Feb. 15, 2008
Michelle Obama On Love, Family & Politics
Katie Couric Interviews Barack Obama's Wife About Their Romance And Kids — And Egos On The Campaign Trail
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Play CBS Video Video Michelle Obama Exclusive In an exclusive interview, Katie Couric speaks with Michelle Obama about life on the campaign trail and how her children are dealing with the reality that their father might be elected president.
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Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, spoke with Katie Couric. (CBS)
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Photo Essay Barack Obama A look at the life and meteoric rise of the president-elect.
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Interactive The Money Race See the latest campaign finance tallies from Obama and McCain.
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- One-On-One With Michelle Obama
Couric: If it ends up being a race against your husband and John McCain ... Sen. McCain will undoubtedly focus on ... your husband’s lack of foreign-policy experience. How do you combat that?
Obama: One of the things Barack will say is that … we’re right now in a war that should have never been authorized and never been waged. People like John McCain and people with a whole lot of years in Washington, who looked at a situation and read it wrong.
Couric: But what about September 11? Nobody wanted that to happen. And I think the country wants to be reassured that the person in the Oval Office will know how to respond.
Obama: You know, one of the things we can’t do in this country is operate from a place of fear. How are we going to reestablish our footing in the world and change conversations globally so that we … move to a different place in how we deal with issues of terrorism?
That we’re … instead of protecting ourselves against terrorists, that we’re building diplomatic relationships and we're investing in education abroad so that we’re making sure that kids are learning how to read as opposed to ... fight us.
We’ve spent eight years gearing ourselves up for a fight, and we haven’t been educating our kids. We don’t have universal health care. I think that’s going to be the debate that Barack has: How are we going to direct our energy? Are we going to gear up for a fight or are we going to work to heal our nation?
Couric: Your husband and Hillary Clinton both represent historic firsts. He's 46. She's 60. What about voters who feel Sen. Clinton won't have another chance but your husband will?
Obama: You know, I just don't think you can make decisions on whose turn it is. I think, you know, for me as a mother, a professional, a citizen; I want the person who we need now, who's best for the country right now. And for me that person is Barack, because we need a unifier, you know?
We need a visionary. We need somebody who understands policy and can help us reestablish our place in the world. But we need somebody who can bring this country together. And I just say when was the last time we've had a presidential candidate of any race, gender, or political party who's been able to win Utah and Missouri and Louisiana and South Carolina and Maine?
You know, Barack is demonstrating an ability to reach across party lines and change blue and red states to purple in ways that potentially will help us build a working majority in Congress where we can get some of this stuff done. I don't think that his opponent has that same potential.
And we can't afford to wait another four or eight years to get the chance to do this again. And I say that because I've got these little kids. I have a 9-and a 6-year-old. Why would I wait, because somebody else … deserves a turn? You know, I just don't feel … that would be a responsible choice for me as a voter to say, "It's somebody else's turn, so let them do it." I think we've gotta vote for the person who can get us to where we need to be in this country, where we can really start working on some of these problems and, you know, I think that person is Barack.
Couric: You don't think it's Hillary Clinton?
Obama: I think that person is Barack.
Couric: As an African American, you gave a very impassioned speech in South Carolina about meeting Coretta Scott King and the impact that had on you. And you talked about the importance not really of electing an African American as President, although there were some elements … of that in the speech. And you talked about … the content … of someone's character versus their race. But as an African American, taking yourself out of the picture, not even imagining yourself on Inauguration Day if that comes to pass, what would it mean to you to have an African American President of the United States?
Obama: You know, I think in terms of when … I spoke to that audience I also talked a lot about fear, because in this country we spend more time worrying about what we can't do, what won't happen, what won't change. And there is so much fear that ties us down in this country, not just in the African American community but in all communities.
We're worried about fairness and whether we're gonna get lost in the shuffle. And sometimes we make decisions based on that fear and that fear only and we don't look at the possibility. We don't think in terms of what we can move forward and how we have the power to control our own destinies because we're locked in that fear.
I think somebody like Barack, not just because of his race but because of the way he approaches leadership, has helped people to move beyond that fear, not just black folks but people, you know, in Iowa. People in Utah, you know, are for the first time not thinking about just race and gender but they're thinking about change. They're thinking about what's the best thing for everybody? And the minute we can move into that mode of thinking, then you really unlock possibilities for all the kids in this country because they don't see themselves as being measured just by their race or their gender.
