Michelle Obama: First Lobbyist, Stepford Wife or Mom in Chief?

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.

Is anyone else confused about Michelle Obama's role as first lady? She refers to herself as "Mom in Chief," as I've blogged before. She renounces her own hard-won, successful career to become her husband's adviser. But then in just his second week in office, she tours government agencies, touts his stimulus plan and, in effect, lobbies for government workers' and public support.

Today's modern woman is all about choice—choosing to work outside the home, choosing to stay home, or choosing to do a bit of both or none of the above. But Michelle Obama is becoming such a contradiction in her own terms, it's fascinating to watch.

She meets with Stepford Wife first lady Laura Bush and hits it off smashingly well, even promising to emulate Laura in some ways (God help us!). Then she turns around and does nothing of the sort.

In a way, she's bouncing off walls. In another way, she's doing whatever she damned well pleases. This is going to be a fun four years!

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