World | USA
Another tough lady gets shot at history
With Clinton's run almost over, Michelle Obama could become first African-American First Lady.
- By Jonathan Mann, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:11 May 25, 2008
Atlanta: Take a brilliant, strong-willed, American woman. Let her marry a rising politician, start a family, build a successful legal career, and then emerge as a polished public figure in her own right.
You might end up with the Hillary Clinton we've gotten to know over the years, or with the Michelle Obama we're just being introduced to.
With Barack Obama's victory in the Oregon primary and his declaration of a nearly unbeatable lead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton doesn't look like she'll be making history as America's first female president. If polls predicting a Democratic victory in the November election hold true, it will be Michelle Obama who will be making history, as the first African-American First Lady. And you can expect a First Lady of a different kind.
'Guided by fear'
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born 44 years ago in Chicago, like her husband, who is two and a half years her senior.
But while he has campaigned on hope, she's talked about the hard realities of American life - the gaps between rich and poor, black and white.
The US has had outspoken First Ladies before, but Michelle could be the first angry one.
She's publicly criticised the US as "guided by fear" and "just downright mean".
She said that her husband's campaign for the presidency made her proud of the United States for the first time in her life. A lot of Americans wondered why a girl from a humble background who grew up to attend Harvard Law school and earn an attorney's handsome income should be disparaging about what her country offered her.
She tried to explain her way out of the remark and she has changed her tone dramatically in the months since. But it was too late.
Republicans turned the remark into a hard-hitting television ad, contrasting it with comments from Americans expressing simple, unwavering faith in their country. This week, Barack Obama spoke out against the ad, calling on Republicans to "lay off" his wife, with criticism that he called distorted and "low class".
But Michelle Obama is a very visible part of the campaign and when she expresses her opinions, she can expect her listeners and her husband's opponents to express opinions of their own.
So watch what happens. Even if Hillary Clinton pulls out of the race, there is going to be another tough lady taking a few hits before she gets a chance to make history.
Jonathan Mann is a reporter and anchor for CNN International
Share this article
News Editor's choice
-
Al Qaida returns to Manhattan
Trial in US federal court would be just the theatre Khalid Shaikh Mohammad wants
-
Obama's Tibet test
The US president's snub of the Dalai Lama could embolden China
-
What to expect at the Dubai Airshow
We preview what types of aircraft to expect at the Dubai Airshow
