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A First Lady Who Demands Substance
The Washington Post ^ | June 25, 2009 | Lois Romano

Posted on 06/25/2009 11:46:25 AM PDT by Neverforget01

For weeks, Michelle Obama had been telling her staff and closest confidantes that she wasn't having the impact she wanted. She is a woman of substance, with a background in law, public policy and management, who found herself relegated to role model in chief. The West Wing of the White House -- the fulcrum of power and policy -- had not fully integrated her into its agenda. She wanted more.

snip

Her new chief of staff, Susan Sher, 61, is a close friend and former boss who the first lady thinks will be more forceful about getting her and her team on the West Wing's radar screen. The first thing Sher said she told senior adviser David Axelrod, whom she has known for years: When I call, "you need to get back to me right away."

snip

Although Obama's job-approval ratings have soared, the first lady -- a Harvard-educated lawyer -- wasn't satisfied with coasting. She is hiring a full-time speechwriter and has instructed her staff to think "strategically" so that every event has a purpose and a message. She doesn't want to simply go to events and hug struggling military families, she said; she wants to show progress.

snip

Every morning, Rogers and Sher attend White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's 8:15 staff meeting. Johnston, a newcomer to Obama's circle but a White House veteran, and Katie McCormick Lelyveld, the first lady's press secretary, sit in on White House press secretary Robert Gibbs's daily message meeting. As part of the president's domestic policy team,

snip

They're all focused on raising the stakes. "It isn't just about hugging," Sher said. "Whatever she talks about will bring press and interest, but it's important that she's not just talking [but] actually moving forward on those issues."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: barfalert; bowdowntothewookie; chewbaccamichelle; firstlady; flotusmichelle; gildedwookie; gooniegoogoo; michelle; michelleobama; roles
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To: potlatch

61 posted on 06/25/2009 5:33:56 PM PDT by devolve ( . . . . Obama confiscated Teacher & Police Union pension funds? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .)
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To: devolve

Who is that? Lol, I don’t know.


62 posted on 06/25/2009 5:37:20 PM PDT by potlatch ( Those who cry 'appease, appease' Are hanged by those they tried to please.)
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To: potlatch

.

Obama recently appointed him the new NASA Administrator - lots of criticism at NASA over this

Very few Shuttle launches left in the schedules - 3 launch holds on the last Shuttle - serious hydrogen leaks again and again

Then the USA will be depending on hitchhiking aboard Russkie rockets
To the moon Ivan!


63 posted on 06/25/2009 6:06:54 PM PDT by devolve ( . . . . Obama confiscated Teacher & Police Union pension funds? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .)
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To: devolve

Don’t know his name but it doesn’t matter. I’m probably out of step on this, but don’t see the necessity of spending billions on space shuttles when we have more important things here on earth to take care of.

Let’s cure some diseases, and then worry about space travel.


64 posted on 06/25/2009 6:10:22 PM PDT by potlatch ( Those who cry 'appease, appease' Are hanged by those they tried to please.)
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To: potlatch

.

The alleged manned trip to Mars is a joke - 8-10 rockets would be required just launch the hardware that would need to be assembled in space - NASA cannot finish the ISS or do much more than patch up or update Hubbell - NASA allegedly inspected Hubbell before it first went up with a defectively ground mirror!

Obama would not dare walk the urban downtown streets of Hartford or St. Louis or New Haven or Atlanta or Gary or Boston at midnight alone - even if it was when he was in still an unknown college student

To walk on the moon again? Under Obama ACORN would be running the show -


65 posted on 06/25/2009 6:25:13 PM PDT by devolve ( . . . . Obama confiscated Teacher & Police Union pension funds? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .)
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To: devolve

I’d just have to repeat what I said earlier. It’s just not a priority as far as I’m concerned.


66 posted on 06/25/2009 6:31:45 PM PDT by potlatch ( Those who cry 'appease, appease' Are hanged by those they tried to please.)
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To: potlatch

.

It is a make-work program if anyone believes resources from the moon or other planets could be mined and transported back to Earth

The hook in the manned Mars project is that the crew would have to mine and process Mars elements and liquids into fuel that would power them back to Earth

Yeah right!


67 posted on 06/25/2009 6:38:10 PM PDT by devolve ( . . . . Obama confiscated Teacher & Police Union pension funds? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .)
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To: devolve
The thought of mining and transporting ‘stuff’ from the moon or other planets is so mind boggling stupid that words fail me.

We don't have enough plants to process oil now, nor enough nuclear plants for power. Everything’s a big fight and they want to mine the moon.

68 posted on 06/25/2009 6:45:40 PM PDT by potlatch ( Those who cry 'appease, appease' Are hanged by those they tried to please.)
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To: NMEwithin

I iz gardning Ninja!


69 posted on 06/25/2009 9:03:09 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the blind obedience of fools - Solon, Lawmaker of Athens)
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