Michelle Obama: February 2009 Archives

WASHINGTON--No lucky dog yet.

Just to clear the record--President Obama and First Lady Michelle have NOT YET picked a dog breed. After touching base Wednesday with Obama White House East Wing staff about a report in People Magazine that a puppy has been selected-- the word is that the final pick is likely not to come until April.

"The Obamas have not yet selected a dog," I was told. Back in January President Obama said the frontrunners were a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound. The First Lady seemed partial to a Portuguese water hound in an interview in the new People Magazine out Friday, but one is not to read into that, I was told, a decision.

update 4:20 eastern
WASHINGTON--No lucky dog yet.

Just to clear the record--President Obama and First Lady Michelle have NOT YET picked a dog breed. After touching base Wednesday with Obama White House East Wing staff about a report in People Magazine that a puppy has been selected-- the word is that the final pick is likely not to come until April.

"The Obamas have not yet selected a dog," I was told. Back in January President Obama said the frontrunners were a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound. The First Lady seemed partial to a Portuguese water hound in an interview in the new People Magazine out Friday, but one is not to read into that, I was told, a decision.

WASHINGTON--Hat tip to People Magazine's Sandra Sobieraj Westfall for the scoop: First Lady Michelle Obama told her the long anticipated puppy pick will be a Portuguese water hound. The dog comes sometime in April.

Some background......
More on the Obama First Dog, settling into Washington
By Lynn Sweet on January 12, 2009 11:27 AM | Permalink

BY LYNN SWEET Sun-Times Columnist

WASHINGTON--President-elect Barack Obama revealed Sunday he is closing in on selecting the first dog -- either a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound. Here for one week, Obama and his family explored some of the city over the weekend.
The long-promised dog is a gift for daughters Malia and Sasha. "This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary," Obama told George Stephanopoulos, host of ABC's "This Week."

Arnold and Maria (photos by Lynn Sweet)

Valerie Jarrett

The Crists of Florida

Desiree Rogers

The Jindals' of Louisiana

Pool Report 1
Lynn Sweet
Chicago Sun-Times

Event: White House kitchen preview with chefs and students before the Obama White House First State Dinner Sunday afternoon.

A memo from the East Wing with the menu, settings, flowers, china, glassware and silver flatware is at the end or this report. A transcript will be coming. Interviews with students to come.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS
If you did not know:
*"The president loves scallops," according to First Lady Michelle Obama.

*The White House Huckleberry Cobbler is "one of the First Family's favorites."

*Mrs. Obama is fond of a White House soup that "tastes creamy without being creamy" and the creamed spinach that has no cream.

The creamed spinach is "delicious," said White House chief Cristeta Comerford.

Nonetheless, Mrs. Obama said, "Sasha still didn't like it." She added that the White House kitchen staff faces a "test" because the staff has to deal with feeding youngsters. ".....And sometimes kids are like, 'it's green,'" Mrs. Obama said.

*Mrs. Obama is contemplating coming up with her own china. "I think so, I think that's, that's part of the job," she said.

WASHINGTON -- It's Friday in the East Wing of the Obama White House, the realm of first lady Michelle Obama.

Many of the cream-colored walls are still bare. The Obama administration, after all, is just one month old.

But there is a growing photo collection in the hallways that charts the increasing activity of the first lady in the last two weeks as she settles in to her new role and starts expanding her portfolio of issues.

The newest item on her non-controversial agenda is healthy living. That's in addition to assisting military families, pushing work-family balance, national service, women's concerns and opening up the White House to the community.

The pictures tell a story of the first weeks of the administration and the first lady ramping up her public appearances. There's the nation's first couple in formal wear at the Alfalfa Dinner. And Mrs. Obama receiving an American Indian shawl at the Interior Department. The first lady greeting White House staff in the East Room and hugging a little girl at a school in the city. An empty frame waits to be filled.

The first lady on this morning is in her office.

WASHINGTON--President Obama and First Lady Michelle will give the first glimpse of their entertaining style Sunday night when they host a black-tie White House dinner for the National Governors Association.

The East Wing, run by the First Lady has been working on the details of the dinner for several weeks.

It is the debut for White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, the Chicago executive and friend of both the President and First Lady.

"The White House is the place where our bond as Americans is strengthened," said Rogers in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming the nation's governors to celebrate our democratic ideals, our diversity, our shared values and the best of the American spirit."

The evening will feature performances by the Marine Corps band and Earth Wind and Fire, the jazz and rhythm and blues group from the 1970s with Chicago roots.

WASHINGTON--Stepping up her pace as First Lady, Michelle Obama on Thursday visited the Agriculture Department, part of her tour of federal agencies. She brought a seedling as a gift.

"It will be beautiful some day," she said.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle are celebrating Valentines Day Saturday night in Chicago at the Table Fifty-Two restaurant at 52 W. Elm St. The co-owner and executive chef of the restaurant is Art Smith, the one time personal chef for Oprah Winfrey.

The Obama family flew from Washington to O'Hare Friday night on Air Force One for the Presidents Day weekend. The Obamas' I take it want themselves and their daughters to stay connected, grounded and rooted in Chicago even as they get to know Washington in their new roles.

On Saturday morning Obama worked out at the gym at Regents Park in Hyde Park.

The Air Force One traveling party also included First Grandmother Marion Robinson, friend Valerie Jarrett, White House Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison and Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council.

WASHINGTON--First Lady Michelle Obama travels a few miles from the White House on Wednesday to attend a Howard University panel on Black History Month.

The First Lady hits the cover of Vogue....

