Author: Barack and Michelle Almost Split

[Louisiana1976]

(CBS) Michelle and Barack Obama's marriage was so shaky at one point that they almost separated, according to a new book that gives what it says is a behind-the-scenes look at the Obamas' life together.

In "Barack and Michelle: Portrait of An American Marriage," author Christopher Andersen also says the Obamas had lots of trouble conceiving when they wanted to start a family, Michelle gave a thumbs-down on Hillary Clinton as a possible running mate for Barack, and persuaded him to go with the campaign slogan "Yes we can!" which he considered corny.

Andersen writes that Barack's overriding political ambition caused a wedge between the two so serious that they almost split up. "I think she could have walked at one point. She felt abandoned."

"The strains in their marriage, they've been very open about," Andersen told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith. "During the period when he was in the senate, the State Senate, in Illinois, he said it was a dark time in their marriage. It was angry all the time."

But a terrible scare brought them back together when Sasha was diagnosed with spinal meningitis in 2001.

more...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/22/earlyshow/leisure/books/main5328777.shtml

[BuyingThyme]

1. Oh my God. What're the chances?

[virgogal]

2. Practically everyone I know "almost" split. I really did. Big deal.

[KittyWampus]

8. part of what makes for strong marriages is working through the hard stuff, IMO.

I do think Obama goes out of his way to make time for his family.

[virgogal]

12. I agree. eom

[Hosnon]

65. Agreed. In other words, they're normal. nt.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Was wondering when people would get around to spreading personal dirt on them. Good job, OP.

[stray cat]

24. Michelle has spoken of this - they did have some difficult things to work through

who hasn't?

[BlooInBloo]

25. I'm sure they did - everyone does.

[debbierlus]

37. Everyone does. So?

[gateley]

4. This is the only part that's catching the news, natch. The most personal part. nt

[REP]

5. High stress careers caused problems in real life? Snore. I mean, I'm shocked! Shocked!

[Cha]

10. Oh, they're not cookie cutout perfect

dolls?!!!! :wtf:

If it's true..Anderson would have to jind out from people who knew the Obamas very well back then.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Nom de Dieu!!!!!

Two Type As run hot and cold.

It tells me that they fight on even ground.

[Cha]

6. Yeah, if it's true..anyway, everyone has ups and downs..

it's not what happens but how you handle it.

President Obama had a calling and I'm glad everything worked out for them so they could be where they are today.

[Louisiana1976]

9. Well said!

[Captain Hilts]

17. Eleanor R wrote friends at the '32 Dem convention that the minute FDR was elected...

she was going to run off with her boyfriend.

It's tough being in the glare.

This news shows me that they fight on even ground. Good for BO and MO.

[liberalhistorian]

41. Also, she did NOT want him to run for

a third term, AT ALL. She was not at all happy that he did, even though she did enjoy being able to make such a difference in the lives of Americans, particularly in the case of minorities and women, especially considering that segregation and lynching were still quite legal and had many defenders in Congress. She eventually came around (his mother had a lot to do with that, as much as the old bat drove her crazy), but it was a real rough patch for them. When it came to his running for the fourth term, WWII was in full swing and she knew he needed to finish the job, the republican candidates all wanted to end the war by "appeasing" Germany and coming to an agreement with the Nazis, instead of defeating them.

They had a lot of rough patches, including his serious affair with Lucy Mercer in 1919 when he would have left Eleanor for her but for the intervention and threats of his mother, who held the purse strings, but 1940 was especially bad. But they always worked through the rough patches and it made them stronger in the end. Why can't people realize that there is NO such thing as a "perfect", conflict-free marriage, no matter how happy and well-matched a couple is, and that there is NO shame in having problems and rough patches. Couples who are able to successfully handle and work through the problems have a much better relationship than people who try to make things "perfect" by sweeping problems under the rug and pretending they're not there.

[Captain Hilts]

46. A nice summary. Gary Wills had an interesting take on the marriage...

he said, "things began to go right only after everything had gone wrong."

