Up In Smoke

Excerpts from David Maraniss's new book "Barack Obama:  The Story" that hit the web today details Obama's penchant for smoking marijuana in his early days.  Here is one story:

"When you were with Barry and his pals, if you exhaled precious pakalolo (Hawaiian slang for marijuana, meaning 'numbing tobacco') instead of absorbing it fully into your lungs, you were assessed a penalty and your turn was skipped the next time the joint came around," Maraniss writes.

"Wasting good bud smoke was not tolerated," explained one member of the Choom Gang.

And another:

"Barry popularized the concept of 'roof hits,'" Maraniss writes.

"When they were chooming in the car, all the windows had to be rolled up so no smoke blew out and went to waste; when the pot was gone, they tilted their heads back and sucked in the last bit of smoke from the ceiling."

Somewhere Bill Clinton is nodding his head, thinking about the days of old.