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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Kenneth T. Walsh
Michelle Obama is widely considered one of her husband's biggest political assets. Like most first ladies, she has developed a strong following around the country, and 71 percent of Americans think she is doing a good job, according to a recent
"Her role is where policy and people intersect," says Katie McCormick-Lelyveld, the first lady's press secretary. This is a contrast to Hillary Clinton, spouse of the last Democratic president, who was deeply involved in healthcare legislation and other issues. And it is closer to the example set by Laura Bush, who promoted reading as her special project but was mostly an appealing supporter of her husband, George W. Bush, a Republican and Barack Obama's predecessor.
Obama considers herself first and foremost a mom to the first couple's young daughters, Malia and
She has started a highly publicized
There is a little-known personal side to her cause. A few years ago, a family doctor said that the Obama girls had a "body mass index issue," a nice way of saying they were gaining too much weight. So Barack and Michelle Obama told Malia and
Obama rarely talks directly about race, even though she is the first African-American to serve as first lady. But she clearly believes she can be a role model for young blacks. At
Her press secretary says Obama wants young African-Americans, especially girls, to realize that they can be achievers. "She wants people to see themselves in the
Available at Amazon.com:
The Virtues of Mendacity: On Lying in Politics
Bush on the Home Front: Domestic Policy Triumphs and Setbacks
The Political Fix: Changing the Game of American Democracy, from the Grassroots to the White House
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