They think, "If I work hard and I'm given some opportunity, I'm gonna have a chance even though my skin is this color, even though I'm a woman, because I've seen a woman-- and the country is ready for that." That's powerful to me. That, you know, it makes me emotional and it gives me pride, that I'm living today in a country where people are ready to have that be who we are. It has given me an overwhelming sense of pride right now to be an American. And I haven't felt that way in my entire life.
Couric: You strike me as someone who likes to say what's on her mind, pretty feisty. I've read that … you can be sarcastic.
Obama: Yes.
Couric: Have you had … to really kind of rein yourself in on the campaign trail? Because, as you know, everything you say can and will be used against you … in the court of public opinion.
Obama: You know … what I vowed is that I want to be as "me" as I can be so that people, you know, if they vote for Barack, they know exactly who their First Lady will be, all the good and bad. So pretty much what people see … is what they get.
Couric: But certainly you've had to bite your tongue …
Obama: Well, yeah … because, you know, we have a habit of just characterizing people. You know, it's just sort of easy … to define Michelle Obama as the feisty, sarcastic. Then you become that caricature. So I just try to give people a broader variety of who I am-,so that, you know, my joke doesn't interfere with the broader point.
I think when I'm sitting in front of people, I'm standing in front of an audience, I think people understand clearly who I am. I don't think that people have to figure out what I'm all about. It's pretty obvious. But when somebody else interprets that interaction on a piece of paper out of context then, you know, the point is lost.
And I don't want the point to be lost because the point isn't my humor. It's not the joke. It's the actual point behind the joke. So, yeah, there is sometimes when I cut back and think about how is this gonna be perceived on paper, so that the point isn't lost.
Couric: People do like to characterize people; caricature people. And they like to follow a narrative. I'm sure you've been asked this and it's sort of a hackneyed question but I'm gonna ask you anyway because I don't think you've actually articulated fully … what you … might do and if you even know at this point in time. But obviously First Ladies have adopted causes, you know, from Ladybird Johnson to Betty Ford to, you know, Barbara Bush and literacy.
Betty Ford in kind of busting taboos about breast cancer and alcohol addiction. Nancy Reagan about drugs. Have you thought about what cause you would really like to adopt and pursue and push into the forefront?
Obama: I've thought about it a lot and I get asked it a lot. But there are a lot of things that I care about. I mean, I ran … a national service program, so I care very deeply about national service. I work for an academic medical center. So I know the challenges in healthcare.
I am a mother and a professional - and a wife. And I know the struggles of trying to balance work/life/family. And I know that it's something that every woman that I know is struggling with, and every family in America is impacted by the challenges that we face when we try to do it all without resources and support … informal structures of support.
The only way that I manage every day is because of all these informal support structures in my life, whether it's my mom or a set of girlfriends or the flexibility on a job because I'm a vice president and I can set my hours when I need to. I've managed because of that. But how on earth are single-parent mothers doing it, nurses and teachers and folks who are on shifts?
People who don't have access to decent childcare. You know, folks who don't have good healthcare and where the school systems aren't where they need to be so they're worried about whether their kids are getting a good education. You know, all of this takes an emotional and psychological toll on women and families.
And the truth of the matter is that we are only as strong in this society … as the health of our families and the people who head them. But we haven't talked enough about that in just real practical ways. I mean, up until this point, as a woman, I've been told, "You can have it all, and you should be able to manage it all." And I've been losing my mind trying to live up to that. And it's impossible. It's impossible. We're putting women and families in a no-win situation.
Couric: Especially if they don't have the flexibility that you …
Obama: …which the vast majority of women in this country don't. They're not earning enough to cover childcare. They don't-- you know, I met … a woman ... she's working two jobs: a full-time job and a part-time job. She has two kids and a husband. They don't have healthcare. You know? She has a 7-year-old and a 3-year-old, you know? I mean, you know she's not healthy. You know she doesn't have time to get mammograms and Pap smears. You know that she doesn't feel secure about what kind of mother she is.
And she's not fully invested in any of the jobs that she has because she's trying to do it all. That's how women are living in this society. And that transcends race and socioeconomic status and political affiliation. I can go into any town, anywhere in this country, and I can spend hours talking to women about this impossible balance, and the toll that it's taking.
