I still find Hasselbeck simpleminded, but I give her props for seeing bigger issues beyond the fact that her candidate lost and saying so on air.

LW sounds like she's having so much fun wallowing in the idea that she's strange that she hasn't noticed that most adults (and I choose this word carefully because her musings sound very much like those of my 12 year old) don't fit into a cookie-cutter conforming mold. That conformity doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean you are strange. Get over it and look at what you really want, not what image you want to show the world. When choosing who to date or who to marry, you shouldn't be thinking about your image.

Beau Biden was considered, but since he's in Iraq he's out. The governor will appoint somewhere else.

I agree largely with Traister's premise in this article. But I do believe the "momification" of Michelle is a carefully crafted campaign strategy. Not that she doesn't mean it, but the campaign really downplayed her professional and education accomplishments to get away from the elitist label and played up her Mom role to show the people how this family, who maybe don't look like you, really have the same values as you. I have no problem with this, but I do hope that once they get settled in she is able to pursue her interests in some way. I would love to see her hold a real paying job and really shake up the FLOTUS role.

As for Michelle sacrificing for her husband, it's true. But all of us make compromises for our family and this is a compromise that is worth it to her (after all, he's the POTUS!). Hopefully it does not mean she gives up her career interests for life, just curtails things for the time being.

Last year my friend had her Alzheimer's mother in law and her father in law move in with her family. Yesterday she told me in all seriousness it was the biggest mistake she's ever made. The whole family is miserable. She also said "everyone told me how hard it would be but I didn't really believe them."

This is your husband's family, you can't completely turn your back, but realize that Alzheimer's can become all-consuming. Decide what you're willing to do long-term and set your limits. It will be too easy for even well-meaning people to suck you in because the needs can become so great.

One more point - professional care-givers know how to handle Alzheimer's patients. Family members often do not. Don't assume because the family is doing it themselves that the patient is better off.

Really Salon, is this the kind of crap we're going to be subjected to? Just because we're all excited to see a black family in the White House, does that mean we have to listen to every black person's inner thoughts on the subject, no matter how banal? The premise is stupid enough but to top it off M.O. doesn't even have a big butt!

This article is not just offensive to Michelle Obama, it's offensive to black people everywhere. You have to reduce her to a body part to be proud? How shallow are you? It's like Lindsay Lohan writing an article about the next president. Vapid and senseless, yet published because she's black?

These are suppose to be letters to the editor. I'd like to hear from someone at Salon as to why they think this is an important topic to have an article on and why it's so important as to be the lead article.

Come on, defend yourselves!

So why is the size of Michelle Obama's ass worthy of comment, much less a lead Salon article? As others mentioned, Barbara Bush had a big butt that Kaplan could have been getting giddy about. Or is there a double standard here? Big white women are just fat asses while big black women have a great booty.

Congratulations, Salon. You have cheapened the race debate.

Thank you AKASmith, you have hit the nail on the head.

Social programs to help women who don't want to have abortions avoid abortion? You can't argue with that. Unless of course, they are going to try to require counseling and social services before you're "allowed" to get an abortion. Why do I not totally trust these people?

And ftr, no amount of social services would have stopped me from getting an abortion when I did. Not all of us need/want to be talked out of it and not all of us had an abortion because we were too poor to have a baby.

The time has come to end the "living with your parents" stigma. Multi-gen living is going to become more of the norm, not just for "losers" who don't have a life and never moved out of the basement. It will really be refreshing for our society to drop that stigma and look at the benefits of families staying closer.

But of course if my mother moves in with me, I'll have to kill myself.

Yeah, I'd like to know when incredible insight Erin Aubrey Kaplan has into Hillary's butt. It may be bigger than Michelle's which I guess is even more profound to Kaplan.

I can't believe Salon/Joan defended that crap.

Back on topic: I like Hillary, I just don't see Secretary of State as playing to her strengths. But knowing Hillary, she'll pull it off.