This is a lovely picture of Michelle Obama, as taken by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue.
The same cannot be said about the accompanying article, which trashes other political spouses:
"She's normal," Glanton answered, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "She stands by her man."
Normal. Interesting word. Certainly not one that applies to spouses Bill Clinton or even Elizabeth Edwards, who is battling metastatic breast cancer and lives in a $6 million, 28,200-square-foot house (the Obamas, by contrast, paid $1.65 million for their Georgian Revival home). Nor, frankly, is it a word that would have applied to Teresa Heinz, John Kerry's oddly flinty wife, or Howard Dean's MIA doctor wife. Or Cindy McCain, who once stole painkillers from the charity for which she worked. Or even the arctic Laura Bush, who can barely contain her contempt for the media in her rare public appearances ...
I particularly take exception to how Cindy McCain and Laura Bush are portrayed. Yes, it's true that Cindy McCain stole painkillers from the charity, but she is also a woman who found a Bangladeshi orphan with a cleft palate, obtained surgery for the child, and most of all, made that child her own.
I have never sensed contempt for the media on the part of Laura Bush. Perhaps that's because of my filters. I have contempt for much of the mainstream media, as do many Americans. If Mrs. Bush has contempt for the media, I suspect that's because she stands by her man. Fisking President Bush's decision to go into Iraq is one thing; however, the media has fed into a frenzy, as demonstrated by 1-29-09 bumper stickers, countdown clocks, and the continual jokes about the President's intellectual prowess, which pass for smart party conversation.
Mrs. Bush is a lady. She smoothed over Michelle Obama's comments "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country ..." which antagonized many Americans, including myself.
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| Michelle Obama |
"She's normal," Glanton answered, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "She stands by her man."
Normal. Interesting word. Certainly not one that applies to spouses Bill Clinton or even Elizabeth Edwards, who is battling metastatic breast cancer and lives in a $6 million, 28,200-square-foot house (the Obamas, by contrast, paid $1.65 million for their Georgian Revival home). Nor, frankly, is it a word that would have applied to Teresa Heinz, John Kerry's oddly flinty wife, or Howard Dean's MIA doctor wife. Or Cindy McCain, who once stole painkillers from the charity for which she worked. Or even the arctic Laura Bush, who can barely contain her contempt for the media in her rare public appearances ...
I particularly take exception to how Cindy McCain and Laura Bush are portrayed. Yes, it's true that Cindy McCain stole painkillers from the charity, but she is also a woman who found a Bangladeshi orphan with a cleft palate, obtained surgery for the child, and most of all, made that child her own.
I have never sensed contempt for the media on the part of Laura Bush. Perhaps that's because of my filters. I have contempt for much of the mainstream media, as do many Americans. If Mrs. Bush has contempt for the media, I suspect that's because she stands by her man. Fisking President Bush's decision to go into Iraq is one thing; however, the media has fed into a frenzy, as demonstrated by 1-29-09 bumper stickers, countdown clocks, and the continual jokes about the President's intellectual prowess, which pass for smart party conversation.
Mrs. Bush is a lady. She smoothed over Michelle Obama's comments "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country ..." which antagonized many Americans, including myself.
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