The Road To The White House: First Steps

When it came to politics, Michelle Obama has always been the harder sell. Asked if it had put strain on their marriage from time to time, she told Kroft sarcastically, "Oh-nooooo."

"Absolutely it has," the senator acknowledged.

But she said she let him go ahead with his political ambitions. "I think if I weren't married to him, I'd want him to be in there. So, I don't wanna stand in the way of that, because we have to work out a few things. So, we've had a few arguments, and…."

"And, I've lost them all," Barack Obama interrupted.

"Well, we were with him at George Mason and it was like a rock concert. I mean, people were mobbing him. Do you understand this charisma thing?" Kroft asked.

"Well, yeah. I do. I do. I'm not moved in that way," Michelle Obama replied, laughing.

"You were saying the other day, but you have your husband. …And, then there's this character…Barack Obama," the senator said.

"That's how the kids see it," Michelle Obama said, mimicking them, "There's Barack Obama."

"And he's interesting….Yeah." "You might vote for him," the senator joked.

"I would vote for him," Michelle Obama said. "I want him to run for office."

Asked if her husband was competitive, Mrs. Obama told Kroft, "Oh, yeah. No, no he doesn't like to lose. Yeah. No, he's a competitor. He's an athlete. You know. Even playing a pickup game, even playing Scrabble. I mean, he likes to win."

"This is a tough question to ask, but a number of years ago Colin Powell was thinking about running for president, and, his wife Alma really did not want him to run, because she was worried about some crazy person with a gun," Kroft said. "Has that been a factor? I mean, have you talked about that? Is that something that you think about?"

"I don't lose sleep over it, because the realities are that, you know, as a black man, you know, Barack can get shot going to the gas station, you know. So, you know, you can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen. We just weren't raised that way." Michelle Obama replied.

The following Saturday, February 10, 2007, they journeyed to Springfield where Barack Obama formally declared his candidacy for President of the United States from the steps of the old Capitol. "I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change," he told the crowd.

It seemed like a real long shot, but 17,000 people waited hours in seven degree temperatures to witness the occasion. Obama's two year audition before for the American people had begun.


Produced by L. Franklin Devine, Michael Radutzky, Tom Anderson and Jennifer MacDonald

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[jgw25]

My comment is on a common sense question. I would like to know why the main stream media, including 60 Minutes and CNN, always point to Mr Obama as being a Black Man. Is he not half white also? Last I checked we get approx 50% genes from both parents. How is he just a Black man then?

[rwelgin1]

a comment that disturbs me the very most came out of Michelle Obama''s mouth, and I sat there appauled at the comment. This is the mentality WE are going to be addressed with for the next 4 yrs.
The question about him possibly being assassinated. Michelle said that, "Even if he walks out the door to go to the store or the gas station, he has the possibility of being killed, for being a BLACK MAN."
What needed to be interjected right there is the statistics.
Most of the crime black men face is from thier own race. White on black crime is very vey low as opposed to black on black crime. And when you place the *** onto the statistics, it becomes a greater change, black male on black male.
Look at the statistics, Obama, before you open your mouth and slur people, please.

[tbta364]

MORE embarrassing is the ignorance of a few people who can''t see through their own hatred, but choose to question Barack%u2019s citizenship, say things such as %u201Che''s not creditable or he doesn''t cover the issues%u201D to mask what is obvious. The country is hardly recognizable now after the Bush era. Let''s see where we will be in six months!