At a talk I went to the other night, Nora Ephron said that while she thought the job of First Lady seemed like a really great gig-it was a shame that you had to marry a guy in order to get it.I actually think that the last time it was really cool, Eleanor Roosevelt ruled the roost.As for our current occupant, it sometimes feels to be an antiquated custom, a placeholder from another time and place.And today's announcement that Michelle Obama will adopt childhood obesity as next year's focus feels a bit, well, underwhelming. But to her credit, it is but an extension of her healthy eating campaign and in this way, an offshoot of her highly publicized White House garden. Politico reports that her initiative will include public speeches and travel, not to mention "taking her case to Congress if that would be helpful."In this month's Atlantic, Caitlin Flanagan reviews Thomas McNamee's book about Alice Waters and in doing so, examines the potential dark side of school gardens:What evidence do we have that participation in one of these programs-so enthusiastically supported, so uncritically championed-improves a child's chances of doing well?I get that Michelle Obama is not a fan of the type of policy making that dominated Hillary Clinton's rein.But is Michelle treading a bit too lightly insofar as her legacy is concerned? Or is this exactly how first ladies are expected to act?Photo via
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