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Thursday 14 May 2009
Leading article: First lady
From "terrorist fist-jabber" to respected national role model, it has been quite a journey for Michelle Obama. Hosting yesterday's White House event to promote the performing arts Ms Obama, once again, drew attention to her grace and articulateness (not to mention her impeccable fashion sense).
There have been some remarkable First Ladies over the decades, from Eleanor Roosevelt, to Jackie Kennedy, to Hillary Clinton. But Ms Obama is proving herself just as capable as those illustrious predecessors. And the more the public see of her, the more they like her. Ms Obama's approval ratings stand at 75 per cent – enough to make even her supremely popular husband jealous. Lady Bird Johnson once described a First Lady as being "an unpaid public servant elected by one person – her husband". One suspects that if the American public were given a say in the matter, Ms Obama's mandate would be just as secure as it is now.
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This week's big questions: How best to react to Woolwich? Has Miliband got what it takes? And is Stephen King right about ebooks?
Ian Rankin -
What, let gays get married? We must be bonkers
Mark Steel -
Dogma will always lead to murder. In the end, scepticism is the only answer
A C Grayling -
The Daily Cartoon
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Farewell, Shameless. Your heirs have work to do
Owen Jones
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Editorial: Salutary lessons from a libellous tweet from Sally Bercow
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As Hay-on-Wye opens this week, it's time for book festivals to open a new and exciting chapter
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Tim Key: 'If you don't have to tranquilise an animal to get it into your zoo it shouldn't come in'
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The Holocaust can’t be a joke – least of all in Berlin
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The new version of Ibsen's Public Enemy is a drama where democracy doesn't win any votes
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