Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Quiet storm: a closer look at Obama's wife, Michelle
By Jaclyn Thies
Daily Toreador (Texas Tech)
04/21/2008

(U-WIRE) LUBBOCK, Texas — Although she can be seen walking silently alongside Barack Obama, with kids in tote, Michelle Obama is a force to be reckoned with.

Why? As much as some of us may hate to admit it, John McCain has a lot to go up against in the upcoming presidential election. In a country fed up with President George W. Bush and the Republican Party in general, even conservatives are being forced to weigh the issues with each candidate and decide which stance is most practical. At this point in time, the Democrats have the upper hand, and they are certainly milking it for all it's worth.

One person who dangerously has been overlooked is none other than Michelle Obama. The influence of the first lady on a president's policies is remarkable. Starting with Abigail Adams' letters to former president John Adams, the first lady has a pivotal role in the White House, and that influence cannot be overlooked as trivial.

So, what about Michelle Obama?

Lately, she has come out of hiding, making broad statements that offer clues to her own views of how the government should be changed with the next presidential term. As an intelligent woman educated at Princeton and Harvard, her statements should not be taken for granted, as there is method to the madness. The soft-spoken mother of two is a huge player in the presidential campaign, no matter what she might try and pull over America's head.

She credits her own positions to her husband, pushing the focus off of her own views and back onto Barack Obama's policies. In the same interview for "Good Morning America," she talks about terrorism, war funds, domestic issues and the black community, all the while claiming that she just has a "loud mouth" and is "professionally independent" from her husband.

Michelle Obama commented, "I don't want to do my husband's job." This is said, of course, while talking to news reporters in front of millions of viewers, furthermore expanding the support for her husband in the race for the presidency.

As long as Michelle Obama and Barack Obama remain physically detached as two separate life forms, I refuse to believe her comments about how much she distances herself from the opinions he takes on such important issues. Support is one thing; lacking perspective is another.

Her unwillingness to admit any form or part of influence on Barack Obama's political beliefs makes me question Michelle Obama's motives, as should any American woman who fights for a voice and the right to use it.

Still, it would be unfortunate to forget that Michelle Obama undoubtedly has been groomed and trained for her brief moments in the spotlight. Why would she want to tell America that her husband solely is taking the reigns and that she is a mere accessory?

A major platform for the Obamas is built on their old-fashioned family values, something both McCain's and Hillary Clinton's campaigns are lacking.

I don't think I have to remind you about the Monica Lewinsky scandal, or the gargantuan autobiography Bill Clinton wrote expressing his own shortcomings as a husband and father. We get it; he's not exactly the perfect role model.

McCain's own family life isn't exactly an air-tight story for his campaign either. Although he has tried to sway from the bad press - as any candidate would - the fact of the matter is that his marriage to Cindy McCain is not the first run at the altar, therefore damaging that American ideal we tend to press on presidential candidates.

Any flaw can and will be unveiled, even if it takes digging. Pay off the right guy, and the nation will be exposed to every "I didn't inhale" story yet waiting to be revealed.

Then there are Michelle Obama and Barack Obama, with their two well-groomed children and seemingly flawless marriage, ready for viewing by the public.

Michelle Obama wants us to think she will stay out of her husband's business so she can retain that image of the good housewife who only voices an opinion out of support for her husband. She wants us to socially and morally set the Obamas apart from the McCains and the Clintons.

The problem with that is simple: History repeats itself. The presidential chair should be dubbed "The Love Seat," with what we know about the first lady's dramatic influence on the president himself.

Behind Barack Obama and his own plans for the United States is a woman ready and able to disagree, especially a woman as knowledgeable as Michelle Obama. Her collegiate experience and undeniable intelligence puts serious doubt in the belief that she is missing a few opinions of her own.

The hard part is sifting through her rhetoric on family values and wifehood to find those precious gold nuggets of personal ideology. Few and far between are her real standings on the issues we really care about, but they indeed can be picked out, which is what I implore you to do.

We must start reviewing not only the presidential candidates' policies, but the first ladies' own ideologies, if we want to be fair about the process.

The role of first lady should be a focal point in this upcoming election - it's about time we started getting practical about how the Oval Office really is run. The first lady might not cook and clean, but she's still tucking in Mr. President at night.

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