Free Republic

How many children can say they have had lunch with the First Lady? Parklawn Elementary School students were joined Wednesday by First Lady Michelle Obama, who visited the school during lunchtime to unveil new national health standards for school cafeteria meals. “When we send our kids to school, we expect that they won’t be eating the kind of fatty, salty, sugary foods that we try to keep them from eating at home,” Obama said during a meeting with parents and press in Parklawn’s library before having a turkey-taco lunch with second- and fourth-grade students in the cafeteria. The school’s menu...

Michelle Obama Wore a $2K+ Barbara Tfank Dress to State of the Union “As the President declared his intent to help buoy the 99% (“Asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense,” he declared), his wife dazzled in a cobalt sheath from Barbara Tfank’s resort collection. While reps for the brand won’t reveal the item’s retail price, a similar style from the collection is currently available at Barney’s New York for $2,400.”

Michelle Obama has recently taken issue with her critics for allegedly perpetuating the idea that she is an "angry black woman."  "That's an image people have tried to paint of me, since, you know, Barack announced, that I'm some angry black woman," she told CBS. "Who can write about how I feel?" she went on. "Who? What third person can tell me how I feel, or anyone, for that matter?"One does not have to take a leap of faith to believe Mrs. Obama to be an "angry black woman."  It is nothing more than a logical conclusion given the evidence she has provided.  ...

First lady Michelle Obama is challenging assertions she's forcefully imposed her will on White House aides, saying she's tired of people portraying her as "some kind of angry black woman." Mrs. Obama tells CBS News she hasn't read New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor's new book that characterizes her as a behind-the-scenes force in the Executive Mansion, whose strong views often draw her into conflict with President Barack Obama's top advisers. "I never read these books," she told CBS's Gayle King in an interview broadcast Wednesday. "So I've just gotten in the habit of not reading other people's impressions of...

Good Morning America on Monday repeated White House talking points in regard to the booing of Michelle Obama at a NASCAR event on Sunday. News reader Josh Elliott played a clip of the booing and then parroted, "The White House says it was a chaotic event. It was not clear, perhaps, what the boos were specifically for." The Today show didn't cover the event at all. On the Early Show, Jeff Glor linked, "Some people booed [Michelle Obama and Jill Biden] when they showed up last night. They were on hand to honor military troops and their families." So, is...

VideoBoos for first lady Michelle Obama were heard amid the roar of engines before the start of the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The boos could be heard as Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, were saying, "Gentlemen, start your engines" to begin the race Sunday, the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale reported. Obama and Biden, grand marshals for the race, were invited to NASCAR's final event of the season to bring awareness to their Joining Forces initiative, which supports military families. The women had addressed the drivers at a meeting before presiding over...

A magician named John Cassidy—world record holder for "most balloon sculptures made in one hour"—visited Michelle Obama at the White House last month. She promptly imprisoned him in a latex bubble, while a White House photographer documented her chilling disregard for the civil liberties of balloon magicians.

Hampton, Virginia -- U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama went on a pumpkin-filled shopping spree Wednesday, squashing a haul of Halloween produce for the White House in the back of her husband's campaign bus. The Obamas stopped at a Farmers Market and pumpkin patch as part of a tour of key 2012 battleground Virginia, and inspected a hoard of gourds harvested for Halloween at the end of the month. The First Lady selected 10 pumpkins, including one handsome specimen estimated at 70 pounds (32 kilograms) and several white "full moon" pumpkins, which her husband paid for with a sheaf of 20...

(CNSNews.com) - First Lady Michelle Obama said yesterday that the government can affect who kids “will be forever” if it can shape their "habits and preferences" during the large part of the day they are at school. Mrs. Obama was speaking on the South Lawn of the White House at a reception to honor schools that met the goals of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC). The USDA Web site describes HUSSC as “a voluntary initiative established in 2004 to recognize those schools participating in the National School Lunch Program that have created healthier school environments through...

...The Darden Restaurant Group, which runs fine dining boutiques Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and other strip-mall destinations is getting itself healthy with Michelle Obama's help...

