# Was Obama drugged? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 11, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370 "2012-10-11T01:05:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/41 "2012-10-11T13:32:26Z")
You mean since January 20, 2009? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/42 "2012-10-11T13:40:05Z")
> [@rooostra](#): > > I suspect a more likely explanation is that Syria and Turkey started shelling each other that day and maybe he had spent a little time dealing with that. That’s one of the more plausible explanations I’ve heard. OTOH he managed to stomp Donald Trump with the bin Laden raid on his mind, so he’s managed to compartmentalize successfully before. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/43 "2012-10-11T14:16:28Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Whither this secret knowledge? That would be, of course, ‘whence’ rather than ‘whither’. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/44 "2012-10-11T14:29:27Z")
Wherefore? ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_N.Cheese)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/45 "2012-10-11T14:39:42Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Hm. Was the Choom Gang’s VW bus spotted in the presidential motorcade? If so, we may have an answer . . . _cough_ ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/46 "2012-10-11T22:20:07Z")
Actually, speaking as someone who spent the past decade at nine-tenths of a mile, altitude sickness could be a factor. You won’t get totally incapacitated by it at that altitude, but it _does_ exacerbate the effect of being short on sleep. Mind you, being short on sleep would still be the dominant factor there, and it’s not really an excuse anyway: Being President is the sort of job where sometimes (probably quite often) you just have to continue functioning despite being short of sleep. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/47 "2012-10-11T23:27:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Actually, speaking as someone who spent the past decade at nine-tenths of a mile, altitude sickness could be a factor. You won’t get totally incapacitated by it at that altitude, but it _does_ exacerbate the effect of being short on sleep. Mind you, being short on sleep would still be the dominant factor there, and it’s not really an excuse anyway: Being President is the sort of job where sometimes (probably quite often) you just have to continue functioning despite being short of sleep. Speaking as someone who lived at 9,400 feet, grew up at 5,000 and regularly goes from a low altitude back up to 5,000 feet, I strongly disagree. If you suddenly go from 500 feet to 5,000 and try and run a marathon, you’ll have some issues in that you will run slower. Other than that, a healthy person shouldn’t see effects that include totally losing all mental capabilities, which is close to what happened to Obama during the debate\*. Also remember that 5,000 feet is the lower bound of ‘high altitude’ effect. The effect begins around that altitude and is very mild at that point. Though, the effect at 5,000 feet along with the secret dose of shrooms (administered by Bush II no less in an evil, racist plot to overthrow Obama since he was born in Kenya\*\*) plus the stress of not getting a blowjob by Mrs. Obama on the plane ride in could certainly explain President Obama’s performance. Slee \*He wasn’t quite that bad, but man, he did suck. \*\*This is my prediction for the next excuse used on this board to explain the fact that Obama just sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/48 "2012-10-12T00:28:56Z")
Hell, I thought Romney was drugged. The laser focus; the rapid eye-blinks. I figure he dipped into one of his son’s Ritalin stashes, or possibly some good old fashioned Ibogaine. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/49 "2012-10-12T00:41:12Z")
[No, he wasn’t drugged.](http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/11/us-usa-campaign-obama-idUSBRE8991QJ20121011): > [@](#): > > “Governor Romney had a good night. I had a bad night,” Obama told the “ABC World News” program in his first television interview since the October 3 face-off in Denver. > > “It’s not the first time I’ve had a bad night. But I think what’s important is the fundamentals of what this race is about haven’t changed,” Obama said as he sought to play down the overall impact. He just had a bad night. You know, like people do. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/50 "2012-10-12T01:10:12Z")
I got the feeling he was overconfident in his own abilities and that he over estimated the ability of the American people to see through Mitt Romney. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/51 "2012-10-12T11:23:33Z")
I am extremely disappointed. I know nothing of debating, and would certainly be a bad debater in any event – I usually think of the perfect rejoinder a day later – but surely Obama missed many opportunities at the debate. For example, when Romney spoke of axing PBS and Big Bird, Obama should have spent his next period lambasting this: explaining that PBS funding is completely insignificant and an example of how Republican calls to “cut excess” are hypocritical gibberish. Obama’s chance rose from 60%+ to almost 80% (according to Intrade) in the weeks following Romney’s “47%” admission, but have since fallen back to 62%. I am now worried again. Perhaps 1% of voters will vote according to their perception of this debate, and 1% is _huge_ in a close election. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/52 "2012-10-12T13:50:08Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Someone suggested altitude sickness. When did he arrive in CO? Four years ago he performed at 7,200 feet, here in Laramie Wyoming. That’s 2,000 feet higher than Denver. He appeared to be on top of his game then. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/53 "2012-10-12T18:56:58Z")
I think Obama was trying very hard to remain the gentleman when the lying vomit was spewed all over the opponents lecturn. I think he was truly unprepared for the onslaught of bullshit and tried to stay on talking points instead of landing easy zingers. But I also think there maybe something to him being physically unwell, or something out of the ordinary. The camera on Michelle just before they started seemed to illicit a nervousness from her that I had not seen before. Obviously The President didn’t make any excuses for his performance so it is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/54 "2012-10-13T19:37:45Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Do you know who Dali was talking with when he made that famous pronouncement of his? No. Who? ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/55 "2012-10-15T02:31:07Z")
BO delivered his answers/viewpoints calmly and clearly, at least in the first 30 minutes which I just watched on YouTube. Romney may have been a little more animated but I think it’s the pundits that are making it out to be a trouncing who are the ones on drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/56 "2012-10-15T04:05:37Z")
To be clear, I did not say that altitude sickness, by itself, could account for his poor performance. At that relatively modest altitude, it can’t. It could, however, make an already bad day just a bit worse, especially if the cause of the already-bad day was a shortage of sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370/57 "2012-10-16T00:25:54Z")
David Axelrod said the President will be “energetic” in the second debate. I guess they are changing the drugs. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-obama-drugged/637370.md?page=2)