So, this news about the 'Bams is okay with me. It shows one is not dominating the other. This isn't GWB and Laura, or Nixon and Pat, etc.

[Kalyke]

66. Actually, I thought it was to be with Lorena Hickok.

Not that her sexual preference matters, I'm just a stickler for accurate info.

:hi:

[Captain Hilts]

74. Actually, no. The dispondency that Hickock picked up on was...

from ER's knowledge of the shallow mill of tasks that awaited her in the White House from watching her aunt go through the drill and the separation from Miller. Throughout her life, Eleanor just wanted to be loved. It's that simple.

On top of this, FDR yanked Eleanor's boyfriend out of the family nest. As early as spring '32 Eleanor had talked of running off with her bodyguard. Here's an April '32 photograph of the three of them:



Because of all the rumors about them, Miller, by his own admission, realized he 'had' to get married. The marriage lasted less than a year. Oddly enough, FDR had actually encouraged Miller to have an affair with his - FDR's secretary/girlfriend that even confused the Roosevelt kids. Later, in the 1930s, FDR tried to give Miller a go at Lucy Mercer. Miller thought this was totally weird - and manipulative, which it was.

[H2O Man]

7. gosh

[Gabi Hayes]

11. I heard somebody say that Christopher Anderson is a sadistic, sodomitic necrophile....

but that'd be beating a dead horse.

who's got the top secret chicken salad recipe?

[Captain Hilts]

19. Friends of mine have had run ins with his scandal mongering. nt

[PurityOfEssence]

47. Shepard Wong

So good it'll make ya plotz.

My snake, my snake; what have you done to my snake?

[Gabi Hayes]

75. har! you number one to the FUN!

[bigwillq]

13. Marriages have there ups and downs (nt)

[Captain Hilts]

14. Sounds like they have a perfectly normal marriage. nt

[blondeatlast]

16. I'm shocked! Shocked, I tells ya! I admire your one-track mind, Loozie. nt

[TheCowsCameHome]

18. Next thing you know someone will say they're black people

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[REP]

21. Say WHAT??!!???11

I thought I heard him mention something about being black on Letterman, but wasn't that just a joke??!!??1

[positrac]

20. Fighting now and then is normal. Geez. How is this even worth reporting?

argh

[MichiganVote]

22. Big deal. A long term marriage has many shaky periods.

[liberalhistorian]

42. Ahhh, but only republican marriages are allowed to have

shaky, rough periods. Democratic marriages must be perfect, or else. Oh, sorry, for a moment there I was channeling the MSM and republicans.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

23. It's hard to believe he's so power-driven.

I usually think of power as something sought after by people who have no heart, but that's not really true is it?

[Cha]

29. President Obama has used and is using his

"power" to help people.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

31. Yep - I just wish he'd have a firmer hand, you know?

Whip the Dems into shape. Crush the Repubs.

[Cha]

45. It's takes time and strategy..there is all

this Force of Greed against it but at least we have someone in power now who with his Team are working in that direction.:)

[Beacool]

67. Are you serious?

Anyone who runs for president is seeking power.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

85. Yeah well maybe but he doesn't come across that way

He comes across as a sweetiepie.

[Beacool]

87. I guess it depends on which side of the street you are.

I never thought of him saw as sweet.

:shrug:

[jeffrey_X]

26. "I think...."

Nobody cares what you think.

[usregimechange]

27. They are human?

[undeterred]

28. ...

:boring:

[underpants]

30. Put Obama's name or face on anything and it sells

[Turbineguy]

32. Sounds like

a pretty normal marriage to me.

[Batgirl]

33. Hope this helps

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

34. We live in an "anything to make a buck" society, I swear!!!

Moral majority and moral compasses and "fair and balanced" and "news/views",...all tossed neatly into one pile: the one that is labeled "money & materialism" IN COMPARISON TO THE FIELD OF HUMANITY, called "productive, compassionate, intelligent, generous, thoughtful, respectful, humble and humane".

