First of all, the First Lady is often the stand-in for the President at events like state funerals or weddings: then-First Lady Hillary Clinton attended Princess Diana's funeral instead of then-President Clinton. This is probably why Michelle Obama was invited to speak.

Lots of African-Americans supported Hillary when they thought Obama couldn't win: once he won Iowa, a predominantly white state, he began to attract black voters.

Nah, Rihanna and her team are smart enough for her to keep it classy: she's avoided a backlash so far, and disrespecting Dr. Angelou would cause it. (Plus, keeping it classy would actually be more shock value for Rih-Rih)...

But the French are a lot more comfortable with overt sexism, too. So there's that.

She also had a bit part in that Seth Rogen flick "This is the End". She won some kind of "best cameo" award from MTV. Not that that's anything to judge by...

If you read the original article, it did not say that Michelle Obama's assistant asked for discounts - merely that she looked for them: there's a huge difference between shopping a sales event at Saks for discounted items, and asking the salesperson to knock an extra 30% off an item.

She hasn't done anything in ages: before Maleficent, her last film in 2010.

Marianne Pearl? (I make enough slips in my posts, too, so I "heart" this one)...

Spending thousands on a gown she wears once for a dinner that she wouldn't be attending unless she had to accompany her husband for protocol: that makes no sense, especially when designers are lining up to donate gowns that will then become the property of the United States government.

One couture gown costs thousands of dollars. And the First Lady usually changes clothes a few times a day for various events. So, theoretically, they would be spending at least a quarter of the president's pre-tax salary if they paid for every Tom Ford, Michael Kors or Naeem Khan she wore.

Me, too: but I'm not asked to attend State Dinners or appear on television almost every day (or at all, for that matter)...

But having any clothes gifted becoming part of the National Archives also solves any ethical issue...which is what they evidently do.

Former White House lawyers said any discounts provided to the first lady would have to be in line with what designers offer other top customers to avoid being considered gifts.

Evidently, you have no idea what gowns by Carolina Herrera, Naeem Khan, Alexander McQueen and Michael Kors retail for, let alone the fact that she often changes a few times a day.

While (probably) not a KKK member, racist Strom Thurmond loved having sex with at least one black woman...hence his biracial daughter: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-…

HA!

No need to apologize for liking burgers. You may be to young to remember, but before the Eighties, all pasta in the US was called 'pasta', 'spaghetti', 'macaroni', 'lasagna' or 'noodles'. And coffee was just coffee - no need for words like 'cappuccino', 'machiatto', 'latte', etc. And pesto was exotic. Now we have…

English is a bastard language that freely appropriates words for things where we have none: hence schadenfreude, fillet, bodega, rucksack, sushi. Why would we create a word for a Brazilian dish that already has a well-established name?

English words with so many silent letters and inconsistencies: though, rough and cough look as if they should rhyme, as do sleight and weight; one, gone and stone; said and paid....etc.

Evidently you cared enough to respond to me. Cheers...