The Road To The White House: First Steps

60 Minutes Looks Back At The Early Days Of Obama's Run For The Presidency

(CBS)  He would make lasting political friendships in Chicago that would help him later in his career, but after three years as a community organizer, Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School. And through a summer program with a Chicago law firm, he met Michelle Robinson, another Harvard Law School grad who was assigned to look after him.

Michelle Obama said she was his mentor. "I was his boss,” she laughed. “No. I was a first year associate at Sidley and Austin and he was a first year summer associate," she recalled.

She told Kroft it wasn't love at first sight. "It was interest at first sight, because I had this preconceived notion about who this guy was gonna be, because, you know, I had read his biography. But, then he came in that first day and he was cuter than he looked on his picture, so I was impressed. And we went to lunch and we actually had a good conversation. He was interesting. He was self-deprecating. He was funny, and his background was just amazing."

"And when… how long did it take to become something more than that?" Kroft asked.

"Well, I was persistent. So, I asked her out and she said 'No,'" Barack Obama recalled. "She was taking this whole advisory thing too seriously. Eventually, she gave in. I took her to Baskin Robbins for ice cream - that sealed the deal."

When they first got married 16 years ago, they lived at her parents' home on Chicago's South Side. "Right here is my mother-in-laws' house, the house that Michelle grew up in. And we lived on the second floor before we could afford our own apartment," Obama told Kroft, pointing out the home. "I studied the bar [exam] up in that little alcove right up there, and so my mother-in-law still lives here. This is the favorite place to hang out for my two daughters. The still love coming here where they know they can get away with anything."

The Obamas now live in a house on the edge of the University of Chicago campus, where Michelle was an executive with the university's hospitals. Their two girls, Sasha and Malia, were five and eight and they were the ones who let us in when we rang the door bell.

The two girls were interested in their father's campaign only to the extent that it influenced their campaign to get a dog. "Their only memory of the White House when they made the tour was President Bush's dog, so that was their main focus - was the possibility if…," Obama explained.

"This is our 'in' to get a dog," Michelle Obama added. "'Good. Really. You run for president. But, if we get a dog, we don't care what you do.'"

[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!