[A Brand New World]

35. This is really nothing that hasn't been out. Obama discussed it

himself in one of his books - I think "Audacity of Hope". Maybe not in as much detail, but he mentioned that they went through a really rough patch. Most long term marriages go through their ups & downs and you learn from the downs. I've been married almost 35 years and I can attest to this.

[liberalhistorian]

44. I'm actually suspicious of long-term marriages that DON'T

have rough patches. My experience has been that that means they've just swept problems under the rug and not dealt with them.

[REP]

54. Couples without children (who don't want children) often skip the 'rough patches'

[liberalhistorian]

68. That may be true for some, but certainly not

others. I've known several child-free couples who've had rough patches and overcame them. I'm sure there are many who haven't, though, since children can (as much as I love my son!) really be a source of conflict.

[Captain Hilts]

64. Or that one partner is dominating the other. I agree. It's healthy to have the rough spots. nt

[AspenRose]

36. Some people work through the rough patches in their relationships....

...and others, well...

They leave their devoted, crippled spouse behind to marry a beer heiress

:yoiks:

[Kaleko]

38. Best come-back so far.

[Jackeens]

40. ......

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[HipChick]

60. good one n/t

[liberalhistorian]

71. Hmmmm, now I wonder who

that could be? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? :evilgrin: :rofl:

[Jackeens]

39. Truly, that book is a joke.....

I read extracts from it on the publisher's website tonight and almost all of it is stuff lifted from other books - including the President's two books - and twisted in to something.... :boring: ....juicy.

My favourite bit was when he quoted - literally - a conversation between the Obamas when Sasha woke crying one night, one that showed the President to be snappy and mean. Hey, he might well be that.....but unless Barack, Michelle or Sasha (um, a few months old at the time) told him, word for word, what was said, I'm struggling to work out how he could quote the conversation.

:eyes:

PS The **sensational** part of the book was lifted from right-wing hate sites - I'm not kidding. I read all that stuff at the time, FR nearly wet their pants in glee. In fact, FR was probably the author's source.

[Kaylee]

43. He said they had tough times during those years in his book...nothing new

or different from any other couple....including my own.

:shrug:

[RFKHumphreyObama]

48. Is Christopher Andersen married?

Perhaps someone should write a book on the state of his marriage and all the things he may have said when stressed or under pressure in the relationship. I'm sure he'll come out smelling of roses -after all he must be perfect since he wants to engage in such salacious gossip-style judgment of the Obamas

[earth mom]

49. No Recs? Wow what a surprise.

Not.

Got to make sure the truth is swept under the carpet. :eyes:

[NanceGreggs]

50. What "truth" would that be, earthmom?

You seem to be inferring that you know "the truth" here - so let's hear it. No doubt months of research and insider information have led to your statement - please share. We're all dyin' to hear your take on "the truth".

[SemiCharmedQuark]

55. The "truth" that Alex Jones spreads.

[H2O Man]

63. It's a secret.

Secret truthes are often swept under the rug. Only those with uncanny insight know these secrets. If you really need to know, go to your local tea bag reader.

[REP]

52. Gossip is being kept off the Greatest page! The Truth is being suppressed!11

For fuck's sake already.

[Forkboy]

69. Would you just get over it already?

Damn, Skippy.

[JTFrog]

73. You obviously wouldn't know the truth if

it came up and bit you in the ass.

You're just all over a negative Obama thread like Rush is all over a bottle of Oxy. :eyes:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

77. Maybe he should have cheated on his cancer-stricken wife.

Wait, that was your guy.

[CakeGrrl]

79. UNrec. And guess what? If you post in the thread, it STILL gets

kicked to the top of the pile.

Yay for the TRUTH! Whatever the hell that means for some tabloid-type marital dirty laundry.

:eyes:

[Vickers]

51. I've heard that if you drink a lot of pickle juice you can pass a piss test!

:headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang:

[SeattleGirl]

53. And so what if they did?

Almost every married couple I know has gone through a "shaky" time. Big deal.

