I would be depressed if I felt I could never eat the things that I love. I also don't want my girls to be obsessed about food.

All of us are driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won't do - that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.

Celebrating the holidays in the White House over these past eight years has been a true privilege. We've been able to welcome over half a million guests... our outstanding pastry chefs have baked 200,000 holiday cookies... and Barack [Obama] has treated the American people to countless dad jokes.

The president's job is a lot harder. And that's why I'm working hard to get him re-elected, because he's handled himself with a level of grace and poise that not many people could given the challenges that he's faced.

I was an incredibly devoted student, and I would often wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning to study. But even so, there were still people who thought that a girl like me with a background like mine wasn't really "college material."

I think the most moving part of my trip [to Africa] so far was seeing 92-year-old Nelson Mandela, and just thinking about his life. This man has lived through a struggle that few nations have known.

If we truly believe that every girl in every corner of the globe is worthy of an education as our own daughters and granddaughters are, then we need to deepen our commitment to these efforts.