Well, you can't say the National Organization for Women didn't warn you: Barack Obama might be leading a campaign for change but, judging from a story in this morning's Times, Michelle Obama will be forced to bend to established patriarchy just as would-be-first-lady Hillary Clinton did 16 years ago. The Times writes about how Obama, a Harvard-trained lawyer, is known for bridging racial divides with bold, frank talk. "Her style is still to say: 'Hey! I'm going to tell you where I stand, and you figure out where you stand,'" said a former illegal immigrant who started a Chicago school with Obama's help. But American is scared of smart, mouthy ladies, so the Obama campaign is giving Michelle a makeover to make her far less interesting:

The repositioning will "emphasize her modest background" and "humble roots" and send Obama on talk show The View in hopes of "softening her reputation." She'll also meet with the wives of soldiers, since that probably won't be controversial, and will remind everyone she is not actually a Libyan agent or whatever.

Oh, also, her new chief of staff is Stephanie Cutter, who headed up John Kerry's wildly successful communications strategy. If things go as they did for Kerry, Americans will end up with no sense of Michelle Obama's priorities or true positions on key issues which, come to think of it, is probably exactly what the Obama campaign is going for.

[Times, Times (earlier draft)]