Bruni: Michelle Could Give Me Pointers

France's first lady brings rare mix to Elysée Palace

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 18, 2009 8:06 PM CST

(Newser) – Michelle Obama just moved into the White House, but America’s first lady could teach a few things to her more veteran French counterpart, confesses Carla Bruni in Vogue. “I fell into my husband’s life from another world,” explains the model-turned-singer, who's been the French first lady for about a year. “Michelle Obama would probably have more advice for me than I have for her.”

Bruni's friends say she calms her petulant husband, making “him into the kind of man intellectuals can be seen with,” says one. But she has changed, too. "Before, I lived in a privileged bubble. My view of the world was constructed in a life where I never saw real action, only listened to a lot of words. ... There's a big difference between the intellectuals of the Café Flore and people who actually have power, between thought and action. Thought can be free, but action is never free—it has to deal with reality."

[Images (6)]

[Quotes (2)]

France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy reacts during the Italian State RAI TV program "Che Tempo Che Fa", in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy acknowledges the applause of the audience during the Italian State RAI TV program "Che Tempo Che Fa", in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy visits a community center at the Cantagalo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/ Ricardo Moraes)

French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy attends a press conference on World Aids Day, Monday, Dec. 1, 2008 in Paris. (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer, pool)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy arrive to share a private dinner with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife. (AP Photo/Gerard Cerles, Pool)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his then girlfriend, Carla Bruni, admire the Sphinx at sunset in Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

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Whatever power I have is what my marriage gives me, my husband's power—and that's the power of an elected status. Power means people have to come to you. Power's a real profession. - Carla Bruni

I have an austere temperament. There are things that give me no pleasure: objects, clothes, jewelry. I've worn them all, but all that stuff interferes with my daily life. - Carla Bruni

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Bruni: Michelle Could Give Me Pointers