Kira Cochrane (The Guardian): Dear Michelle Obama

Welcome back to this side of the Atlantic! I'm so glad you're here, and not just because it means the Queen might get another hug. No, I'm excited because I admire you. You do a difficult job – a difficult non-job, let's face it – with style, aplomb and humour. I'm guessing you realised back on the campaign trail how difficult the role of first lady would be, what with all that rubbish about you and Barack exchanging "terrorist fist jabs", the suggestions you were unpatriotic, and the digging up of your college essays. (Imagine! What would they have made of my thesis on penis metaphors in Hemingway?) To exist under that kind of scrutiny must be punishing.

It's a scrutiny that precludes you from having a day job – there would be constant suggestions that you were exploiting your position, the circling threat of trumped-up scandal – and it doesn't allow you to get too involved with government either. You've been described as Barack's closest adviser, but you've distanced yourself from that tag, with good reason. Hillary Clinton was heavily criticised for her work in her husband's administration, and while she has turned out to be a brilliant elected politician, some of that was probably warranted. I would love there to be more women in government – the numbers here and in the US are disgraceful – but if it turned out Sam Cam was directing foreign policy I'd be . . . how should I put this? I'd be concerned.

So you're walking a tightrope, but you make it look easy. I'm sure having to cheerlead for your husband sometimes rankles, but you manage it without looking subservient or surrendered. I would love us to have reached a point in history where a first lady could say or do whatever she wanted, could be tattooed, or sweary, or slovenly, or – get this – highly ambitious; could admit to hating the role at times, could say she'd rather pursue her own career, could basically rebel, but we're not there yet (certainly not with Fox News around), and you know your husband is a good man, doing his best as president, and that if you kicked up your heels and said something even mildly controversial it would open a window for the prospective 2012 Republican candidates, whom nobody with an ounce of sense would trust with a tombola, let alone a fading superpower.

Cochrane wrote this open letter to Mrs. Obama as the president and first lady prepare to visit Europe.

Michelle RAWKS!



:P