Michelle Obama: As an American mother and a First lady

When Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009,he placed his hand on the same Bible Abraham Lincoln used in1861. Holding the Bible during the ceremony was Michelle, whohad campaigned so hard to help him get elected. The Obamasattended ten inaugural balls that night and at each they dancedto “At Last,” a soulful love song made famous by legendary bluessinger Etta James. Their first was the Neighborhood Ball at theWalter E. Washington Convention Center. When they arrived,a grinning Barack greeted the crowd of several hundred peopleby proudly asking them, “First of all, how good looking is mywife?”104 With pop star Beyoncé singing the lyrics to “At Last,” thecouple danced cheek to cheek to their favorite song.People at the ball were impressed by how graceful and elegantthe Obamas looked and how much they seemed to love eachother. Even celebrities watching were awed. Shakira said, “It wasso emotional. It was something to tell my children about.”105 Andthe popular singing star from Colombia does not even have anychildren yet.Michelle made no public comments on Inauguration Dayso Barack could have the spotlight to himself. But that quicklychanged because Michelle was now going to be the nation’s FirstLady, a position that made her one of the world’s most famouspeople—the news media would now be recording her every wordand action.