So we have to talk about that. And we have to design policies that have meaningful impacts on the quality of life of women and families. And that's something that I know I can speak passionately about because whether I'm in the White House as First Lady, as long as I have kids and I'm trying to have a life, I'm gonna be trying to make this balance work, wondering every day whether I'm being a good enough mother, whether I'm spending enough time with my kids.
What happens when they have a crisis and I'm flying around somewhere? My challenges are much more public, but they're the same as most women. And we need to figure this out. And how do we define roles for ourselves as women that are healthy and balanced and make sense?
Couric: So work-family issues is something obviously you're passionate about.
Obama: That was the long way of saying that. Yes.
Couric: Sixteen years ago we saw another candidate's wife break the mold. She was a lawyer, a mother, an outspoken advocate for her husband. Do you see any similarities between you and Hillary Clinton in 1992?
Obama: You know, I'm sure there are some. But … I feel like I am uniquely me. You know, I think that every First Lady in the history of this nation has brought something uniquely different and has moved that role in a fundamentally different direction. I think it has been an evolution that has gotten us to this point where I can be here, potentially to become the next First Lady, with all of my outspokenness and my approach to life and the things that I say. I think it's been an evolution in this country because of the many First Ladies that have come before.
Couric: Have you gotten advice from anyone?
Obama: You know, I seek advice …when I get a chance to talk to somebody - and it's just difficult to sit down and talk to people - I've talked to as many people as I possibly can. And if we are fortunate enough to win the nomination, trust me, I will be talking to as many people who have shared this experience as I can, just to get some perspective on how they've handled it.
And it's not just people who have been in the position of being First Lady. The spouses of people and, at the governor's level, people who have been in the public eye.
Couric: Do you ever look at your husband, and does he ever look at you, and do you say can you believe this?
Obama: Oh yeah. Yeah. It’s probably once a week now. Yeah, absolutely. This is a trip.
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The secrets of tennis legend 
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See all 252 CommentsMy favorite questions would include:
- How and when did you meet?
- Has being John''s second wife made it more difficult for you?
- Can you explain why your husbands views have changed so starkly regarding tax-cuts at wartime, and on the nature of the evangelical Christian movement?
- How important is religion in both your lives; your husband mentioned becoming a Baptist, how often and where do you attend Baptist services?
I''m waiting Katie... But Viacom/CBS isn''t going to come through on any of this - as usual.
Any effective evaluation of the last 8 years indicate that the GOP approach to things has made things worse.
(... continued for fifth day in a row)
Katie,
Don''t you have a close friend who could honestly tell you that this interview is a piece of garbage?
Your arrogance has no limits for keeping this hormonal work posted for so long!
Posted by TruthBeTold-
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There is no media coverage (except Fake New Network) because the "story" is utter cr*p and you know it. I love these whiny Neocon fascists who believe the propaganda their masters throw out. They are the ignorant gutter scum that gets under my boot.
These neocon power-mongers follow the old Nazi tactics of disinformation and propaganda to deceive and confuse Americans.
%u201CThat propaganda is good which leads to success, and that is bad which fails to achieve the desired result. It is not propaganda%u2019s task to be intelligent, its task is to lead to success.%u201D- Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propaganda Minister
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."
-- Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler''''s propaganda minister
These neocons hate what America is, and want to remake it into a new fascist ONE-PARTY STATE. They must figure that it worked for Hitler, so why not give it a shot?
What happened between this rookie sales man and REZKO? Is the rookie will return the house and lot that he bought from this scum? YES HE CAN%u2026. but I don''t think so because they are both scum....Blood sticker than water, YES HE CAN!
What happened to his present votes? He did not even know how to vote yes or no? This is a fact. A first grader knows how to differentiate Yes or No. Does have the courage or judgment to vote YES or NO for a difficult legislation. It was wrong, and it will always be wrong. How can you vote for person who does not have that capacity? YES HE CAN''T.
Oh the arrogance of people who think they know everything!
Faith exists only because of death. How one lives determines how one will die. True faith is not mindless certainty. Mark Twain was wrong, but close. Faith is being positive in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Faith is not the same as optimism. Optimism is a strategy; faith is an attitude. It assumes that the universe is, despite all the pain and suffering, a good thing. It assumes that there are rewards for good behavior, that all that we are in life is not lost when we die, and that there is such a thing as a spirit which organizes and animates the physical world we find ourselves in. People who think they know enough to despise faith don''t know where they are or where they will end up any more than the rest of us, so their arrogance is almost comical.
