Almost every woman wears pearls - that's no reason to compare her to Babs Bush! Now, if her neck was as thick as her waist, and her eye balls were popping out of her head and her face resembled that of a frog, then maybe, just maybe, there could be some comparison.

Big bottom, big feet, like all black women.

Let me suggest you change your name to Bigot, Racist or Pig.

You insult a perfectly harmless vegetable by adopting it.

"the first time I've been proud of my country" is not easily translatable to "I've never been more proud of my country". Perhaps, though, she misspoke, or didn't realize that what she said sounded like it did. I'm willing to be more generous than those who claimed that Clinton's "hard working Americans, white Americans" literally meant that Clinton did not believe that there existed "hard working black Americans". I'm pretty sure that she meant "hard working Americans, (well, at least) white Americans", in the sense that hard working black Americans almost universally supported Obama.

Nonetheless, does anybody think that the Kennedy dress style for Michelle Obama is a coincidence? I noticed it back at the beginning of the election. They even pose sometimes in ways that remind us of old photos of the Kennedy's. This is simply part of their strategy to make Obama's image into a recreation of the "Camelot" era. It's not-quite-subliminal advertising that feeds on Kennedy's popularity. I suspect that this is a good part of the reason that some people are so sure that Obama will be assassinated in the South.

Turnip is probably right but it would be more polite not to ay that.

To me, the important thing about Michelle Obama is what is between her ears. She is a genius.

I think Michelle wears those pearls all the time because she's so busy and pearls go with everything, and that way, she doesn't have to think about it, just picks them off the dresser and goes every morning. The accessory version of Einstein's multiple identical suits.

She's not hostile in the way that black women are hostile.

Or am I racist to notice that black women have a special capacity for overt hostility?

"the first time I've been proud of my country" is not easily translatable to "I've never been more proud of my country".

She said that for the first time she was really proud of her country. I'm willing to cut her the same slack Laura Bush did, as Mrs. Obama was a relativley neophyte campaigner at the time. She's getting better at phrasing.

You might not be rasict (however, since you took that slant, you probably are)...

But you ARE ignorant for issuing a blanket statement regarding Black women...

How would you like it if I said that ALL white men have very small male reproductive organs (which, you know, YOU probably do)...

Not very nice...is it...

I have NEVER seen Nancy Pelosi without Pearls. It's a little weird. It's become the female equivalent of a tie. I liked that Hillary only wore them once in awhile.

I hate that Jackie Kennedy stuff. Jackie was Jackie and that was the '60s! Michelle can be an icon in her own right, she doesn't need to stand in anybody's shadow. (as if!). It depresses me to see this lady, striking as she is, reduced to a fashion concept. And the annoying implication that she has to keep her mouth shut now and toe the first lady line.

I am a Hillary supporter but I think Michelle is a strong and interesting woman and I fear with Hillary out of the way, she's going to be the target of all the sexist crap now. (There was a completely insane blog post by Malcolm at the LA Times Monday about how evil Hillary was with her choice of outfit for her concession speech!).

It's back to the bad old days of the boys are off talking about serious stuff while the girls are dissected for their clothes and their hairstyles and their pearls. Let's analyze the color of Obama's ties. And what's with that new haircut? He practically shaved his head or what? Is he going to start touching up the gray to keep appealing to the youth or enhance it for the gravitas effect with the old folks?

I wanted to add that I thought Laura Bush showed a lot class with her response to the reporter's questions.

I've read it both ways. Both versions are poorly worded. I've also heard that this line was a standard part of her stump speech, so she may have said it slightly differently at different times. It doesn't matter. If it's not reinforced by other information, it won't decide the election. The bad news is that the right wing 527's will be working hard to feed doubts about Obama's character, including his patriotism, in order to get out their base and turn independents away from him. I'm willing to cede that Michelle Obama's statement was not intended to sound the say it sounded. Other's will not. For them, it's another brick in teh wall. It's something that will have to be dealt with somehow. I don't know how you prove that you are a patriotic American. For starter's, though, she needs to be absolutely certain that nothing she says invokes doubts about the idea that she loves this nation as much as she loves her husband and daughters. Yes, it's silly. But that's the way it is.

Gordon Wagner below does what so many sad journalists have done over the past eight years: he utterly mis-reads the Bushes. He claims that Barbara Bush is not hostile. He apparently buys her fake smile and grandmotherly air, just as the press has bought the fake smile and fake bonhomie of her son, who is like her in many ways, not least in sarcasm and in those cold, beady, angry eyes that belie every attempt at warmth. Wagner thinks la Bush isn't hostile? He should try reading memoirs or biographies of the family--she's their Enforcer and people are quite literally afraid of her. She's a nasty piece of work.