OMG! The president is chewing gum!!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

Just wanted to get that in before the haters mentioned it.

[elleng]

1. Nicorette???

I think one of the MSNBCers mentioned it.

[NutmegYankee]

2. Probably.

I know he's been chewing it for some time.

[elfin]

5. Wish he would ditch it.

Probably his after meal fix. Been there, done that. A bitch to quit.

[NutmegYankee]

7. I'm sure the job doesn't help.

You can see the stress in his hair.

[TeamPooka]

14. I say let the man f**king smoke a cigarette if he wants it.

such pressure on the guy to not and "lead by example"
I say he can do bongs hits too.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. Probably. I still use it sometimes myself.

I think I quit about the same time as Obama. Rather than let stress get to me and screw up and smoke, I keep some Nicorette on me always.

[bemildred]

10. I quit in 1992, I chew gum all the time.

Way the hell better than smoking.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. That's my feelings, too.

I was one of those people who would quit for years, then something would happen and I'd start up again. This time around I chew gum when those situations arise. It's 100% better than smoking again.

[bemildred]

17. It's much easier to do without than cigarettes, when necessary.

It keeps me awake on long drives, helps me lose weight, is cheaper, keeps my teeth clean (I chew it with trident), and as far as I can tell, has no pernicious effects on my health, though I expect somebody will tell me all about that now.

You don't want to overdo it, it's a very strong poison, and you need to clean up your mess, but it still beats the heck out of smoking.

[trof]

19. That was Miz t's guess too.

[texanwitch]

3. He did smoke.

I noticed the chewing.

[hollysmom]

4. hey, gum is not allowed in my house

I have strong hatred for gum - is that what you call a hater comment? hee.

I had some kids in and found gum on my floor and my husband was careless with it, was easier to have a complete ban on gum than try to clean it up - took years to get it to work.

[sad-cafe]

8. I hate gum

especially chewed up gum

yuk

[RebelOne]

9. Yep, as a smoker, I think he probably needed a cigarette,

especially having to go through the inauguration ceremony again.

[gblady]

11. is there any fact about the nicorette....

or is it sheer speculation?
I heard Tweety saying it....
does he have some inside knowledge?

[PCIntern]

12. He was chewing gum in Newtown before his speech

Recovering smoker...I have empathy.

[graywarrior]

15. Maybe he has dry mouth from talking so much

[dmr]

16. Maybe he has a sore throat.

[frazzled]

18. He's been doing it all year

And yes, it's almost certainly nicotine gum. Hasn't anyone noticed this before? I sure have, and I find it kind of endearing. It makes him human. I'm surprised the news commentators are just now, um, commenting on it. I thought perhaps they'd just agreed not to talk about it.

[Doremus]

20. Must be really scraping to nitpick on something so insignificant.

Not referring to you OP, but to those who would criticize the President for something so silly.

Frankly, who cares whether the man chews gum?

Those who admit to being bothered by it are either 1) older than dirt and remember when gum-chewing was considered impolite, the same era when women's shoes and purses always matched and when no self-respecting lady would dare go out in a dress without full slip and nylons; or 2) totally bereft of a life.

[watch the sky]

21. this really isn't a big deal to me . . .

but I thought with the nicotine gum, you chewed it just enough to release the nicotine, then "parked it" - you didn't chew on it incessantly like you do with bubblegum.

[DogPawsBiscuitsNGrav]

22. He's human. People need to get over the petty stuff.