a really interesting interview with Michelle Obama

Your next First Lady?
With SpongeBob on her TV, Lauryn Hill on her iPod, two BlackBerrys in her purse and, she hopes, the White House in her future, Michelle Obama is moving fast. Writer Tonya Lewis Lee attempts to catch up.

I have to admit I was a little intimidated by Michelle Obama when I first saw her. She was standing on the far side of a hotel conference room, and I got the impression of a regal woman who has a model’s height (she’s 5’11”) and a classic, understated chic. But then she came forward, extended an endless arm and broke out her famous million-watt smile. She gave me a big hug—as if we were old girlfriends—and I felt as though I’d known her forever. I guess part of my comfort came from the similarities in our lives. Michelle and I are both lawyers; we both have two children (I have a daughter, Satchel, 12, and a son, Jackson, 10; her girls are Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6); and we’re both married to very public men. My husband is director Spike Lee; hers is Barack Obama, the third black United States senator since Reconstruction and our would-be next president.

First I saw Michelle’s friendliness, then I saw her focus. This was business; she had a job to do and a message to get across. She answered each question with enthusiasm, leaning in to me and gesturing with her expressive hands.

TLL: What do your girls think of you?

MO: My hope and my gut is that I am just Mommy. We have this ritual in the morning. They come in my bed, and if Dad isn’t there—because he’s too snore-y and stinky, they don’t want to ever get into bed with him. But we cuddle up and we talk about everything from what is a period to the big topic of when we get a dog: what kind?


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