[Libertas1776]

56. You mean

they're *gasp* HUMAN?!!! *Wilhelm Scream* :sarcasm:

[SemiCharmedQuark]

57. Raise your hand if you *haven't* almost split at least once.

The first year of my marriage was a nightmare. I had just turned 19 (we got married the day after my birthday) and he was 22. I was under stress from school, work, being on my own, living with someone new, etc. etc. etc. He was under the stress of having moved from England to the U.S., trying to sort out immigration, missing his family, etc. And we were both struggling to make ends meet. It was awful!

I distinctly remember being so angry at one point, I grabbed the marriage certificate off the mantle and shattered it as hard as I could on the floor.

But...we made it through...somehow. And we're going on 7 years October 31st. But, geez...that first year was really bad.

[Missy Vixen]

61. The entire first year of marriage sucks

We also "almost split", too. We went to counseling.

Our marriage isn't perfect, but we still love each other, and we're willing to work on the problems instead of walking away. We also spent some time a couple of months ago listening to one of our buddies, who was seriously considering walking away from a fifteen-year marriage, too. They're in counseling.

Yeah, I'm with you -- those who haven't "almost split" are in the minority.

[The Midway Rebel]

58. If they did split, how long do you think I should have to wait

to ask Michelle out on a date?

I have always had a thing for intelligent, tall brunette females.

In fact, I married one already....so...nevermind.


:+

[DCKit]

59. No hookers, no diapers, no live teenage boys or dead girls, no bathroom stalls...

no known addictions to gambling, prescription drugs or pr0n, no madams with his personal numbers, no second, third or fourth marriage, etc.... By Republican standards, the Obamas are complete freaks.

I'll be surprised if someone (Boner or Oxyrush) don't try to make hay on this.

[SeattleGirl]

62. Wow, no wonder Obama is a Democrat.

He doesn't measure up to the sleaze factor of the Republicans.

[Beacool]

70. All marriages have their ups and downs.

It's how they deal with the difficulties that arise in daily life what will make or break any marriage.

:shrug:

[Ishoutandscream2]

72. Well, marriages go through this

My wife and I went through a very rough patch when we had to adopt a 5 week old baby (one of my wife's family members who suddenly died). There was a very traumatic time of raising this new born through the first couple of years. It came awfully close to ending for both of us, but things finally settled down a bit.

Stuff happens. I have never seen a marriage not go through its problems. This is a non-issue.

[SoCalDem]

76. EVERY marriage has its "moments"

no surprise there:)

[Maeve]

78. And yet they stayed married. Learn a lesson, "values" Repubs! eom

[CakeGrrl]

80. Buuuuuuut...they didn't, did they? n/t

[Call Me Wesley]

81. LOL!

Too funny for a book to read or buy. Big deal.

I wonder if there's a book like this on former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (Nope, there isn't.) Mind you, he was only married four times. RUN! RUN! It's the Anti-Everything-We-Believe-In!

[burning rain]

82. BO-O-O-O-ORING!

The people demand something more entertaining, like Larry SInclair stories!

[spanone]

83. cbs = tmz

[cynatnite]

84. This asshole writes tell-alls for a living....

http://www.amazon.com/Christopher-P.-Andersen/e/B001IXPRA6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

[gleaner]

86. Oh My God!

They had strains in their marriage? They are like most of us who are married? Can't be. They disagreed on a campaign slogan? Infamy, I say.

It's a shame they aren't like the Republicans who sing the virtues of marriage while cheating with women, men, young or underage boys and girls, and perhaps even farm animals. Now those are folks with values!

I wonder what they will try and tell us next? That Michelle doesn't make Obama a hot breakfast every morning? Now that would be sinful.

What do you want us to do with your little nuggets OP? Light up and spit shoestrings?

[Yavin4]

88. Obama Never Went To Argentina

which proves that he's not a real leader. A real leader would sneak away for an Argentina booty call.

:sarcasm: