The Obama Smear Campaign In Its Early Stages

Here's my attempt at an answer:

Look, with all that is going on in the world, and with the importance of the next President affecting your finances and (in many ways) your life, if a candidate's smoking habits (or lack thereof) operate as a relevant factor for you, then you should simply be denied your right to vote.  Plain and simple.  You're not a serious enough citizen to exercise your franchise.  We'll let you vote for American Idol contestents on your cell phone, but that's it.

Of course, the issue here isn't Obama's smoking habit (which, unlike Bush's lack of intellectual honesty, can be permanently terminated) -- it's the right-wing media attempt to tarnish Obama with, you know, something since he is becoming the Great Hope of 2008.

Expect to see a lot more of this fear-mongering from the right.  Some of it will be outright lies:

Note that Obama’s biological father from Kenya was a terrorist-espousing Muslim. His mother is an avowed atheist. Obama spent two years as a youngster in a terrorist-oriented Muslim school. He spent two other years in a Catholic school.

The basis for these allegations?  Well, there is none.  This is a question of differing interpretation -- this is just plain, unadulterated bullshit. 

The truth: Obama's biological father was a Muslim, but -- like most Muslims -- not "terrorist-espousing".  In fact, he had disavowed the Muslim religion before Obama was even born.  His biological father and mother divorced when Obama was two, and his biological father had little influence on him thereafter.

Furthermore, although Obama attended a "Muslim school" for two years, it was one of many schools he attended as a child.   While living in Indonesia, Obama attended several schools, including a Catholic one (for two years), and the Muslim one (for two years).  The reason?  His mother wanted him to have the best education possible.

His mother, by the way, was an atheist, but saw value in religion.  That's why she gave Obama a wide religious education (which included the Muslim faith, but also Catholicism and -- well, you name it).  She took him to Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, Hawaiian burial grounds, etc. so that he might be exposed to all religions, rather than become indoctrinated into one.

"Facts" about Obama like the ones seen in the above-linked column typically come from Internet emails, and have been thoroughly discreditted.

But that's not going to stop them from trying.  So future voter, beware.  You're going to be lied to -- again.