Drugs. Who cares? Bill Clinton smoked pot. Oprah smoked crack. Obama snorted coke. Who cares?

[Beausoir]

Who really cares?

Lots of people have experimented with drugs in their youth, myself included.

Which Republican candidates have admitted as much? I'm betting Rudith smoked a joint now and again.

Do we REALLY want to get all frothed-up about such a non-issue?

Can't we stick to important issues like getting out of the war, healthcare, the environment and poverty?

God. This country....is fucked up.

[theredpen]

1. I'm voting for the meth candidate.

[Swamp Rat]

9. Bushler cannot run for a third term.

[theredpen]

46. Nice!

[Warren DeMontague]

43. Ann Coulter's not running.

Sorry.

[Lord Helmet]

2. specifically the Clinton Campaign is fucked up

[BeatleBoot]

3. Voters Care.

Always have.

Always will.

Especially voters with kids growing up.

[Lex]

5. Bush was a coke-head and an alcoholic

so how much did voters care about that?

[Beausoir]

7. Ding!

[AlCzervik]

12. and they even saw his ground down teeth and still didn't give a shit.

[BeatleBoot]

26. Maybe They Should Have Cared A Little More...

And we wouldn't be in the trouble we are now as a country.

But keep defending Bush.

It's fun to watch.

[Lex]

32. Ya think so, Captain Obvious?

nt

[BeatleBoot]

44. Why yes

Yes I do.

[Javaman]

48. The sad part, he* still is and it shows. nt

[Beausoir]

6. I have kids growing up. I could care less if Obama snorted coke. He obviously does not anymore and

learned his lesson.

I used to smoke pot. I do not anymore.

It's called being young and foolish for a reason.

[skipos]

8. Yes, voters care.

Obama will need to handle this well. Yes, GW Bush was snorting coke until he was 40, but people will still rake Obama over the coals for this if they can.

[Beausoir]

13. He has been completely honest.

[IsItJustMe]

37. I don't, and I'm a voter.

[skipos]

39. That's great. Same here.

However, I recognize that we need about 50-60 million other voters to vote for him. If you think all of those people make intelligent, well informed descisions about their vote, I disagree. Things that don't matter to you and I will matter to millions of others.

[IsItJustMe]

47. Well, I think a lot of folk believe there is some form of redemption. After all, we did elect an

alcoholic frat boy to be our pResident (who would not answer questions about his coke habit and also had a DUI), and this was largely done with the support of very narrow minded fundies. I honestly don't know who would vote against Obama based on youthful indiscretions.

I am sure they are out there, probably the extreme fundies. I think we are trying to kick a dead dog here.

[emilyg]

41. Agree.

[Warren DeMontague]

42. That's right. I have kids who will one day pay the taxes which fund the idiotic $40 Billion a year

"drug war"--- which is aimed primarily at pot, and keeping dangerous criminals like Willie Nelson and the late Carl Sagan from smoking their foul, soul-destroying herb.

Er, personally, I would prefer my kids' taxes go towards something a little less useless, cruel and stupid.

I don't want the country they grow up in to continue to lock up millions of non-violent drug offenders while violent criminals are let out to make more room.

I don't want the country they grow up in to play dumb fucking hyper-moralizing nanny state games about telling consenting adults what they can do in their own bodies, bedrooms and bloodstreams. I don't want science held hostage by religious nuts who think stem cells are "people", I don't want terminally ill people prevented from gracefully exiting this world in a pain free manner by televangelists and asshole Senators, I don't want womens' reproductive systems made the property of the State, I don't want pain patients unable to get palliative care because their doctors are terrified of the DEA, and I sure don't want pot smoking cancer grannies hauled off by assault-weapon wielding SWAT teams for trying to alleviate the nausea of their chemo.

Yes, I did drugs in my youth, including copious amounts of alcohol, which was by far one of the most dangerous of them ALL. Yes, I have kids of my own, and I worry about the choices they will face. But I do NOT think that the "drug war"- ineffectually legislating what consenting adults can do with their own bodies- "protects kids" any more than alcohol prohibition protected ANYONE. All alcohol prohibition brought us was Al Capone, gangsters with tommyguns, and deaths from bathtub gin.

It's time to drop idiotic arguments like "but what about the children?" and adopt some long-overdue ADULT SANITY to our drug policy. That starts with legalizing and taxing marijuana, and perhaps treating other drugs as primarily a health issue as opposed to a law enforcement one.

You're right about one thing, though- voters do care. They know the drug war is a failure and they are ready for some new, bright leadership on this issue- grown-up leadership that will end the drug war, stop pissing away $40 Billion plus a year on it, legalize marijuana (and bring in the associated tax revenue) and stop using this issue as yet another excuse to trample the constitution.

