Who Is Michelle Obama?

Michelle Obama has proven she's a force to be reckoned with. She has drawn almost as much scrutiny as a candidate - some good, some not. Now, her family's historic journey is taking a giant step forward, reports CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

Long months on the road have turned her into a polished advocate - but that wasn't always the case.

"I'm doing this because my husband's running for president of the United States," she said in a early speech. "Go figure!?!"

In fact, she originally was hesitant to give her husband's candidacy a thumbs-up, fearing for his safety and the impact on their two daughters.

"Family is first for us, and it will always be that way," she said.

But Barack Obama now says his wife is his top campaigner - in fact, she's been given a nickname: The Closer.

But her directness has drawn criticism that at times she has humanized him too much, once calling him "snore-y" and "stinky."

"He's a wonderful man, he's a gifted man, but in the end he's just a man," she said.

The Obamas were married in 1992, by the now-controversial minister Jeremiah Wright.

Sixteen years later, by all accounts, their marriage is still strong.

"I want to publicly proclaim my love and adoration for my wife Michelle Obama," the senator said at a speech.

They met in Chicago, while working for the same law firm.

She says she liked him right away, but really fell for him when she saw his work as a community organizer.

"I knew then and there there was something special about this guy," she said.

She's currently on leave from her job as a hospital executive - trading that in for now for life under the microscope.

Her every move is subject to scrutiny: her mannerisms, her clothes, her pearls - and not everyone likes what they see.

And one comment in particular got her into some hot water.

"For the first time in my adult lifetime I'm really proud of my country," she said. The comment was quickly seized upon by the McCain campaign, with Cindy McCain proclaiming her pride in America.

Michelle says she was misunderstood.

"Of course I'm proud of my country," she said on "The View." "Nowhere but America could my story be possible."

Born to a working-class family on Chicago's south side, her father worked for the city's water authority and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 30.

"This is a man who used to swim and box and run, served in the military, one day woke up and couldn't walk," she said. "I never knew him to be a man who could walk without the aid of crutches."

Despite his disability, he went to work every day. And though he and his wife never went to college, he sent both of their kids to Princeton. Michelle went on to Harvard Law School.

"My challenges are much more public, but they're the same as most women. And we need to figure this out," she said. "How do we define roles for ourselves as women that are healthy and balanced and make sense?"

Helping others balance work and family, she says, will be one of her priorities as first lady. But for now, her role is chief cheerleader and defender of her husband.

One hint of what kind of first lady she'll be - she played a vocal role in the vice presidential selection process.

According to all those who know her well, Michelle Obama has a mind of her own - and isn't afraid to tell people what she thinks.