Yup.

So what’s Michelle do to set the example?

“Michelle Obama has embarked on a skiing vacation with her daughters in Aspen, Colorado, according to the Aspen Daily News.

The first lady, who just returned last month from 17 days of relaxation in Hawaii, is skiing in Colorado on Presidents’ Day Weekend for the second year in a row. Last year she went to Vail.

Michelle’s decision to ski out West again instead of hitting slopes closer to Washington would seem an inopportune choice for a first lady who is helping her husband campaign on issues of “fairness.”

The Obama campaign has set itself up as the defender of the poor and the middle class against the “One Percent,” a theme which clashes with the image a first lady who is taking frequent and exclusive vacations.

Just last August, she sojourned on Martha’s Vineyard, and the month before she travelled to southern Africa for a trip that mixed official business with tourist outings like an African safari. In July 2010, she took an exorbitant excursion to the southern coast of Spain, flying out with friends and family on a large jet that often serves as Air Force 2 and then staying at a ritzy hotel.

What’s more, as the government struggles to cut the deficit, the symbolism of a first lady jetting out to Aspen with a security entourage at taxpayers’ expense to ski would seem to send the wrong message about cutting back on spending.”

Yeah,…just words…

“Michelle Obama finally went there.

The first lady jumped head first into a discussion about racial issues.

She and her husband, the first African-American president, have mostly avoided addressing race except in oblique terms since reaching the White House.

Earlier this week, responding to the publication of New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor’s book “The Obamas,” Michelle Obama veered sharply off that cautious path.

Though she said she had not read the book — which was the target of a fierce White House pushback that was widely criticized as counter-productive — Obama took issue with the criticisms she perceived had been leveled against her.

“That’s been an image that people have tried to paint of me since the day Barack announced,” she told CBS’s Gayle King. “That I’m some angry black woman.”

Cue a mini-furor.

“I see Michelle Obama’s mad while saying she’s not,” said Rush Limbaugh. On one hand, it would be hard to argue that Obama was factually incorrect in what she said.

During the 2008 campaign, the conservative magazine National Review used a photograph of her in a scolding pose on its front cover above the headline “Mrs. Grievance”. The image seemed to many a harsh mischaracterization of black womanhood, making the then-candidate’s wife look like a Jim Crow era caricature.

Even so, the first lady’s decision to raise the angry black woman stereotype so explicitly caused some unease, even among observers who have no ax to grind.

Yeah.

“WASHINGTON — As the U.S. economy endures high unemployment and a jittery stock market, President Obama has preached sacrifice and fiscal discipline. But the pictures coming out of a sunsplashed Spanish resort this week may be sending a different message.

First lady Michelle Obama is on a five-day trip to a luxury resort along with a handful of friends, her younger daughter, Sasha, aides and Secret Service personnel. Her office said the first family will pay for personal expenses, but declined to reveal the taxpayer cost for the government employees. The president stayed home in the United States, as did daughter Malia, 12, who is at camp.

The trip provided plenty of fodder for television news shows, talk-show hosts and bloggers.

Critics portrayed the foreign getaway as tone deaf to the economic anxiety back home. Earlier in the week, the first lady was photographed walking through the streets of the Costa del Sol region wearing a one-shouldered Jean Paul Gaultier top.

Every first family takes vacations. The criticism aimed at Michelle Obama is that she chose to visit a foreign country rather than remain in the United States and support its fragile economy.

In July, the first lady flew to the Florida Panhandle, a tourist spot hit hard by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and delivered the message that for parents “looking for things to do with their kids this summer … this is a wonderful place to visit.”

The opulence of the European trip also has drawn scrutiny. Michelle Obama is staying at the Hotel Villa Padierna, a Ritz-Carlton resort in the mountains outside Marbella. The resort has two golf courses, a posh spa with Turkish baths, views of the Mediterranean Sea and a high-end restaurant specializing in avant-garde fare. Room rates start at $400 and rise to $6,500 for a two-bedroom villa with a private pool and 24-hour butler service.

