Past drug use may test Obama
Scrutiny gives hint of how brutal campaign might be
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), poised to announce a White House bid, got a taste of the intense vetting that will take place in a presidential campaign.
The Wednesday edition of the Washington Post ran a Page 1 story about Obama's drug use -- pot and cocaine -- under the headline, "Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to Be Seen."
Obama wrote about trying cocaine in high school and using pot in his memoir, Dreams of My Father, published after he finished law school. Drug use was not an issue in his 2004 Illinois Senate race, either in the primary or general election.
Obama returns to Washington today after staying largely out of the spotlight for a few weeks, spending the holidays with his family in his native Hawaii. In his absence, Obama's team has been organizing a presidential campaign -- from the field to finance -- to be ready once he makes it official, expected sometime this month.
On Tuesday, Obama dropped by the Chicago office of his top strategist, David Axelrod.
Today, at 2:15 p.m. Chicago time, Obama will preside over the Senate for the first time on the day Democrats return to power as the 110th Congress opens.
Every political eye will be on Obama as the freshman takes his stint at wielding the gavel for about an hour in a Senate chamber full of potential rivals.
Because of the Post, Obama won't be able to get away with dismissing questions about drugs as an "old story," a common damage-control tactic.
Even a wisecrack could look different in this new light.
Obama, guesting last month on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" was asked by Leno about taking drugs.
"Remember, senator, you are under oath. Did you inhale?" Leno asked.
Replied Obama, "That was the point."
Critics could ask why Obama did not add a cautionary "Just Say No" message for impressionable youths.
The Washington Post article, by Lois Romano, makes several key points: Obama will become the first presidential candidate to admit using cocaine. And it remains to be seen if Obama has more to tell. An anonymous Republican strategist told Romano, and she paraphrased the source, "that a problem could arise if there is more to his story than he has chosen to share."
A blog item I posted on this, "Obama's cocaine, pot use: Does it matter in White House bid?" has ignited a spirited conversation on my blog, blogs.suntimes.com /sweet.