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'It's Now or Never,' Says Michelle Obama

Would-be first lady sees hubby as agent of 'big change'

By Zach Samalin, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 30, 2007 12:13 PM CST

(Newser) – Since Barack Obama hit the campaign trail, Michelle Obama has been flaunting her own brand of sarcasm and earnestness alongside his undeniable charisma. Now, with primary season imminent, she has stepped up her sense of urgency, too: "I am desperate for change—now," she recently told supporters. "We don’t have time to wait. We need big change."

Still, Obama's decision to align her own ambitions with her husband's hasn't been easy, Vanity Fair reports. "It was like, No, not right now—right?" she says of her initial response to his speedy political ascent. But she has come around. Asked if she backs her husband, she replied: “I think I’m 60 percent there. I’m still a work in progress, too.”

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) wife Michelle Obama speaks to a crowd of supporters at a fundraiser in the Great Hall at Union Station June 8, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo... (Getty Images)

Michelle Obama, left, and talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, listen during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen Barack Obama, D-Ill., in Manchester, N.H., Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007.(AP Photo/Jim... (Associated Press)

Michelle Obama, the wife of Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) plays a carnival game with her daughter Malia at the Iowa State Fair August 16, 2007 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo... (Getty Images)

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., his wife Michelle, left, and Oprah Winfrey wave to the crowd at the end of a rally in Manchester, N.H. Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007. (AP Photo/Elise... (Associated Press)

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'It's Now or Never,' Says Michelle Obama