The danger for the Obamas is that the trip may feed perceptions they are out of touch with struggling American families, said Chris Wilson, a Republican pollster.

“This in and of itself doesn’t hurt President Obama, but it plants a seed in voters’ minds … that ‘they’re not like me,’ ” he said.”

Oh no problem with that. In fact the seeds were planted some time ago. They’ve now grown into weeds of despair that America is stuck with this freeloading dope until 2012.

“First Lady Michelle Obama showed up Thursday as a surprise and welcome volunteer at Miriam’s Kitchen, a soup kitchen for homeless poor people not far from the White House.

She brought with her some food donated by White House staff.

The first lady served up mushroom risotto and broccoli to a long line of homeless men and women during part of herFirst Lady Michelle Obama volunteers as a food server at Miriam’s Kitchen a soup kitchen for poor homeless in Washington DC 3-5-09 lunch hour and in these photos poses for a picture by one homeless diner obviously excited to be in the first lady’s presence.

Obama said she hoped her service would cause other Americans to volunteer to help the less fortunate in their own communities.

And, of course, such images of need might also help build support for her husband’s economic and healthcare reform agenda, although a Miriam’s spokeswoman said their average “guest” has been homeless since about the time Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004.

Miriam’s is a privately funded soup kitchen about seven blocks from the White House that has 1,200 volunteers and serves about 300, mainly men, each morning. Our colleague Mark Silva has more on the volunteer work in the Swamp here.”

I’ve had the pleasure of working with the poor here and there, soup kitchen details and even working with a non-profit for a bit. I can tell you that seeing a homeless person with a cell phone is nothing. I’ve witness so-called “poor” coming in during a toy drive to pick up donated toys wearing leather jackets, cell phones and sometimes driving pretty good cars – better than mine in fact.

The fact is that we have a really poor sense of the word “poor” in this country. Many of the poor would be wealthy in truly poor countries.

I wonder if Michelle would be caught mugging if she were – and that’s a big “if”, she were truly feeding the hungry, such as this child.

When she does the deed will be noteworthy, until then it’s all dog and pony BS.

Technorati Tags: Michelle Obama

Well!

“WASHINGTON (CNN) – They’ve been in the White House less than a week, but the first daughters have already been co-opted by marketers — and Michelle Obama isn’t happy about it.

Ty, the toy company responsible for the popular Beanie Babies dolls, is now marketing “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” dolls.

The first lady’s office said Friday Ty was out of line. “We feel it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes,” said a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama in a statement.

A Ty representative told CNN the company generally avoids naming dolls for “any particular living individual,” because doing so might interfere with how kids use their imaginations to play with them. But they wouldn’t reveal the source of their inspiration for the new figures, telling CNN that information relating to the development of the company’s merchandise — including how it comes up with products, product names, and trademarks – is proprietary.”

Yeah, so pound salt woman, we’ll make our toys how we please, thank you!

Notice though how it’s always about Michelle now isn’t it? Except when it’s always about Barack, now isn’t it?

Technorati Tags: Michelle Obama, Ty Toys

” Obama’s campaign manager contacted API by telephone and email offering 3 million US dollars followed with a request to API to cancel the deal with Fox News Network.

Ten days ago API received the first request to accept 2 million US dollars by Mr Ed Hale, President of Plains Radio, Texas – USA, in an effort to suppress the information from reaching the public before the coming US Presidential elections.

Ten days ago API received the first request to accept 2 million US dollars by Mr Ed Hale, President of Plains Radio, Texas – USA, in an effort to suppress the information from reaching the public before the coming US Presidential elections.

API has now taken a decision to contact the American Embassy in Oslo, Norway as soon as possible in order to report the matter and hand over the evidence for investigative purposes.

API’s Canadian lawyer is expected to fly to Oslo shortly in order to assist in the legal matters that arise from the bribery attempt.

