cameron, maybe the opposite.