Butt-insky: Snyderman Wants To Snatch Smokes From Soldiers

You might say smoke was coming out of my ears . . .

There was NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman this morning, arguing that the Pentagon should prohibit soldiers in combat zones from smoking.

Snyderman was a guest on Morning Joe for purposes of reporting on her interview of Pres. Obama yesterday on his health care plans.  But along the way, she weighed in on the proposal that had been floated, then quickly snuffed, by the Defense Department to deny combat soldiers the right to light up.

Mika Brzezinski was grateful for an ally in the fight against letting warriors make their own choices.  Joe Scarborough mocked the two Big Mommy Government-types, touting a tongue-in-cheek "cigarette drive" to provide soldiers with free packs of their favorite smokes.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Following up on a story from yesterday, the Pentagon says it has no plans to ban smoking --

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Amen.

BRZEZINSKI: -- by U.S. troops.  Dr. Nancy, you should have seen the gang-up on me yesterday.

NANCY SNYDERMAN: Today at 2 o'clock I will walk in the front door of a Veterans Administration hospital in Philadelphia.  I will walk through a wall of cigarette smoke to see patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. You tell me.  You tell me.

BRZEZINSKI: Thank you.

SNYDERMAN: This is crazy, to back off. If you love American servicemen and women, then you know what? Step up and get cigarettes out of their lives. At least say we give a damn enough to change policy.

BRZEZINSKI: Thank you!

If Dr. Nancy wants to preach the dangers of smoking to soldiers, be my guest.  But prohibiting a guy who is putting his life on the line for his country from lighting up?  Two words for the good doctor: butt out!