First Lady Lands on Top of Power List

Michelle Obama put her own career on hold to help her husband become president, but it looks like the perks of being first lady extend beyond just having a kick-ass organic veggie patch at her disposal. Mrs. Obama has taken the No. 1 spot on Forbes’ list of powerful women this year, beating out Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sarah Palin. The Christian Science Monitor explains why she came out on top.  —KA

The Christian Science Monitor:

Why is the first lady No. 1? Forbes cites Mrs. Obama’s forceful advocacy of better child nutrition and improvement in the lives of military families. The magazine also gives her kudos for fashion sense, calling her “Jackie Kennedy with a law degree.”

In the end, Forbes judges the first African-American first lady to be a “true change-maker.” It adds, “[S]he’s changed the face of the office (literally) ....”

We think at the end there, Forbes is referring to the redecoration of the Oval Office, in [which] Mrs. Obama may have had a hand. But we’re not sure.

The magazine also notes that she’s stayed away from hard policy, at least so far. That’s unlike Ms. Clinton, who pushed hard for health-care reform during her husband’s time in office.

Read more

White House / Pete Souza

This is what power looks like: President Barack Obama, background, and first lady Michelle Obama greet guests in the Oval Office on April 21, 2009, including former President Bill Clinton, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, center, and Vice President Joe Biden.