Michelle Obama Dismisses Criticisms

Michelle Obama is turning the other cheek to the sharp attacks on her husband, Senator Barack Obama, from Senator John McCain, his wife, Cindy, and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin.

In two televised interviews Wednesday night, Mrs. Obama expressed nothing but kindness toward the Republican ticket. She even offered praise for Ms. Palin, saying she provided “an excellent example” of how women can juggle work and family.

“You know, I’m a mother with kids and I’ve had a career and I’ve had to juggle,” Mrs. Obama said on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”

“She’s doing publicly what so many women are doing on their own privately,” she added. “What we’re fighting for is to make sure that all women have the choices that Sarah Palin and I have.”

Mr. King was trying to get a rise out of Mrs. Obama, bringing up several criticisms of her husband, but she deflected most of them, both with Mr. King and on Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” with Jon Stewart.

Instead, she took a decidedly non-partisan approach as she offered reassurances about her husband — and herself — and sought to court voters, especially working-class women and independents, who may be attracted to Ms. Palin.

“Most people really want to find solutions,” she told Mr. Stewart. “And they want leaders who are going to unite us around a set of solutions that are going to make sense.”

She told Mr. King that she harbored no ill will toward Ms. Palin for saying recently that Mr. Obama was “someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country,” a reference to Bill Ayers, the 1960s radical.

Mr. King asked whether she knew Mr. Ayers. “I don’t know anyone in Chicago who’s heavily involved in education policy who doesn’t know Bill Ayers,” Mrs. Obama said.

But, she hastened to add — and this was her central message of the evening — the back and forth of the campaign is not of interest to voters, who care more about jobs and the economy.

Besides, Mrs. Obama told Mr. King, she and her husband don’t see the negative ads because she is too busy to watch TV and when her husband watches, he tunes into sports.

She made the same point with Mr. Stewart, to more amusing effect.

When she said she had “stopped reading and watching a lot of stuff,” Mr. Stewart put in: “So, you’re a lot like Sarah Palin?”

The line got a big laugh and applause.

“Perhaps,” Mrs. Obama said. (She said that sometimes she is relieved not to be campaigning so she can watch “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”)

Mr. Stewart asked her if, when Ms. Palin asks voters who is the real Barack Obama, she doesn’t want to ask back, “Who are you?”

“That does cross your mind,” Mrs. Obama allowed, but she added that Mr. Obama had been vetted for 20 months and was in a tough primary and said that if something bad was there, it would have come out by now.

On Larry King, she brushed off Mr. McCain’s reference during Tuesday’s debate to her husband as “that one.” And she said that she had a respectful relationship with Mrs. McCain, even though Mrs. McCain had said on Tuesday that that Mr. Obama had waged “the dirtiest campaign in American history.”

No matter who wins the election, Mrs. Obama said, there should be no hard feelings.

“You can’t tear up the game so much so that, you know, you don’t leave people something to come back to,” she said. “You know, we’re going to need John McCain, we’re going to need Cindy McCain, we’re going to need independents and Republicans working hard to fix this crisis.”

Mrs. Obama also dismissed a suggestion from Mr. King that voters might vote against her husband on racial grounds. She said she did not believe in the so-called Bradley effect, which occurred in 1982, when voters told pollsters they would vote for Tom Bradley, a black man, for governor of California but then did not do so.

“If there was going to be a Bradley effect,” she said, Mr. Obama would not have won the nomination. Besides, she said, the Bradley episode was “several decades ago, and there’s been growth and movement.”

“Now, there will be people who will never vote for Barack Obama,” she said. “But there will be people who will never vote for John McCain either.”

She added: “I just believe that the issues are going to weigh in people’s hearts more so as they go into the voting booths this time around, than anything else.”

She also told a story about telling her 10-year-old daughter, Malia, that it was an historic moment when Mr. Obama won the nomination because he was the first African-American to do so.

“And Malia said, ‘Well, yes, you know, I realize what a big deal it is,’ she said, ‘but it would have been a big deal if Hillary Clinton had won too,’ ” Mrs. Obama said. “She said it without blinking an eye. She said, ‘Because women didn’t have the right to vote and there was inequality there.’ It was a matter-of-fact.”

She added that Mrs. Clinton had been “phenomenal” to her, had provided advice and was “a real pro and a woman with character.”

On Comedy Central, Mr. Stewart noted that the role of First Lady was becoming almost like an elected office itself, as the spouses were being vetted as much as the candidates.

Mrs. Obama attributed that to the 24-hour news cycle, where the media says: “Now we know what the candidates are like, where can we go next? Let’s take a look at their wives and their houses and their — all of that good stuff.”

She added: “I think it’s fair because we’re in there, you know, and it’s important for people to — they need to have a comfort level with me as well as with Cindy McCain.”

Mr. Stewart, continuing with his theme about the First Lady being an elective office, said how weird it would be if Mr. Obama were elected but then if Mrs. McCain were elected too. “She has to move in, and that’s tough,” Mr. Stewart said.

Mrs. Obama agreed. “We don’t want that to happen,” she said.

