Obama calls criticism of wife 'infuriating'

[anonymousperson]

Obama calls criticism of wife 'infuriating'

By JULIE PACE, Associated Press Writer Thu Jul 17, 2:15 PM ET

WASHINGTON - What gets under Barack Obama's skin? Criticism of his wife, Michelle Obama.
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In an interview with Glamour magazine, Obama said attacks on his wife are "infuriating." The likely Democratic presidential nominee blamed the conservative press for going after his wife as if she were the candidate.

"If they have a difference with me on policy, they should debate me. Not her," Obama told the magazine.

Michelle Obama has been highly active in her husband's campaign, appearing with him at events and by herself at other times in an effort to help tout his candidacy. She promotes his policy agenda at fundraisers and gives interviews to reporters in support of her husband's views.

An Associated Press-Yahoo poll suggests Michelle Obama has higher favorable ratings than Cindy McCain, wife of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. However, Michelle Obama's unfavorable ratings are also higher.

Michelle Obama came under fire in February when she said she was proud of her country for the first time in her adult life. She later clarified her remark, saying she has always been proud of her country and was particularly proud to see so many people involved in the political process.

Obama said the attacks are ironic because his wife is "the most quintessentially American woman I know."

Michelle Obama, 44, has worked as a lawyer and hospital executive. The couple has two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

The Internet has been a double-edged sword for the Obama campaign. While it's allowed them to organize supporters and raise millions of dollars, Obama said it's also provided a vehicle for rumors and myths to spread quickly.

"It's very hard to catch up," he said.

Glamour's editor-in-chief also interviewed McCain. Full interviews with both candidates were scheduled to appear in the magazine's October issue.

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080717/ap_on_el_pr/obama_glamour

[subdjoe]

If she is going to be a major part of his campaign, she is fair game. He needs to grow up. This isn't going to be handed to him and he is not going to be able to get away with his usual campaign tactics. He is going to have to earn this one.

[anonymousperson]

She's insane. They're muzzling her though for now, because she's a wild card.

[JustMyOpinion]

She needs to take some classes on public speaking, I can't stand to listen to her, especially if Obama has just finished one of his speeches, it her makes her look even more stupid(er-LOL) and inarticulate.

[The New Guy]

she needs to drink a nice warm glass of shut the hell up.

[Mink]

I don't have an opinion for or against Michelle. I do think Barack or any other man would defend his wife if she was being criticized.

[subdjoe]

Oh, yeah. If someone started in on my wife I would be at his throat in an instant. BUT - if I had her out making speeches in public for me she would still be fair game for attacks same as I would. And if her remarks were racist, bigoted, or denigrated the US, as some of hers have been/done, she would deserve it. I might not like it when she was called on it, but she would deserve it.

JMO, have you listened to Barry when he is talking away from his scripted talks? He makes GWB look articulate. He also gets real whiney and petulant when he is questioned and he isn't ready for it.

[The New Guy]

the main reason he won't do townhall type debates with mccain.

[subdjoe]

Wouldn't it be great if the candidates could do a real debate rather than the scripted press conferences that now pass as debates? Put them up on a stage, give them a subject, and let them have at. No moderaters, no panel of reporters to ask quesions, just the candidates and their ideas. No time limit.

(hums a few bars of Rainbow Stew)

[Mink]

Subdjoe: "if I had her out making speeches in public for me she would still be fair game for attacks same as I would. And if her remarks were racist, bigoted, or denigrated the US, as some of hers have been/done, she would deserve it."
_________________________________________________

What did she say that was racist, bigoted or denigrating? I must have missed something...

[subdjoe]

Well, gee, let's start with her senior thesis and then move on to her blunt words that for the first time in her life (later changed to her adult life) she is proud of America (what, nothing to be proud of before her husband became heir presumptive?). I don't care how you spin that one, it shows a deep hatred of America, and I would go on to suggest a hatred of whites. I'll do some more digging latter for more. Or you can do some digging on your own. Don't have to go real deep to find it.

[saunterelle]

Yes, lets start with her senior thesis. You've probably heard something about it on a Right Wing program but if you want to know the truth you have to look at it in its realistic context. This is taken from Snopes.com an honest and unbiased source of truth:


As for the content of Michelle Obama's thesis, the Daily Princetonian summarized it thusly:
Obama, who concentrated in sociology and received a certificate in African-American studies, examined how the attitudes of black alumni have changed over the course of their time at the University. "Will they become more or less motivated to benefit the Black community?" Obama wrote in her thesis.

After surveying 89 black graduates, Obama concluded that attending the University as an undergraduate decreased the extent to which black alumni identified with the black community as a whole.

Obama drew on her personal experiences as an example.

"As I enter my final year at Princeton, I find myself striving for many of the same goals as my White classmates — acceptance to a prestigious graduate school or a high-paying position in a successful corporation," she wrote, citing the University’s conservative values as a likely cause.

"Predominately White universities like Princeton are socially and academically designed to cater to the needs of the White students comprising the bulk of their enrollments," she said, noting the small size of the African-American studies department and that there were only five black tenured professors at the University across all departments.

Obama studied the attitudes of black Princeton alumni to determine what effect their time at Princeton had on their identification with the black community. "My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my 'Blackness' than ever before," she wrote in her introduction. "I have found that at Princeton no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my White professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong."
Much scrutiny and discussion has been focused on a single phrase contained within the thesis, the statement that "blacks must join in solidarity to combat a white oppressor." This phrase has repeatedly been quoted out of context and presented as if it reflected Michelle Obama's own philosophy, but in its full context it is clearly her speculation about what she thought some of the respondents she surveyed for her thesis (i.e., students who had attended Princeton in earlier years) might have been feeling:
As discussed earlier, most respondents were attending Princeton during the 70's, at a time when the Black Power Movement was still influencing the attitudes of many Blacks.

"It is possible that Black individuals either chose to or felt pressure to come together with other Blacks on campus because of the belief that Blacks must join in solidarity to combat a White oppressor. As the few blacks in a white environment it is understandable that respondents might have felt a need to look out for one another."


So do you still have a problem with her thesis? If so, which part??