Free Republic

It is in the personal realm that Garrow’s account is particularly revealing. He shares for the first time the story of a woman Obama lived with and loved in Chicago, in the years before he met Michelle, and whom he asked to marry him. Sheila Miyoshi Jager, now a professor at Oberlin College, is a recurring presence in “Rising Star,” and her pained, drawn-out relationship with Obama informs both his will to rise in politics and the trade-offs he deems necessary... Garrow, who received a Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Martin Luther King Jr., concludes this massive new work...

Barack Obama seriously dated several women before meeting Michelle, and none of them were African-American, according to the author of one of the definitive books about the former president. Christopher Andersen, who wrote "Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage," appeared on "TMZ Live" just after excerpts from another book -- "Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama" -- were released, saying he twice proposed to a woman before meeting Michelle. Andersen says Obama, who had big political aspirations early on, recognized the value of marrying a black woman, although he's quick to add the love between Barack and...

Here is a photo taken yesterday of Barack Obama giving Vicky Kennedy, wife of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, a warm, heart-felt hug at the dedication of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute yesterday. But where is his wedding ring? On March 12 the first couple took separate planes to Burbank where each appeared in a show: he on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, she on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Michelle looked radiant cavorting with Ellen. Barack and Jimmy were clearly yucking it up and having a high old time. In these photos, Barack does not look detached and Michelle does not look...

President Obama and wife Michelle slept in separate bedrooms due to a marital fight during a first-term Martha’s Vineyard vacation, according to an excerpt from Ed Klein’s newly released book “Blood Feud.” “They slept in their own bedrooms,” a Blue Heron Farm staffer told Klein for his expose on the Obamas’ relationship with Bill and Hillary Clinton, released Monday. “They both had stacks of books by their beds. The president was reading The Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell and Rodin’s Debutante by Ward Just. I don’t know if they visited each other’s bedroom at night, but I didn’t see any...

WASHINGTON — In 2004, Barack Obama cited his Christian faith while explaining his opposition to same-sex marriage. "What I believe, in my faith, is that a man and a woman, when they get married, are performing something before God, and it's not simply the two persons who are meeting," he said. Eight years later, he cited his faith again when he became the first sitting president to endorse marriage equality. "When we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule, you...

As a young single woman, Michelle Robinson was a fixture in the home of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who along with Rev. Jeremiah Wright “arranged” her marriage to Barack Obama, according to sources in Chicago who know the couple. Jackson’s daughter, Santita, is still one of Michelle’s best friends. “It all relates back to Trinity and to the Jesse Jackson orbit of blacks here in Chicago who gave Obama legitimacy and helped him establish his identity as a black man,” Robyn explained. “The political left wanted to push a black to the presidency, and the key operatives in the...

First Lady Michelle Obama’s pitch to voters last night relied on the premise that she and her husband understand what it is to struggle to make ends meet. She spoke movingly about their early years--about how a young Barack Obama drove a car that was “rusted out" and found his furniture “in a dumpster,” how they both came from families that had to “scrape by.” Her fairy tale--however well-delivered--was one great, big, colorful lie.

Today, I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer: I believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. I hope you'll take a moment to watch the conversation, consider it, and weigh in yourself on behalf of marriage equality: http://my.barackobama.com/Marriage I've always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. I was reluctant to use the term marriage because of the very powerful traditions it evokes. And I thought civil union laws that conferred legal rights upon gay and lesbian couples were a solution. But over the course of several years I've...

'Barack and Michelle' tells story behind domestic tension that nearly ruined the Obamas' marriage -- (Double Barf Alert)There was something different about the screams this time. They were more piercing, more frantic and insistent. As usual, it was Michelle who climbed out of bed first and made her way to Sasha's room while Daddy stayed in bed, hoping his 3-month-old daughter would quickly be lulled back to sleep. The baby would not be consoled. Barack finally threw back the covers and plodded down the hall. "Jeez, Michelle," he asked, "can't you get her to stop?" Michelle, who gently cradled Sasha,...