Screw Barbie! When I grow up I want to be Michelle Obama

I want to share with you all a secret that I have been harboring. I have a huge girl crush on the first lady! I can't even encompass in words the amount of love I feel for her and her awesomeness!

To be honest, I think I've always had a soft spot for first ladies. Ever since elementary school. My school was near an apartment complex named for Dolley Madison, and after learning who she was and her special brand of wicked awesomeness, I had a whole newfound respect for the women in the white house. Despite their husband's political leanings, I kind of love the wives. Part of that is possibly the nature of the job. While the president can kind of flip off half the country with his political agenda, the first lady has to serve as a sort of ambassador, especially to children. She is the mother of the country, showing us the 'domestic' side of the presidency.

Laura Bush, though she was married to an idiot George Bush, was the one who instituted the National Book Festival. She had her own adgenda, circling around literacy and interactions with children.

But my real topic today is the first lady du jour. Mrs. Obama. the most kick assingist first lady for quite some time.

I've spent most of my work week watching videos of her, reading about her, and having suuuper crushes on her.



The first lady hanging with Elmo and Big Bird!? can it get any better? Oh yes, my friends. It can.

This link has several videos from the HBO documentary about the Obama's trail to the white house. The first video (and really all three on the site) focus on Michelle and the girls, and gives a look into their interactions. I LOVE the beginning of the first video, they're just playing dominos like any other family, and elder sister teases younger for winning again, and by the end wont give her a lick of mom's ice cream cone.

Finally, I offer this vid.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

It is rather lengthy, roughly 30 minutes, so if you aren't inclined to watch it all, no worries. But its the Katie Couric interview for Glamour's woman of the year cover. Couric covers topics as hard hitting as "if you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?" proving that Couric's research went as far as a really boring cocktail party. Nonetheless, the First Lady is demure, well spoken, pleasant and complimentary. One of my favorite moments is near the end when Mrs. O is asked for dating tips. Because this will be published in Glamour, the expected would be something about hair or clothes but Mrs. O outclasses expectations with the following:

"Look at how the guy treats his mother, what he says about women, how he acts with children he doesn't know. And more importantly how does he treat you? When you're dating a man, you should always feel good...you should never feel less than...you should never doubt yourself, you shouldn't be in a relationship with someone who doesn't make you completely happy or make you feel whole. And if you're in (such a) relationship, don't get married, and find that person who brings you complete and utter joy."

What a super woman! actually telling the truth about real relationships to women who read Glamour! c'mon folks, how can you NOT love her???

Couric's question about a possible first lady cookbook got a coy smile and an evasive answer, but the commenters provided the best one-liner of all time.

"[If Mrs. O writes a cookbook] Lets hope she includes her secret family recipe for awesome sauce!"

Yes, Lets hope so indeed.