Countries are stronger and more prosperous when the voices and opinions of all their citizens can be heard.

Believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.

And I come here as a daughter, raised on the South Side of Chicago - by a father who was a blue-collar city worker and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me.

I've always tried to make sure that what I do really connects with the broader agenda of what my husband is trying to do.

Barack is one of the smartest people you will ever encounter who will deign to enter this messy thing called politics.

The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.

Good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don't hurt.