Women Affairs

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden , Vice President Joe Biden's wife, were at the Homestead-Miami Speedway to promote Joining Forces, an organization that promotes the hiring and training of veterans, when they were booed by some NASCAR fans as they served as the grand marshals for the racing circuit's final event Sunday. They were joined by Army Sgt. Andrew Barry, a veteran of the Afghan and Iraqi wars who now volunteers at an Orlando, Fla., veterans center, and his family. The clip shows that people cheer for the soldier, but boo when the two women's names are announced. There are some audible sounds of approval, but they seem to be mostly drowned out by the dissenters. It would not be too difficult to overanalyze this incident. Sports fans tend to be raucous, especially after they have been well lubricated. It is possible the NASCAR crowd would have booed the Second Coming if it came before the big race. On the other hand, Mrs. Obama has delved into controver...

Michelle Obama takes center stage at the Democratic convention before some 4,400 delegates and millions more glued to their televisions at home, to proudly proclaim to the world why she believes her husband should be elected president of the United States. She is expected to deliver a passionate speech in support of Barack Obama's historic bid for the White House. She will need to do more than introduce herself as a potential first lady Monday night when she takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention in front of a nationwide TV audience. The setting gives her an opportunity to reinvent herself after being portrayed by Republicans as unpatriotic for saying during the primaries that her husband’s campaign made her proud of America “for the first time.” “She has been by all accounts a polarizing figure in this campaign,” NPR Correspondent Juan Williams said Monday. Williams, a FOX News contributor, said the “proud” comment defined her for a lot of voters. “It’s off-putting ...

In the past year, Michelle Obama has been on the campaign trail, often standing in for her husband, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama. In doing so, the potential first lady has put her own career on hold. Trained as an attorney, Michelle Obama left the legal field early. She has spent most of her career in the public and nonprofit sectors. And like many working women, Obama says she has struggled to balance her professional and family life. At a recent luncheon in Chicago, the applause swelled as Obama, taller than most in the room at 5-foot-11, strode to the podium. "[I'm] always living with the guilt that if I'm spending too much time at work, then I'm not giving enough time to my girls," she said to the mostly female audience. "And then if I'm with my girls, then I'm not doing enough for work — or you name it. It's a guilt that we all live with in this room. Can I hear an amen?" Her Early Career Michelle Obama's maiden ...