First Lady Steps Up White House Role

First ladies to honor United Flight 93 Victims

(AP) - Michelle Obama will join former first lady Laura Bush in ceremonies marking the ninth anniversary of the United Flight 93 crash in Pennsylvania during the Sept. 11 attacks. Bush had previously confirmed her participation, saying we "must never forget the brave sacrifice of these extraordinary men and women." More»

She also reveals struggle after deadly car crash

(NEWSER) - The New York Times has snagged a copy of Laura Bush's new memoir, which isn't officially due out until next month. Some highlights from Spoken From the Heart:

• She suggests that she, her husband, and members of their entourage were poisoned during a G8 summit when they all mysteriously fell ill.
• Ending her long silence about her 1963 car accident, she admits she was chatting when she ran a stop sign in the crash that killed a high school friend, but also blames a slew of factors beyond her control. She didn't attend the victim's funeral and says she was wracked with guilt for years.
• George W. only flew over New Orleans after Katrina, she says, because "he did not want one single life to be lost because someone was catering to the logistical requirements" of a visiting president.
• She slams Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid as "petty and parochial" for making "graceless" comments about her husband.

First lady's approval rating soars over her husband's

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s approval ratings are sinking, but Michelle Obama’s remain sky-high, with 71% of the country holding a favorable opinion of her. Only 16% of respondents in a new Pew Research survey held a negative view of the first lady. That puts her well above Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, who had 60% and 64% favorability ratings, respectively, after their husbands had been in office for 1 year. More»

First lady may well return to campaigning for midterm elections

(NEWSER) - Though Michelle Obama has taken on junk food rather than Republicans during her first year in the White House, the first lady is popular—so much so that tongues are already wagging at the Hill about how useful a weapon she'll be in the Democrats' 2010 arsenal. Obama is “obviously comfortable doing the campaigning,” says Laura Bush’s former chief of staff, noting that her first lady spent only 10% of her time campaigning during the 2002 midterm elections—but a heftier 40% in 2006. More»

Former first lady addresses school speech controvery in CNN interview

(NEWSER) - President Obama's doing a good job, Laura Bush tells CNN during a wide-ranging chat yesterday about life after the White House. "I think he has got a lot on his plate, and he has tackled a lot to start with," she said, "and that has probably made it more difficult." And of the controversy over Obama's upcoming address to the country's schoolchildren, the former first lady says it's "really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States." More»