The Last Word - first-lady

Obama’s motivation to quit smoking
By Sarah Muller
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Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:34 PM EDT

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Michelle Obama discussed her husband's decision to finally give up the cigarette habit in a revealing new interview with iVillage. She said their daughters, Malia and Sasha, served as his ultimate motivation.

"It wasn't the presidency, it wasn't the pressure from me, it wasn't even his health, because he wasn't a big smoker," explained the first lady. President Obama never puffed away in front of the kids, but he wanted to set a better example before looking "his girls in the eye" and giving them the no-smoking lecture. "They played an important role in him finally saying, 'I've gotta get this done'... he credits them with that."

"They are at the age now where you can't hide, it's clear," said the first lady, relaxing with her feet kicked up on the couch in the East Wing. The first lady said these conservations have prompted other heart-to-heart talks within the family. "We talk about drugs. We talk about sex. We talk about smoking. We talk about it all."

MObama, a noted health and fitness buff, has championed the "Let's Move" childhood health initiative during her time in the White House.

The Obamas' recent trend of giving more personal lighthearted interviews seems to be playing out well with voters. The latest NBC Wall Street Journal poll shows when it comes to the question of which candidate is more likeable, Obama leads Romney by a whopping 35 points, 58 to 23 percent.
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— Filed under: barack-obama, smoking, first-lady, michelle-obama
Remembering Betty Ford
By The Last Word Staff
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Fri Jul 8, 2011 9:36 PM EDT

Former first lady Betty Ford, the widow of President Gerald Ford, has died. MSNBC anchors Thomas Roberts and Andrea Mitchell have details on her life and legacy.
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First Lady One and Two Read Seuss
By Danielle Weisberg
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Thu Mar 3, 2011 4:58 PM EST

Michelle Obama and Margarita Zavala, First Lady of Mexico, read to students.
A double delight today for the students at Oyster-Adams Bilingual Elementary School in Washington, D.C., where a literary event was held with not one, but two first ladies. Michelle Obama and Margarita Zavala, the First Lady of Mexico, stopped by to read the Dr. Seuss classic, "The Cat in the Hat."
According to NBC producer Andy Gross, 300 lucky kids were able to hear the First Ladies tell the story of the curious cat with the tall hat. Mrs. Obama kept the children's attention with dramatic asides, such as "do you think the fish was happy?", while Mrs. Zavala was careful to hold up the book so everyone could see the illustrations. The event was part of National Education Association's Read Across America program.
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— Filed under: dr-seuss, first-lady, michelle-obama, read-across-america, cat-in-the-hat, margarita-zavala
Right-wing fashion police after first lady
By Sarah Muller
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Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:25 PM EST

President Obama and the First Lady welcome Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House on Wednesday. (Jim Young/Reuters)
The right-wing fashion police once again are going after Michelle Obama's fashion choice. First it was her right to bear arms of the sleeveless kind. Now, it’s the dress she wore to last night’s White House State Dinner honoring Chinese President Hu Jintao.
The first lady rocked a bright red Alexander McQueen dress with flower petal prints. It had a little asymmetrical action going on in the collar. Very dramatic, and just stunning. But, she got a bunch of flack for wearing the color red itself — a symbol of good fortune in the Chinese culture. One pundit suggested she did so to honor "Commie Red China." Puuuulease.
Everyone has different tastes. For instance, Last Word staffers Danielle, Casey, Clare and I debated the merits of her gown’s overall style, and were totally split; fashion is, by nature, a subjective thing. Saying that wearing this dress makes some deep political statement is a stretch. We’ll have more on this in tonight’s Rewrite.
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— Filed under: fashion, first-lady, right-wing, michelle-obama, lady-in-red