Michelle Obama Says Her Husband is No Fairy Tale

Michelle Obama, Barack Obama's wife, described him as the person needed most in the White House. She was critical of people who dismissed his run for president as being on built on illusion or fairy tale.

She described Obama as the right candidate, and said this was so "not because of his skin, but because of the quality and consistency of his character." She also maintained that postponing his campaign for the White House was not an option. She said, "I know about the sense of doubt and fear about what the future holds, that keeps us hoping and waiting for a turn that will never come," adding, "There are a lot of doubters and naysayers out there talking about, 'I'm not sure America is ready for a black president.'" However, she said, "We are more ready and prepared than we can ever know."

Michelle Obama, who was speaking at a premier of the Trumpet Awards, was met by a   by a standing ovation, as she criticized anyone who would "dismiss this moment as an illusion, a fairy tale." She was responding to remarks made by Bill Clinton, the husband of Obama's main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton. Clinton had earlier described Obama's account of his position on the Iraq war as a "fairy tale".

Michelle Obama voiced her criticism of those who were unconvinced about whether Obama being electable. Pointing to her husband's record in Iowa and New Hampshire, she said she was optimistic about his standing in the South Carolina Democratic primary, where the black vote would matter.

"We had a miraculous victory in Iowa," she said. "Ain't no black people in Iowa! Something big, something new is happening. Let's build the future we all know is possible. Let's show our kids that America is ready for Barack Obama right now."