Hope, but no change, for smoking habit

WASHINGTON -- President Obama admitted Tuesday that he still is an occasional smoker, but never in front of his family.

His pledge to quit smoking was a demand from now-first lady Michelle Obama before she gave her blessings for the then-Illinois senator to run for the White House. There is a national fascination with Obama's struggle to quit, brought back into the news the day after he signed an anti-smoking bill.

"Look, I've said before that as a former smoker, I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. The -- am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No. I don't do it in front of my kids. I don't do it in front of my family. And you know, I would say that I am 95 percent cured. But there are times where -- there are times where I mess up."

". . . I get this question about once every month or so. And you know, I don't know what to tell you, other than the fact that, you know, like folks who go to AA, you know, once you've gone down this path, then you know, it's something you continually struggle with, which is precisely why the legislation we signed was so important, because what we don't want is kids going down that path in the first place."