ASPEN — First Lady Michelle Obama will speak in Aspen Tuesday at a private fundraiser organized by the Democratic National Committee, the White House press office announced Wednesday. Few details about her trip were immediately available. “It's going to be at the home of Jim and Paula Crown,” Blanca O'Leary, chair of the Pitkin County Democratic Party, said regarding the fund raiser. Roughly 100 people are expected, she said. O'Leary said Obama will likely speak on the accomplishments of her husband's administration as well as the challenges ahead. She said she was unaware of any public appearances scheduled by the...

President Barack Obama and his family will spend their summer vacation on Martha's Vineyard again this summer. He was here last summer, too. He was here in 2009, but the weather blew. The First Fam keep their vacation plans pretty close to the vest for security reasons, but people in the Know tell me it's coughcoughAugustcough. Those same people tell me that he'll be in Chilmark, again enjoying the 28 acre Blue Heron Farm. The farm overlooks Tisbury Great Pond, and has a pool and a boat house. They also have a basketball hoop at their disposal, so I might...

On the day a poll showed Barack Obama owning the failing economic recovery, a CBS News Washington Bureau reporter questioned Michelle Obama's judgment in wearing a $7,000 gown at tonight's state dinner for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, noting that other guests "dressed more modestly."Writing on Twitter, CBS News reporter Christine Delargy said:Gowns by Michelle designer Naeem Khan retail avg of $7,000. Good, bad image for Obama in poor economy? Most din guests dressed more modestly 30 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®In a previous Tweet, Delargy noted her fashion expertise:Michelle in Naeem Khan tonight. Wore same designer @ 1st state...

South Africa President Jacob Zuma has snubbed the visiting Michelle Obama by sending his prisons minister to meet the first lady at the airport and failing to see her during her three-day stay. Mr Zuma was out of the country for the first day of Mrs Obama's second solo trip abroad on Tuesday and although he returned on Monday night, aides said he was "not available" to meet her. Instead, he arranged for Corrective Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to greet her on her arrival in Pretoria on Monday night, and one of his three wives, Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma, to meet her...

Michelle, Mom, Kids Africa Trip Costing Taxpayers $171,000 At Least for Air Travel Alone Tuesday, June 21, 2011 By James Zilenziger (CNSNews.com) - The White House isn’t saying how much of a tab the taxpayers will need to pick up for the week-long trip that First Lady Michelle Obama, her two children, her mother, a niece and a nephew are taking to South Africa and Botswana. But according to Congressional Research Service estimates, the flights alone will cost taxpayers more than $171,000--almost as much as the $174,000 annual salaries paid to rank-and-file members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The...

PRETORIA — Michelle Obama began what officials have billed as her first major overseas trip as US first lady Monday, a visit to South Africa and Botswana focused on young women leaders and the legacy of the anti-apartheid struggle. She is travelling with her daughters, Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson -- but without her husband, US President Barack Obama.

Michelle Obama cannot seem to make her mind up if she likes expensive designers or cheap chains. Also known for wearing H&M and Target, the First Lady boarded a helicopter on Friday sporting a 'Impressionist Print Draped Dress' from Gap, retailing at $29.99. Her choice of cheaper chain clothing during times of recession makes endears her to a cash-strapped public. Not one to stick to a genre, she is also often spotted in very expensive attire from designers such as Alexander McQueen and Tracy Feith. Leaving the White House bound for presidential retreat Camp David, the style-queen wore the

For several decades Hollywood has been producing anti-military films which have been instrumental in brainwashing new generations of liberals. The Great Escape and The Green Berets were replaced by Coming Home and Born On The Fourth Of July as examples of the way the film industry represented those who serve. In 2007 a rash of anti-military films coincided with the political rise of Candidate Barack Obama, an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. How ironic that now that he is the Commander In Chief, Mr. Obama's wife is trying to convince film industry leaders to improve the way military...

(snip) The crowd learned a little tidbit about the first lady, courtesy of her husband. Said Obama: "I asked Michelle the other day, I said, ‘What’s your favorite food’ -- because we were sitting around with the girls. She said, ‘Ah, Mexican food.’" The crowd loved the news. "You do not want to be between Michelle and a tamale," joked the president. "It’s true. It’s true. But she’s moving, though, so she can afford to have as many tamales as she wants," said Obama in a nod to his wife’s "Let’s Move" healthy campaign.