My problem with Obama here isn't that he admits he did drugs in his youth- he gets props for honesty- my problem is that he hasn't taken the next step and called for an end to the stupid god-damn drug war.

[unpossibles]

4. Bush did all of the above. nt

[Webster Green]

10. Drugs are great!

I wish we still had 'ludes. They were really fun!

[Raine]

11. Oprah smoked crack?!?

:wow: "say it aint so". :cry: Another illusion blown to smithereens, aw gee. :argh:

[Beausoir]

14. Ohferpetessake. She did a whole show on it. She used to do crack a long time ago.

But obviously she no longer does.

Lots of people experiment.

[readmoreoften]

40. Geez. I guess I got nothing to worry about. I ought to run for office too. /nt

[Raine]

50. I don't watch Oprah

so I didn't know. Anyway I was being sarcastic...sarcasm...something which most people never seem to get, sigh. :shrug:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

15. We don't need any more beatniks as President.

Enough is enough.

[Bicoastal]

18. BEATNIKS?!

What in holy hell are you talking about?!

[A-Schwarzenegger]

19. Don't blow a gasket, Daddy-O.

You can pretend that beatniks are not ruining this country
if you want to, and no true beatnik would complain, and that's
the very problem.

[Bicoastal]

20. Like wow, man...

...for a second there I must have taken the train to squaresville. Now I totally dig.

(snaps fingers on both hands in a show of appreciation.)

:smoke:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

24. Like real gone, now you're with it, it's snappenin' . . .

B-)

[Cha]

34. Is that you,

arnie? :smoke:

[madrchsod]

"beatniks are out to make it rich---

oh no

must be the season of the witch...." Donavon.

i really like that line..

[A-Schwarzenegger]

28. Who's this one by, on them ol' hippies...

"Have you ever heard about the so-called hippies
Down on the far side of the tracks
They take the eyeballs straight out of your head
Say son, kid, do you want your eyeballs back?"

[UTUSN]

16. Why didn't you list abusers RHENQUIST & LIMBOsevic?1 n/t

[Beausoir]

17. Please...list away! I did not know about Rhenquist. And Limbaugh is common knowledge.

What other Repubes have admitted taking drugs?

[porphyrian]

21. I don't, but I do care that they did and yet the "drug war" continues...

...unfairly punishing those who aren't rich and famous for what celebrities get away with all the time. JEB! bush's daughter got caught with crack IN REHAB, for fuck's sake - try that when you're not related to the governor.

[Alexander]

22. I have to wonder what drugs Hillary Clinton has done.

We know Bill lied about smoking pot and supposedly his own brother accused him of snorting coke, so it seems the proper thing to do now is bring up any and all of Hillary Clinton's past drug use.

[madrchsod]

23. Wellesley girls are pure as the driven snow...

:rofl::hide:

[Generic Brad]

25. I like the fact Obama brought it up first

Much better than having someone "out" him as a former user.

[OzarkDem]

27. I must have missed out on the good parties

I feel like an amateur. No meth, no coke, no crack. Just a little weed and beer in college, though there was that time with the mushrooms...

[Beausoir]

36. That was me, too. Just some pot and beer.

[IsItJustMe]

38. Same here, coke was just too damn expensive.

[CoffeeCat]

29. I think past drug use is a non-issue now...

Now, most adults of voting age---grew up during times when drug experimentation
was the norm. Unlike the 1950's when recreational drug use was unheard of, shocking
or done by a fringe minority.

Drug experimentation was really rampant in the late 1960's. Those adults are now
about 60 years old. In the 70's, drugs were everywhere and people who came of
age during that time, probably experimented--and those people are in their 50's. In the
early 80's drugs were pretty prevalent, until usage lessened due to Nancy Reagan's
"Just Say No" campaign kicked in. So, most of the early-to-mid 80's folks were
experimenting and now these people are in their early-to-mid forties.

It's just not that big of a deal for a politician to admit past drug use. Mainly,
because most of the voters have experimented with drugs in the past.

[tuckessee]

30. I care. It is an important issue.

I don't trust anyone under 55 or so who hasn't tried one or more illegal drugs.

Not dabbling in one thing at least one time shows an abnormal youth.

[Chovexani]

31. Bush is still on drugs

So is Pickles and most of the family.

[Bitwit1234]

33. Damn getting like the republicans....slam slam put Bill Clinton in there

can't have something about Obama less you slam Bill.

[blues90]

35. Maybe the entire house and senate should smoke pot before

They begin their day m that way perhaps their conscience would kick in and the aggression would be tamped down .

[I work for workers]

45. I care when successful people who are living proof drugs dont wreck lives still support the drug war

Hypocrites, all of them.

[yurbud]

49. I wouldn't even care that Bush smoked Jeff Gannon if he was a good president.