House Speaker John Boehner joked Sunday that people need to stop bugging him about his well-known smoking habit.
"It's a bad habit, but I have it. It's a legal product. I choose to smoke," Boehner said on Fox News Sunday before gigging host Chris Wallace: "Leave me alone."
The subject of Boehner's other habit -- crying in public -- also came up. Wallace showed a clip from the State of the Union last week, in which Boehner got a little misty-eyed when President Obama referred to the Ohio Republican's working-class roots.
Boehner is taking it all in stride. Last night, he said, the exclusive Alfalfa Club poked fun at his crying jags by presenting him with a box of tissues.
On a more serious note, the House speaker said he wears his emotions on his sleeve because there are issues he cares about.
"I am who I am," Boehner said, labeling himself "one of the most transparent people" in Washington.
"I'm not going to apologize for being emotionally attached ... to the things I feel strongest about."