In an interview last year, Ashley Olsen said that she would love to see Michelle Obama wear one of her designs. Now, it seems, her dream has come true. The U.S. First Lady wore a skirt from The Row, the label Miss Olsen, 24, designs with her twin sister Mary-Kate, on The View last week. Mrs Obama, who appeared on the show with Jill Biden, teamed the pale grey pleated Evelyn skirt, worth $1,170 with a cream V-neck and kitten-heel shoes. Though expensive, the President's wife's choice represents a support of American industry, as all of the Olsen twins' designs...

There's no question that Michelle Obama is a First Lady with style. Check out some of her memorable ensembles.

What do Barack Obama and Muammar Gaddafi have in common? If you guessed that they're both Muslims, go to the front of the Tea Party. Their real commonality is that neither got invited to Prince William's and Kate Middleton's royal wedding. I can understand Ghaddafi's exclusion - probably bad form to have a guy in your party who's killing his own people. Besides, his wardrobe would clash with anything they'd wear. Plus he's pretty busy right now defying NATO and Anderson Cooper and most likely couldn't make it anyway. But what's with the President of the United States? He's in...

RENCA, Chile (AP) -- Michelle Obama says studying hard as a young woman is what prepared her to face the world's challenges. While her husband meets with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Mrs. Obama is speaking to students at a public school that Chilean officials hope will become a model for educational excellence in the country.

Michelle Obama takes 'Let’s Move' to cities By: Amie Parnes March 15, 2011 12:36 PM EDT Echoing her husband’s “Winning the Future” mantra, first lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday urged local leaders to help her combat childhood obesity today — and curtail health-related budget strains tomorrow — by “using the resources at your disposal” despite challenging economic times. “All of you here know this isn’t a new issue at all. You know childhood obesity is already affecting your communities, weighing down your budgets, hampering economic growth,” Obama said to a packed ballroom at the National League of Cities Legislative Conference....

Well heavens! Mrs. Obama was gaining a lot of traction as the fashion icon for the everywoman when all of a sudden she stepped out of the Michellemobile – reportedly Monday – grasping a $1,000 tote bag. Take a look-see!

VAIL — Michelle Obama had at least five options for weekend destinations, but insisted on Vail, sources told the Vail Daily. The first lady and her daughters were among those who packed up and headed for home Monday, closing out a busy Presidents Day weekend in the Vail Valley. Michelle Obama's press secretary issued a statement Saturday that the family is picking up the tab for personal expenses. Sources say that because Obama was largely paying her own way, she insisted on the final say.

Some conservative bloggers and talk-show hosts act like the short rib in Michelle Obama's dinner entree was, like Adam's, extracted from them personally. The first lady, in Vail with her daughters and some friends for the Presidents Day weekend, dined at Restaurant Kelly Liken in Vail Village Saturday night, enjoying a pickled pumpkin salad with arugula and a braised ancho-chile short rib with hominy wild mushrooms and sauteed kale. So, of course, some people are taking the short view of the short rib. A braised short rib is a relatively lean cut of beef, braised with most of the fat...

Michelle Obama in Vail for weekendRandy Wyrick Friday, February 18, 2011 VAIL, Colorado — First lady Michelle Obama is among the Presidents Day weekend crowd. Obama arrived Friday night for a weekend of skiing in Vail and Beaver Creek, according to local sources. A motorcade of about a dozen vehicles, including 15 state and local law enforcement officers, traveled from the Eagle County Regional Airport to Vail on Friday night, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Roads were temporarily blocked to make way for the motorcade in Eagle. The motorcade entered an underground garage beneath the Sebastian hotel in Vail...

First Lady: 'Have pie! Eat the dressing!' By Elise Viebeck - 11/27/10 11:36 AM ET First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged American families to enjoy their food over the holiday weekend and not to worry about "how much you eat." Obama, who is spearheading a nationwide campaign against childhood obesity, explained to 20/20 host Barbara Walters that "this is the time" to let go a bit. "I would urge people to use this time to come together, as families and community, and don't take it for granted. Be kind to each other and laugh a little bit. And don't worry about...

After blowing nearly a half-million dollars on a Spanish shopping spree, MICHELLE OBAMA has plans to spend a whopping $2 million in the coming year – while the nation struggles with its worst recession ever. Nearly 15 million people are un­employed, but that hasn’t stopped the first lady from “spending like Marie Antoinette” and appearing to live it up “like a lottery winner,” fume outraged critics. Worried White House advisers have told the president he quickly needs to get his wife “under control” because her reckless spending – on trips, shopping and redecorating – is sending an intensely negative mes­sage...

