It’s like a metaphor for this administration: President Barack Obama is blaming a problem on outside forces, when in reality it’s probably due to his own bad choices. In this particular case, the problem is his kid’s asthma, the outside force is global warming, and his own bad choice is not quitting smoking. USA Today, of all places, unpacks this for us:

Whether there is a link between asthma and global warming, Malia herself hasn’t really experienced much. The high school junior was born in 1998, when temperatures spiked. By some measurements, the world hasn’t warmed significantly since then.

Which brings us back to her father and his Marlboros. The president, who quit smoking years ago, has long kept his tobacco use out of doors. That’s a common-sense tactic for folks who have trouble quitting. But sometimes, science can show that common sense has less sense than you think.

Turns out that people who smoke outside still come inside smelling of tobacco – to say nothing of leaving clouds of tobacco smoke in the area, which may not actually disperse all that quickly. Also turns out that kids can react strongly to that. Also turns out that the President still hasn’t quit, but, heck, we knew that already.

Look, I know that quitting smoking can be a nightmare for some people. I haven’t had a cigarette in a decade, and I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop. And I am not a tobacco Nazi. But if President Obama really wants to do something about his kid’s asthma, he should start acting locally instead of thinking globally.  The man has access to entire government agencies full of medical personnel. I for one will not begrudge him using those resources to quit smoking.

(H/T Instapundit)

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: Also from the USA Today: hey, by the way, our air quality has gotten insanely better since 1980.  Despite the fact that energy use, population, and travel have all increased and/or skyrocketed since then. Why do you never hear about that? Probably because it’s disruptive of the We’re All Gonna DIE narrative that everybody in this administration from the President on down peddles.