API’s Chief editor is expected to travel to New York, together with the Canadian lawyer, where he will appear live in one of the shows that will air the Michelle Obama tape.”

I’ve contacted Fox News and asked them if they in fact had been contacted, they will not comment.

****End of Update*****

This won’t seem to die, but here we go. Remember that African news site that stated Michelle Obama called them to cry “racism” in reference to the detractors of Obama? Well they say now the agreement with Fox News has been reached and the tapes will play any day now.

“A final agreement has been reached between African Press International (API) and Fox News Network (USA) on the dates to air the Michelle Obama tape arising from a discussion Mrs Obama had with the API two weeks ago. The show will take place any day/time from now, with a 15 minutes alert on when it is to take place. Other programmes will be interrupted. This is a precaution taken to avoid interference from any quarter.

In the agreement, Fox News Network will broadcast 39 minutes of the 54 minutes long tape. The whole tape cannot be aired unedited due to security reasons and especially due to the explosive political temperature in the country because of the Presidential elections that is just around the corner, November 4th.

The tape will be aired in two portions by two separate units in the Network. API’s representative will appear live in one of the shows.

The parties have agreed that the information to be released to the public on the agreement will not include the naming of the units at Fox News Network that will air the tapes in order to avoid outside pressure and influence of any kind before the show has taken place. Nondisclosure of the name of the shows that will air the tapes has become necessary due to pressure from groups interested to block the release of the contents to the public.

Due to a huge interest in the tapes shown by some private individuals, groups belonging to some political camp(s) and persons connected to a section of an intelligence network, it has been decided that the 54 minutes long unedited tape is to be kept outside the United States in safe custody of one of API’s Lawyers based in Ontario, Canada.

The day and time schedules of the broadcast will only be announced 15 minutes before the Show begins in order to avoid attempts to block the Show from airing the tapes.

Any pressure from any outside forces that may want to know the exact day and time schedule of the Show before-hand or any other details in the agreement will get no answers to their requests either from API or Fox News Network.

The decision to have the above information public was a difficult one due to the sensitivity of the case and huge interest against, and for, the release of the contents of the tape for public consumption.”

Ok, so on with the show already! Let me suggest that they preempt the messiah’s hourly variety show, what a hoot that would be eh?

Again, Michelle’s reported words as captured on tape.

“African press International is supposed to support Africans and African-American view,” and she went to state that, “it is strange that API has chosen to support the racists against my husband. There is no shame in being adopted by a step father. All dirt has been thrown onto my husband’s face and yet he loves this country. My husband and I know that there is no law that will stop him from becoming the president, just because some American white racists are bringing up the issue of my husband’s adoption by His step father. The important thing here is where my husband’s heart is at the moment. I can tell the American people that My husband loves this country and his adoption never changed his love for this country. He was born in Hawaii, yes, and that gives him all the right to be an American citizen even though he was adopted by a foreigner”

Here’s the update:

“We have noted your concern as readers. It is important that you understand we are doing our best and our interest is to ensure that we do the right thing so that nobody handling or who has handled the tapes gets hurt. It serves no purpose to continue speculating whether we have the tapes or not, or whether we are genuine or not.

The answer is simple: The tapes exists and will be aired. We also want you to know that we are genuine in all this and API has had not intention to mislead anyone. The truth of the matter is that there has been a delay, yes we understand, but there is nothing wrong being careful in situations like this one.

There is no question in our minds that you as a reader understand why it is important to be careful when dealing with information that touches on the security situation of any nation.

There has been a lot of pressure from the readers and the same from those who represent Nations in question. API has to way and balance its act so that nobody is put into an embarrassing situation and for that matter danger to any ones life.

We are not about to drop airing the tapes. It will be done even if some continue to place obstacles on our way.

According to a source with Fox News they have been contacted about this tape from AFI but would not go into any other details. As this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of such a tape (Whitey), I will admit a bit of skeptism.

We’ll see, time is short, and if they are going to release this tape this week (Wednesday) would be the best time.