Freedom of Speech Is 'Universal' Right, Michelle Obama Tells China

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Amid a growing crackdown on Chinese dissidents, the US First Lady tells an audience in Beijing that the "questioning and criticism" of political leaders is crucial

Freedom of information, expression and belief should be considered "universal rights", Michelle Obama, the US first lady, told students in China on Saturday.

Speaking at Peking University on the second full day of a weeklong, bridge-building family tour of the country, Mrs Obama said: "It is so important for information and ideas to flow freely over the internet and through the media."

"When it comes to expressing yourself freely, and worshipping as you choose, and having open access to information - we believe those are universal rights that are the birthright of every person on this planet," Mrs Obama told an audience of around 200 students.

"My husband and I are on the receiving end of plenty of questioning and criticism from our media and our fellow citizens, and it's not always easy.

"But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." » | Tom Phillips, Shanghai | Saturday, March 22, 2014

Hannity: Why I Said I'm Humiliated for My Country

Mar. 07, 2014 - 2:16 - Sean Hannity explains the controversial comment he made on his radio show

Hollande-Obama, tandem transatlantique

Michelle Obama, François Hollande et Barack Obama, le 11
février, lors du dîner d'État organisé à la Maison Blanche
en l'honneur du chef de l'État français

LE FIGARO: La visite d'État à Washington a permis de souder deux présidents qui ont besoin l'un de l'autre en diplomatie.

Entre la chaleur de l'accueil, les fastes du dîner d'État et les éloges appuyés d'Obama à l'exemplarité du couple franco-américain en matière de coopération diplomatique et militaire, la visite de Washington aura été une bouffée d'oxygène pour François Hollande, loin des tracas de la politique française et de ses records d'impopularité. » | Par Laure Mandeville | mercredi 12 février 2014

LE FIGARO: Magie, amitié, caviar et bœuf aux échalotes, au menu du dîner d'État : François Hollande a été accueilli en grande pompe par le couple Obama, lors d'une réception à la Maison-Blanche mardi soir. » | Correspondante à Washington | Par Laure Mandeville, Rosa Chevassu | mercredi 12 février 2014

Obama : «Michelle et moi sommes impatients d'accueillir le président Hollande»

LePARISIEN: François Hollande se rendra aux Etats-Unis le 11 février 2014 pour une visite d'Etat à l'invitation de Barack Obama, ont annoncé à la fois vendredi l'Elysée et la Maison Blanche.

«Michelle et moi sommes impatients d'accueillir le président Hollande et Valérie Trierweiler pour une visite d'Etat avec un dîner d'Etat à la Maison blanche le 11 février», annonce le président américain dans son communiqué.

«Durant cette visite, nous discuterons des possibilités de renforcer davantage la coopération franco-américaine en matière d'économie et de sécurité», précise-t-il. » | LeParisien.fr | vendredi 22 novembre 2013

Ed Klein on 'The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House' (May 2012)
Ed Klein talks to Bill Whittle about his book "The Amateur" which chronicles the incompetence of Barack Obama. According to Klein, Bill Clinton encouraged Hillary to run against Obama in the 2012 primaries. Clinton called Obama an "amateur" and scoffed at the notion of loyalty in politics. Did the Obama campaign try to bribe Reverend Wright? Hear what Ed Klein thinks.

Edward Klein: The Amateur »

Edward Klein »

Barack und Michelle Obama feiern zweite Amtszeit
Start in Runde Zwei: Bei einer Parade und einem Ball in Washington ließ sich das US-Präsidenten-Paar von seinen Anhängern feiern. Zuvor schwor Barack Obama den Amtseid.

Michelle Obama, esclave... de son image
Un magazine espagnol crée la polémique

GALA.fr: Message politique ou simple provocation? Un magazine espagnol met à la une un portrait "photoshoppé" de la première dame américaine: Michelle Obama y est figurée sous les traits de la "négresse" de la peintre française Marie-Guillemine Benoist. Une "oeuvre" pour le moins polémique qui illustre un sujet sur le rôle-clé de la First Lady dans la campagne de son époux.

Que Michelle Obama soit dévouée corps et âme à ses devoirs de First Lady ne fait aucun doute. Mais de là à l’imaginer en esclave… Le Magazine de Fuera de Serie – supplément de l'hebdomadaire espagnol L'Expansión - créé pourtant la controverse en publiant sur sa couverture un photomontage de la première dame, représentée dans la posture d’une esclave africaine, seins dénudés, enroulée dans le drapeau américain. » | mercredi 29 août 2012

Michelle Obama Makes the Political and Personal Case for Four More Years

THE GUARDIAN: First lady tells Democratic national convention [sic] her husband is the only candidate who will deliver opportunity for all

Michelle Obama electrified Democrats on the opening night of the party's national convention with a powerful and unashamedly personal speech in which she invoked the future of her own children as she made the personal and political case for her husband's re-election.