I don't know about you, but when I paint fixtures with a sloppy broad brush, I make sure to wear my finest, most expensive designer shirts. Just like Michelle Obama.Below are photos of Michelle "Antoinette" Obama wearing a $207.90 t-shirt by Tom Binns and John Eshaya at a National Day of Service and Remembrance event at the Vinson Hall Retirement Community in McLean, Va. on Saturday.I suppose if she got paint on it she can claim it as a charitable deduction. The rich are just different from us.AP photosA woman lucky enough to have a job in the Obama economy...

Sometimes, a White House press conference can be a chance for a president to take some weight off his shoulders ... but weight off his fingers? Eagle-eyed reporters noticed that President Barack Obama wasn't sporting his wedding ring during Friday's White House press conference. "big to-do over potus not wearing his wedding ring today," Tweeted The Hill's Sam Youngman, who was at the presser. Obama's wedding band is "an intricate gold design from Indonesia, where he had lived as a boy," the New York Times reported in 2009. Michelle will probably be okay with it; after all, she once left...

After her sterling public image took on some tarnish from her recent vacation to Spain, the White House announced that first lady Michelle Obama will appear with Laura Bush for Sept. 11 observances in Pennsylvania. The deft public relations move by the administration will place the two popular first ladies side-by-side for the first time since the 2008 inauguration. (Snip) An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll after the Spain trip found just 50 percent of Americans had a positive opinion of the first lady, down 14 percent from the same poll in April.

Move over Martha Washington. Martha Stewart and Michelle Obama are getting space in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington for the first time. A new exhibit, "Americans Now," opened Friday, featuring famous names from science, business, government and the arts. President Barack Obama and the first lady are among those portrayed. It's the first time Michelle Obama's individual portrait has been shown at the gallery.

No vacation from attacks on Michelle By: Kendra Marr and Amie Parnes August 16, 2010 02:37 PM EDT It’s been a long time since Michelle Obama has been attacked like this. The first lady’s lavish Spanish vacation was the lead story in the Drudge Report for days. Political columnists and commentators lampooned her as a 21st-century Marie Antoinette, unwinding at a luxury resort while unemployment lingers near 10 percent and President Barack Obama’s poll numbers fade. And headlines set off political sirens: Scandal! Tone deaf! Elitist! The attacks from right-wing commentators — and a handful of left-leaning pundits — produced...

To some she is a self-made woman and a global superstar. To critics she's an "angry black woman" ashamed of her country. Now she's been called a modern-day Marie Antoinette. -snip- "There are so many white people who are not used to seeing a black woman in this position," says Aminah Hanan, a Chicago blogger and managing editor of MichelleObamawatch.com. "She's the face of America, and they can't process it."

Michelle Obama probably won't be vacationing in Spain again anytime soon. The First Lady's approval rating has plummeted following her highly-criticized, luxurious Mediterranean vacation with her 9-year-old daughter, a new poll finds. According to the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, just 50% have a positive impression of her — compared to 64% who answered favorably in a similar April 2009 poll..... Lower than former first lady Laura Bush's all time low approval rating of 56%

There’s a lot of talk about Michelle and Sasha Obama’s mother-daughter trip with 40 friends to a ritzy resort on the coast of Spain, and some of the commentary is a little harsh. Andrea Tantaros of the New York Daily News calls the first lady a “material girl” and a “modern-day Marie Antoinette”--but she also brings up a valid point about the cost to taxpayers of taking an estimated 70 Secret Service agents and Air Force Two on an overseas vacation. Ruth Marcus in the Washington Post writes that the attacks are unfair and that it’s not reasonable to expect...

Michelle Obama today faced a fresh wave of attacks over her lavish break in Spain with 40 friends which has cost U.S. taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds. The First Lady has been lambasted for her extravagance at a time when the economy is still struggling. One blogger went so far as to brand her a modern-day Marie Antoinette. The exact cost of the trip is unclear as Mrs Obama, 46, and her friends are footing personal expenses - including accommodation at Marbella's five-star Hotel Villa Padierna - themselves. But the taxpayer will have to pick up the tab for...