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I watched Michele Obama talk with Larry King last night, and I have to congratulate her for not saying anything negative about being slandered by the McCain and Palin team. She is quite a lady,Sarah Palin could take a few lessons from her.

Watched part of the show…she’s got class, tact and she can actually converse without obvious campaign rhetoric which most people are tuning out by now. She’d make a great First Lady, one you’d be proud of. The beer baroness doesn’t have any idea how the rest of us live.

The bloodthursty tone and false charges are are now part of the Republican attacks being unleashed on Obama reveal the true nature of the McCain campaign and the man himself…dismissive of someone who disagrees with him and determined to whip supporters into a frenzy of hatred that will be difficult if not impossible to turn off. So much for straight talk and reaching across the isle.

Democrats are not bitter about those who tell lies about Obama and his family, get the facts right.

Michelle Obama showed America what it takes to be both an effective and admirable First Lady. It’s hard when your husband is being attacked 24 hours a day to stand above the fray and do what you think is best not only for his campaign, but for the country. If Barack Obama is elected, Michelle will make a fine First Lady.

I do, however, disagree that we “need” Cindy McCain. What’s been spewing forth from her mouth recently does nothing for the process and further divides us. As for Senator McCain, perhaps he should go back in history and study General Douglas MacArthur. Yes, John it may be time to “just fade away”.

A class act that like her husband is trying to remain above the fray.

Michelle Obama is what we call “a class act”. She is so refined, has so much poise and more than anything, brilliant. She could really run with her husband of VP.

What a smart cookie Mrs O is ;-) !!

Geat story and good for her! I cant wait to watch Palin continue to knife Barack as much as possible when the future first lady is being so kind to her :-) !

Michelle Obama = class act.
Cindy McCain = spoiled heiress version of Sarah Palin.

Cindy needs to take some lessons in class from Michelle

This is what diplomacy and class looks like. She can represent me anytime.

Bravo,that speaks of contrasting qualities,character,starkly standing out as the spouse of ‘that man’.But still the ‘mud throwing’ from the other side will continue till Nov 4.

Intelligent and classy Mrs. Obama.

I, like her, wouldn’t do or say anything that my kids wouldn’t be proud of sooner or later.

Can’t say the same of the 2 ladies on the other tickets. They forgot that our children are watching us, and that they will take after us.

This lady is a class act…

I guess she showed America that she’s not an angry black woman, after all .. didn’t she??? Michelle’s got more class in her little finger than the rest of them put together. Good for you Michelle. Way to represent your parent’s upbringing, your husband and the values both you and your husband want to teach your two girls.

Cindy McCain says this is the “dirtiest” campaign in American history? She can’t be serious.

Nothng which has gone down in this campaign (so far) on either side compares to the Swift-boating of John Kerry in 2004, or for that matter, the black-love child smear which Bush/Rovew used to tank her own husband’s campaign in South Carolina in 2000.

I guess I can understand Mrs. McCain’s comment — heat of the moment and that sort of thing. But the fact that Senator McCain is willing to work with the same folks who ran Bush’s 2000 primary campaign — well that says something very unpleasant about him.

Michelle Obama is very intelligent and would make a perfect First Lady. All of America should be impressed with the genius of a Michelle and Barack Obama team. The world is watching and is ready for this great moment in American History.

Tha Obama’s are the first public figures I’ve seen in a long time with a practical approach to ridging the partisan gap dramatically widened under the Bush Administration. Michelle Obama is an intelligent and tactful woman, and she is 100% correct, if our problems are going to be addressed as a country, everyone will have to participate, even the more narrow minded and negative members of each party.

At the age of 44 MIchelle Obama has class and style that is unmatched. Her thought process and flow is amazing. I am very proud that America has risen up out of the ashes and can now marvel at a beautiful and intelligent woman like Michelle Obama.

Michelle Obama humbled me a bit and made me reflect on my own “less than tactful” remarks about some of the Republican party. She set a great example as a human being in a time like this that both parties and their constituents can aspire to follow.

Thank you Michelle for causing me to reflect on my own behavior. You’re a great example of what America should behave like.

Michelle Obama for President of the United States in 2016!

Daniel MacEachron October 9, 2008 ·

What a joy it would be to have such an elegant, thoughtful and articulate woman as First Lady. She is a woman truly deserving of the title. Daniel M.

Long Tall Texan October 9, 2008 ·

Michelle Obama is a class act. She had nothing but kind words for her husband’s opponents even though her husband’s opponents and the “Christian” Right Wingers are out every day trying to smear Barack Obama. Here is a perfect example of someone living The Golden Rule. Michelle Obama puts to shame Smear-meisters Sarah Palin, Cindy McCain, and all of the people who yell “KILL HIM” at the McCain/Palin rallies, and then go to church on Sunday and pretend to be pious Christians. She not only talks the talk–Michelle Obama walks the walk.

New Topic: Larry King needs to retire.

I watched her last night on Larry King and she was very impressive. I must agree with others, she would make a great first lady and more. She stands by Obama, but definitely has her own opinions. Thank goodness this lady is not another “Stepford Wife”.

You go Michelle (Class) — don’t stoop to their (SCUMM) LEVEL!!!