(cont)
Martin Luther King was not just a man of faith, but a man driven by something an arrogant person can never know, toward something an arrogant peron could never experience, that is an epiphany. An epiphany in which the outer appearance of this world of greed and arrogance becomes transparent, and God is seen behind it in all its power and glory. It is a rare occurance that we constantly try to preserve and recreate on days like Martin Luther King Day, and constantly corrupt. All progressives have faith that life on Earth can be made better, in spite of the appearance that it can''t. For those atheist progressives : do like the alcoholics do; make progress your higher power.
Submitted by Gregory Lynn Kruse
It''s not the job of the media to scour you tube for unsubstantiated claims and the filing of frivalous lawsuits.
One of Hillary''s largest contributors has filed suit against the Clintons for fraud and claims that he was jailed in Brazil without charges to keep him from testifying against them.
I say we withhold judgement on both until someone produces compelling evidence to substantiate sensational attention grabbing charges.
The 3 remaining viable candidates are all Senators who have had both successes and failures with their legislative proposals.
Your argument is as phony as a $3 bill.
I''m still waiting for the Hillary and McCain supporters to tell waht great results they''ve achieved.
What Bubba did as President doesn''t count because he had to be President first; what did he accomplish as Governor of Arkansas that would set his wife apart?
YOU DON''T MAKE A SPEECH FIRST AND ACTION LATER.
Why do so many Republicans hold someone else''s nuts during the national Anthem?
It''s a mystery!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwog6E08CFU&feature=related
When his story was ignored by the news media, Larry Sinclair made his case last month in a YouTube video, which has now been viewed more than a quarter-million times. And when it was still ignored by the media, Sinclair filed a suit in Minnesota District Court, alleging threats and intimidation by Obama''s staff.
this is the link copy it to your search
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVeFVtcdSYY&e url=http:%2F%2Fwww.anorak.co.uk%2Fpoliticians%2F 179725.html
See Larry Sinclair''s allegations:
Larry Sinclair lawsuit, pages1-2-3
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId =56627
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId =56628
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId =56629
Editor''s note: The accompanying YouTube video contains sexual language that some will consider offensive. The article itself contains material that is inappropriate for children.
Larry Sinclair accuses Barack Obama of homosexual acts and drug use in video posted on YouTube
WASHINGTON %u2013 The electrifying presidential campaign of Barack Obama faces a new challenge %u2013 a Minnesota man who claims he took cocaine in 1999 with the then-Illinois legislator and participated in homosexual acts with him.
When his story was ignored by the news media, Larry Sinclair made his case last month in a YouTube video, which has now been viewed more than a quarter-million times. And when it was still ignored by the media, Sinclair filed a suit in Minnesota District Court, alleging threats and intimidation by Obama''s staff.
Sinclair, who says he is willing to submit to a polygraph test to validate his claims, will now get his chance %u2013 thanks to a website offering $10,000 for the right to record it and $100,000 to Sinclair if he passes.
"My motivation for making this public is my desire for a presidential candidate to be honest," Sinclair told WND by telephone. "I didn''t want the *** thing to come out. But I think it is important for the candidate to be honest about his drug use as late as 1999."
(Story continues below)
Sinclair, who lives in Duluth and describes himself as "gay," claims he "personally engaged in sexual activity and personally used illegal drugs in November 1999" with the man who is now the leading Democratic presidential candidate. He claims the activity took place in the back of Sinclair''s limousine and occurred again, later, in his hotel. Sinclair also says he personally no longer uses drugs.
In his lawsuit, filed last week, he charges his civil rights have been violated by Obama and the Democratic Party. Named as defendants in the case are the presidential candidate, David Axelrod of AKP Message and Media in Chicago and the Democratic National Committee.
Sinclair charges Obama smoked crack cocaine in the limo while Sinclair snorted powdered cocaine provided by the legislator. He says the two met in an upscale Chicago lounge before leaving in Sinclair''s limousine where the drug use and *** took place for the first time.
Sinclair says he is a registered Democrat but has never voted for any candidate. He is 46 and claims to be physically disabled.
He says he was not physically impaired in 1999 when the alleged incidents with Obama took place.
Calls placed to the Obama campaign were not returned.
Stay tuned!
Posted by realpatriot1 at 09:17 PM : Feb 17, 2008
Maybe they thought you had the experience?
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