In an address that brought the 23,000-seat arena to its feet as delegates chanted "four more years", the first lady sought to persuade wavering voters that Barack Obama retained the same qualities that attracted them to him in 2008.

She deftly drew sharp contrasts with his Republican opponent Mitt Romney, avoiding attacking him directly but making clear her belief that he was deeply out of touch with ordinary people.

She described how both she and Obama had risen from modest beginnings, and said he was driven by a desire to see others get the same chance.

"He believes that when you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you," she said. "You reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed."

Even before Mrs Obama took the stage, the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, appeared to have more energy and enthusiasm than the Republican event in Tampa, Florida, last week. Buoyed by a series of strong speeches from the evening's earlier speakers, there was a boisterous, party atmosphere that contrasted with the relatively subdued mood in Tampa. » | Ewen MacAskill in Charlotte | Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Etats-Unis: Menace contre Michelle Obama: le Secret Service enquête

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La police chargée de protéger le président des Etats-Unis et sa famille ouvre une enquête relative à un policier de Washington qui aurait proféré des menaces de mort adressées à la First Lady.

Le Secret Service, la police chargée de protéger le président des Etats-Unis et sa famille, va lancer une enquête au sujet d'un policier de Washington qui aurait proféré des menaces de mort contre la Première Dame Michelle Obama.

"Nous sommes au courant de l'incident, et nous allons prendre les mesures d'enquête nécessaires", a affirmé le porte-parole du Secret Service, Edwin Donovan, sollicité après des révélations du Washington Post sur cette affaire. » | afp/Newsnet | vendredi 13 juillet 2012

Obamas' Freedom of Cape Town Honour Divides South Africa
THE GUARDIAN: Decision to honour Barack and Michelle Obama criticised by religious groups amid row over US impact on Middle East

Bestowing an honour on America's first black president might seem an uncontroversial choice for post-apartheid South Africa. But what was good enough for the Nobel peace prize committee is just the latest trigger for acrimony in the polarised city of Cape Town.

Its decision to grant president Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, the freedom of the city has provoked a growing backlash from rival parties, churches, Muslim groups and trade unions, who branded it a "political gimmick".

They warn that if the couple ever set foot in Cape Town to accept the award, they will be greeted by mass protests drawing attention to America's human rights record. » | David Smith, Libreville, Gabon | Monday, June 11, 2012

Ellen DeGeneres: Michelle Obama Talks About Her Husband

Michelle Obama on Jay Leno: The First Lady Spills the Beans on Life in the White House
The first lady talks to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno about how to cope with raising kids in the White House and being married to the President. Report by Sam Datta-Paulin.

Michelle Obama: No Tension with Husband's Aides

Read the article here | Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Michelle Obama, First Lady «frustrée» à la Maison-Blanche

LE FIGARO: Un livre révèle les faux pas initiaux de la Première Dame et sa difficile adaptation aux contraintes du 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Frustration, tensions, frictions entre Michelle Obama et les premiers conseillers de son mari: l'image d'Épinal d'une Maison-Blanche unie derrière le président est mise à mal dans un nouveau livre, qui décrypte l'évolution de la Première Dame depuis son arrivée à Washington en 2009.

The Obamas, écrit par la journaliste du New York Times Jodi Kantor, s'intéresse en particulier aux deux premières années passées par la famille Obama dans ses quartiers présidentiels. C'est le premier livre à révéler le réel degré d'influence de Michelle Obama sur le président et son rôle de «gardienne» des idéaux de la campagne de 2008.

L'auteur décrit un couple solide et très complémentaire, mais «virtuellement prisonnier» de la Maison-Blanche, refusant de se faire des amis au delà du cercle restreint qu'il fréquentait Chicago. Kantor raconte aussi, avec force détails et un goût prononcé pour les potins, l'inimitié profonde entre Michelle Obama et le premier chef de cabinet du président, Rahm Emanuel, ainsi que les tensions avec l'ancien porte-parole, Robert Gibbs. » | Par Adèle Smith | mardi 10 janvier 2012

White House 'Covered Up' Tim Burton-staged Alice in Wonderland Halloween Party

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The White House covered up an Alice in Wonderland-themed Halloween party staged by film director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp for fear of creating the wrong impression during a recession, a new book on the Obamas has claimed.

Depp greeted guests in the costume he had worn in a film version of the Lewis Carroll story released around the same time by Burton, who was given carte blanche to transform the state dining room into a Mad Hatter's tea party in "his signature creepy-comic style".

A long table was "set with antique-looking linens, enormous stuffed animals in chairs, and tiered serving plates with treats like bone-shaped meringue cookies", writes New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor in The Obamas, which is released on Tuesday. Fruit punch was served in blood vials at the bar, she adds.

