Obama's Cigarette Tax Hike Going Nowhere

Sin tax was supposed to raise $78 billion for an education program

Remember the cigarette tax hike President Barack Obama proposed in his big budget rollout?

The White House barely does.

Presidential budgets are all about theater. But this year's was more theatrical than most: Its biggest single new proposal — the sin tax to generate $78 billion to fund a preschool education program — vanished almost as soon as Obama announced it four weeks ago Wednesday.