WASHINGTON--First Lady Michelle Obama is stepping up her "rollout tour," on Monday visiting the Interior Department, probably the first First Lady to stop by the agency since Eleanor Roosevelt.

This is the First Lady's third department visit, a low key way to introduce Obama to civil service Washington and let her make some low profile announcements. At Interior, Obama announced President Obama will appoint a policy advisor to his senior staff to work on Indian tribal issues.

"Let's get some good things done," Obama said.

Obama's visit was marked by traditional drumming tribal "Honor Song." She was given a bright lavender shawl, to "engulf her in the goodwill of all of us at the department."

WASHINGTON--The first family, including Marion Robinson, the mother of First Lady Michelle Obama, boarded the Marine One helicopter Saturday afternoon en route to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. This is the first Camp David visit for the family. Another young girl was with the family.

WASHINGTON--President Obama is keeping the White House faith-based office created by former President Bush with new emphasis on forming partnerships with community non-profits-- secular and religious--rather than pushing faith based initiatives.

BUSH OLD
White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

OBAMA NEW
White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Meanwhile, at the Thursday briefing, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the Obama family still have not picked a church. The Obamas' quit Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ last year in the wake of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy.

The president and first lady "would like to visit some more" churches before making any decisions," Gibbs said.

REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY
TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STAFF

Department of Education
Washington, D.C.

2:47 P.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA: Well, this is a good thing to see this department fired up and ready to go, right? (Applause.) I am -- I am honored to be here this afternoon. First let me tell you that you couldn't be luckier than to have as your leader this guy by the name of Arne Duncan. (Applause.) Barack and I, my brother, my family, we've known Arne for a very long time, and we've seen his growth, his leadership develop over the years. And he is someone who is committed, hardworking, passionate. But he's someone who is fair, who is honest, who is decent, and who knows that getting to any goal means you have to build a team from within, from the bottom up. And I know he's already beginning to do this. This kind of turnout and enthusiasm is sort of for me, but, you know, you're behind -- (laughter) -- but I know you're also excited about your new secretary. (Applause.)

So I'm honored to be here, to share the stage with Arne, as well as all of these public servants who have dedicated a lifetime to education and to public service.

Arne wanted me to talk a little bit about myself, but I always sort of feel like, after two years of a campaign, you know -- (laughter) -- you know everything. But I think the most important thing to tell you or to remind you is that I am a product of your work. I'm a product of people who were investing every day in the education of regular kids who'd grown up on the south side of Chicago, kids on the north side, folks in the south, in the west -- young people who oftentimes comes into these systems not knowing their own power and their own potential, believing that there's some magic out there, to great things. But because of the work that you've put in, you've taught us and helped many of us understand that it is our own hard work and our own belief in self, our commitment to pushing ourselves along, building great communities and families, and reinvesting that energy once we have some successes.

I am a product of your work. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the public schools that nurtured me and helped me along. And I am committed, as well as my husband, to ensuring that more kids like us and kids around this country, regardless of their race, their income, their status, their -- the property values in their neighborhoods, get access to an outstanding education. (Applause.)

So as Arne said, this is the first stop in many. I'm going to be visiting agencies throughout this administration to do just something simple, and that's to say thank you -- thank you before we even begin the work, because so many of you have been here struggling and pushing for decades. And Barack and I want to say thank you for what you've done and thank you for what you will continue to do. But we also know that there are new faces coming into this work, and we want to welcome you, and thank you for the hard work that you're going to put in.

And I'm going to spend the next several weeks or months, however long it takes, going from agency to agency, just to say hello, to learn, to listen, to take information back where possible. But truthfully, my task here is to say thank you and roll up your sleeves, because we have a lot of work to do. (Applause.)

But the issues that we're collectively working on affect all of us, all of these communities. They affect you and your children and your grandchildren and those of your friends and your family. We're all in this together. So we have a stake in educating every single child, regardless, as I've said, of background and income.

So the Department of Education is going to be at the forefront of many of the things that we have to do in this administration. And we're going to need that energy in these times of economic challenge. We're going to be making investments -- and I shouldn't say "we," but the administration "we." With these investments we're going to create good jobs, as we renovate and modernize more than 10,000 schools and improve -- (applause) -- the learning environment for about 5 million children across this country. We'll be able to increase Pell grants and make college more affordable -- (applause) -- for 7 million students, and give nearly 4 million students tax credits for tuition. Imagine that. (Applause.)

And with these investments that we hope to make through this stimulus package, we'll be able to prevent teacher layoffs -- (applause) -- and education cuts in hard-hit states. We need to keep teachers in the classrooms throughout this time.

We'll be able to preserve early childhood education programs. (Applause.) And I know all of you all know here the importance of investing in early childhood education, and imagine what we can do with millions of dollars of more investment in this area. We can expand opportunities in low-income districts for all students, and particularly for students with disabilities. (Applause.)

And then as we look over the longer term, these investments will accelerate education reform, one of Arne's specialties, by funding and rewarding innovation -- innovative approaches to teaching and learning, such as teacher quality initiatives, school turnaround programs and, of course, charter schools.

There's a lot of work to do, and we're going to need you. I've said that for two years. Sometimes I don't ask for much other than prayer and hard work, and then a little more prayer and then a little more hard work. (Laughter and applause.) But we've got a great leader in Arne, and a wonderful leader in our President Obama. (Applause.) And more importantly, we have to remember that the children of this country are counting on all of us. They're looking to us for direction. They're looking to us for that ray of hope. They're looking to us to help them figure out how to make it through.

And we have everything we need right here and now to make that happen. So we're counting on you every step of the way. So thank you for taking the time to come. Thank you for your service. And let's get to work. (Applause.)

END 2:55 P.M. EST