George Lucas sent Chewbacca from Star Wars to mingle with invited guests, who included the Obamas' two daughters Malia and Sasha and friends, the children of White House staff members and military families.

The White House press corps was allowed to report on more modest festivities earlier that day for Washington-area school children, but did not release details of the more glamorous festivities that occurred later for what was the Obamas' first Halloween in office in 2009.

The only images released showed the first couple greeting children outside the dining room, with Michelle Obama in a leopard fancy dress costume. Read on and comment » | Alex Spillius | Sunday, January 08, 2012

Michelle Obama 'Raged Against Rahm Emmanuel and White House Advisors'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Michelle Obama clashed frequently with Rahm Emmanuel, her husband's White House chief of staff, as the pair vied for influence over the President, according to a new book.

The First Lady reportedly believed that Mr Emmanuel's willingness to cut backroom deals during the battle over health care reform was tainting Barack Obama's image as a new kind of American leader.

The Obamas paints a picture of a presidential inner circle divided between Mrs Obama's idealistic belief in what the administration could achieve and the grittier pragmatism of Mr Emmanuel.

The book, written by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, claims that the chief of staff refused to allow the president's wife into high-level morning meetings, leading a brooding Mrs Obama to berate other senior advisers by email.

She allegedly sent furious notes to Alyssa Mastromonaco, the president's director of scheduling, and to Valerie Jarrett, a Chicago friend who now serves as one President Obama's top advisors.

Ms Jarrett was said to remove the First Lady's name before circulating the emails widely within the West Wing. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Saturday, January 07, 2012

The High Price of Impatience: Michelle Jets Off to Hawaii with the Kids for 17[-]day Vacation Before the President Can Leave ... at a Cost of $100,000 to the Taxpayer
MAIL ONLINE: With thousands of families struggling to raise funds for Christmas, you would think the Obamas might manage a little thriftiness.

But today, Michelle Obama and her two daughters fly to Hawaii for a 17-day holiday - days before the president joins them.

The separate flights will incur costs of more than $100,000 to the taxpayer.

Obama has vowed to stay in Washington until Congress passes an extension of the payroll tax cut and will join his family before Christmas.

By not waiting for Congress to reach a decision before jetting off together, the family is inflicting eye-watering costs on the taxpayer.

When Michelle flew to Hawaii alone last year, it cost a staggering $63,000 - without security or staff costs - according to White House Dossier website.

Michelle, 13-year-old Malia and 10-year-old Sasha will leave Washington Friday after giving toys to the Marines Corps’ Toys for Tots programme.


Barack Obama previously said to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: 'Michelle and the girls are going to have a great time in Hawaii. They don't need me there.'

The president's family covers the cost of a private beach front residence in Kailua, Oahu, for the vacation - a ‘Winter White House’ that costs up to $3,500 a day, or $75,000 a month.

But the local and federal taxpayers help pay the bill for travel and security.

Last year the trip cost more than $1 million, according to the Hawaii Reporter.

The move also puts the president at odds with one of his own executive orders that instructed agencies to avoid unnecessary flights, said the site. Read on and comment » | Lydia Warren | Friday, December 16, 2011

Barack Obama Volunteers at Thanksgiving Food Bank
The US President Barack Obama and his family hand out food at a local Food Bank on the eve of Thanksgiving.

Read short article here | Thursday, November 24, 2011

Obama Jobs Speech: Michelle Obama Unhappy? Dissatisfied?

HT: Always On Watch »

Barack Obama: There Are Days When I Say One Term Is Enough

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has said his family was "not invested" in a second term in the White House and would have been content if he had decided against running for re-election.

He said first lady Michelle Obama would be the first to encourage him to do something "a little less stressful" if she no longer believed in what his administration was doing.

"Michelle and the kids are wonderful in that if I said, 'You know what, guys, I want to do something different', they would be fine," he told NBC.

"They're not invested in daddy being president or my husband being president."

There were, he conceded, days when he thought "one term was enough", but "if the family is doing well and Michelle is putting up with me I've got enough energy to do the work I am doing".

Despite the hothouse atmosphere of the White House, he said that his two daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, were turning out to be "poised, kind and well mannered". » | Alex Spillius, Washington | Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Obama is giving himself an out because he knows that he might well not be re-elected for a second term. This president is about as ambitious as presidents get. I don't believe that he doesn't want a second term deep down. In any case, his big ego will drive him to seek re-election. Wasn't this man supposed to be the Messiah? Wasn't this man going to change everything in US politics in particular, and in the US in general? One lesson he has surely learnt whilst in office: It's a lot easier talking about being a president than it is being one. And what was that nonsense Michelle said about her husband? "This man doesn't take a day off. "Oh yeh? What about all the holidays he's taken whilst in office? What about all the golfing days he's had? Weren't those days off?

Obama is toast, and he knows it. – © Mark

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