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Great Expectations Await Next First Lady

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The Associated Press

Published: December 2, 2008

NEW YORK - Sure, there's plenty of pressure on Barack Obama. But imagine being his wife.

The moving trucks haven't even arrived, and already Michelle Obama's being touted as the next Jackie Kennedy, the woman who will infuse Washington with a sense of style and vigor not seen since the days of Camelot.

Never mind that Obama has repeatedly indicated she'll focus first and foremost on getting her daughters settled. Expectations on all fronts are running high.

Will she be a fashion trendsetter? Redefine and revitalize the capital's social scene? Be a globe-trotting emissary for her spouse? Going beyond Kennedy, will she influence policy on family issues? Will she be an exemplary mom, hostess, ambassador, advocate and politician, combining it all without wrinkling feathers or breaking a sweat?

Well, maybe. But if history is any guide, first ladies have long been victims of conflicting expectations and comparisons to those before them. So as she assumes one of the least-defined but most scrutinized jobs in Washington, Obama might do well to take the advice of Rosalynn Carter:

"I was going to be criticized no matter what I did," Carter once said, "so I might as well be criticized for something I wanted to do."

One reason speculation is running rampant about Obama's plans and goals: She has said little about them, and her close friends, some of whom spoke openly to the media before the election, have spoken little since.

There's been speculation that Obama will be far more involved in policy than she's let on so far. But those who have been close to other first ladies say they well understand why she'd want to focus on her kids first.

"It's a huge responsibility," says Paul Costello, former press aide to Rosalynn Carter, whose daughter, Amy, was only 9 when she arrived at the White House. "These kids are now instant international celebrities. You have to protect them from that."

Still, Costello says, even between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., there are astounding opportunities.

"The first lady has enormous authority and power in this country to shed light on things she cares about," he says. "She's a megastar. She'll be able to choose and transform issues that she finds important."

Of course, that can lead to criticism, as it did for Carter, who famously became the first presidential spouse to sit in on Cabinet meetings. She figured it was the most efficient way of preparing herself to represent the administration.

"It was as if she'd dropped a bomb on the South Lawn," Costello says. "It was so odd, because the first lady IS an ambassador for the president - she's his eyes, ears and nose."

Historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony says the public misperceived what Carter, who also maintained a weekly working lunch with her husband, was trying to do.

"She was just avoiding having to bother him later with questions," says Anthony, of the National First Ladies Library. "She was on the perimeter of the room, along with policy aides, secretaries and assistants."

While Michelle Obama, with degrees from Princeton and Harvard Law, may arrive at the White House with a resume more like Hillary Clinton's, evidence suggests she may take a page from Laura Bush, approaching the political aspects of the job more gingerly. It might be a wise move not only for her image, but also for her sanity.

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