The First Lady is in Spain - and they adore her. It's a huge trip, at huge expense, but it's paying off in goodwill - at least over there. Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha, 9, were greeted by smiling crowds chanting "Obama" and "guapa," which means beautiful, as they spent the first full day of their adventure touring a cathedral in the city of Granada. They were cheered again when they tried to beat the Andalusian heat by hitting one of Granada's popular ice cream parlors. Mother and daughter - and their entourage of pals, aides and Secret Service...

ESTEPONA, Spain — Spanish police have cleared off a stretch of beach for U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha to relax by the Mediterranean after a busy day of sightseeing. Police used palm trees Friday to mark off the boundaries of a 100-meter (100-yard) expanse for the American delegation. On either side, onlookers gawked. As the first lady rested inside a canvas hut ...

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters yesterday, in answer to a query about First Lady Michelle Obama's Spanish vacation where she is protected by 70 Secret Service agents, 250 Spanish law enforcement officers, will meet with Spain's king and queen and is staying at a luxury hotel where she has reserved 60 rooms, that it is none of the American people's business because she is a "private citizen."Lynn Sweet reported at the Chicago Sun-Times that Gibbs was asked about "the appearance" of Obama's vacation and that Gibbs blew it off by asserting Michelle Obama is a "private citizen":"The...

Elizabeth Palmer reports from CBS news desk: New York Tabloid Calls First Lady Marie Antoinette for Taking Daughter on Lavish Trip during Poor Economic Times; Michelle Obama's Spain vacation is drawing fire from some who say it was bad taste in these difficult economic times. Michelle Obama will meet with the King and Queen of Spain during her solo trip there but some eyebrows have been raised about the cost to taxpayers. CBS News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports. When Michelle Obama visited the Gulf coast, she reminded us that many beaches were still open and suggested it was a...

The First Family's weekend getaway in Bar Harbor ended on Sunday as Air Force One took off a little after 10:00 in the morning. For the folks around the Bar Harbor area things have started to return to normal. Matthew Schneider, the General Manager at the Qarterdeck restaurant, says he's already looking ahead to the rest of the summer. "It's gonna be business as usual," he says. "We have a big cruise ship coming in tomorrow. 2200 people coming off that boat. Our normal everyday tourists are here, yeah it's back to business as usual." But for some of the...

It is no secret that the Obamas are advocates for free handouts, but even in her personal life Michelle Obama does not appear to have shied away from accepting free goodies. Numerous news outlets have reported on the first lady’s proclivity for high fashion. And Mrs. Obama’s pricey tastes have not precluded her ability to wear the outfits over which many women drool. Rumors abound as to exactly how the first family obtains all the pomp and frills associated with Mrs. Obama’s wardrobe. Do the Obamas pay for it all themselves or are the first lady’s outfits given to her...

Showdows of things to come? Now we see why she wears the pants in the Family.

Ugh. What a depressing woman. Michelle Obama brought down the house literally at George Washington University’s graduation. The First Lady gave one of the most depressing speeches on record. What a downer. Good luck finding a job, kids!(Video at link)

The Obamas spent their holidays last year in Hawaii and Martha's Vineyard, the Massachusetts island beloved of millionaire businessmen and celebrities. However, following the US president's fresh attack on Wall Street greed this week, it was apparently deemed wiser for Mr Obama not to be pictured relaxing alongside the same bankers he has been lambasting. The couple left Washington without their children for a long weekend in Asheville, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west of the south-eastern state. Although the area is a far cry from Martha's Vineyard, the Obamas are not exactly venturing into the back...

First stop for the first couple's weekend vacation on Friday was a roadside restaurant that President Barack Obama visited during the final month of his White House campaign. First meal on the trip: barbecued ribs. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama landed in the Blue Ridge Mountains and made a quick stop at Twelve Bones Smokehouse on the way to their resort. The White House said the first couple ate ribs, mac and cheese, greens, baked beans, corn bread and corn pudding before motorcading to their mountaintop hotel. Deputy press secretary Bill Burton said the couple -- vacationing without their...

WASHINGTON (April 23) -- President Barack Obama and his family are heading to North Carolina for a short vacation. The Obamas planned to escape the confines of the White House at midday Friday, flying south to Asheville, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. The last time Obama was there he prepared for a debate and rallied supporters during the final month of his presidential campaign. He complained at the time that the golf courses looked great, but he didn't have time to play. He's going to get that chance this weekend.