9-21-09First Lady Michelle Obama, who has stayed very much in her comfort zone during her eight months in the White House, is stepping into the international limelight this week and next as she entertains global leaders and their spouses in New York and Pittsburgh, then travels to Copenhagen to try to land the 2016 Olympics for Chicago -- her biggest act yet.
On Wednesday evening the First Couple will host a splashy international dinner in New York for about 190 world leaders in town for the opening of the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Then it is on to Pittsburgh, where the Obamas welcome the G20 global leaders' summit Sept. 24-25. Mrs. Obama is overseeing the spouse program. Mrs Obama arrives in Copenhagen on Sept. 30 and starts lobbying International Olympic Committee officials in advance of the Oct. 2 vote to name a host city for the 2016 Summer Games.
Mrs. Obama is leading the U.S. Olympic delegation and will be a key presenter for Chicago when Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro make their final sales pitch to the 106-member IOC in Copenhagen. President Obama may also show up -- he's keeping the option open -- but does not want to commit to going yet because of his ongoing battle for Congress to pass health care overhaul legislation.
With the Olympics, Mrs. Obama -- for the first time -- has taken on an assignment requiring her to actually deliver.
Last Friday afternoon, she huddled with senior aides for 90 minutes in her East Wing office to map strategy on some early lobbying in New York, Pittsburgh and Copenhagen and to ready her own presentation.
I talked to White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett last Friday for a Chicago Sun-Times column I wrote about Mrs. Obama taking on the Olympics. In her West Wing office, I asked Jarrett, a close friend of Mrs. Obama, about the pressure the First Lady is under to win IOC votes for her hometown.
"I think what she appreciates is the unique role that she can play in bringing the Games to Chicago. She is very comfortable with the role. She is comfortable advocating on behalf of a city where she grew up, the city that she loves," Jarrett told the Sun-Times. "So I think she is feeling quite confident. Our job is to prepare her and make sure she is ready to go."
The Obamas will be looking for opportunities to use the U.N. meeting and the G20 to lobby the international community to support Chicago's bid in a run-up to the Copenhagen vote.
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On Wednesday evening the First Couple will host a splashy international dinner in New York for about 190 world leaders in town for the opening of the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Then it is on to Pittsburgh, where the Obamas welcome the G20 global leaders' summit Sept. 24-25. Mrs. Obama is overseeing the spouse program. Mrs Obama arrives in Copenhagen on Sept. 30 and starts lobbying International Olympic Committee officials in advance of the Oct. 2 vote to name a host city for the 2016 Summer Games.
Mrs. Obama is leading the U.S. Olympic delegation and will be a key presenter for Chicago when Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro make their final sales pitch to the 106-member IOC in Copenhagen. President Obama may also show up -- he's keeping the option open -- but does not want to commit to going yet because of his ongoing battle for Congress to pass health care overhaul legislation.
With the Olympics, Mrs. Obama -- for the first time -- has taken on an assignment requiring her to actually deliver.
Last Friday afternoon, she huddled with senior aides for 90 minutes in her East Wing office to map strategy on some early lobbying in New York, Pittsburgh and Copenhagen and to ready her own presentation.
I talked to White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett last Friday for a Chicago Sun-Times column I wrote about Mrs. Obama taking on the Olympics. In her West Wing office, I asked Jarrett, a close friend of Mrs. Obama, about the pressure the First Lady is under to win IOC votes for her hometown.
"I think what she appreciates is the unique role that she can play in bringing the Games to Chicago. She is very comfortable with the role. She is comfortable advocating on behalf of a city where she grew up, the city that she loves," Jarrett told the Sun-Times. "So I think she is feeling quite confident. Our job is to prepare her and make sure she is ready to go."
The Obamas will be looking for opportunities to use the U.N. meeting and the G20 to lobby the international community to support Chicago's bid in a run-up to the Copenhagen vote.
READ MORE>>>>
