The First Wives’ Club

By CJP | November 2, 2008

This month’s Marie Claire takes up one of CJP’s favorite topics, the women who could be the next First Lady.  With just one day left until voting begins, we take one last look at these two talented ladies before we find out which one gets a vacation and which one needs to fill out a change-of-address form for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Below are excerpts from each Marie Claire interview, with Obama and McCain’s answers to questions about their children.  Even though they’re both disciplined interview subjects, we notice that each one becomes a little more candid when talk turns to the kids:

Michelle Obama

MC: Your mom has said you’ve never phoned her in tears. What does make you cry? 
MO: My girls. Thinking about them, how much I love them, wondering what they’re doing, how they’re feeling … it moves me. 

MC: Anything in particular they’ve said or done recently that really got to you?
MO: After my speech at the Democratic convention, we surprised the girls with an appearance by Barack, via satellite, on a huge screen. Well, when he came up on the big screen, Malia instinctively walked up to it — and then stopped. She knew that he wasn’t actually there with us; she just wanted to be closer to her father. And when we got backstage, she cried, because she really misses him and worries about him when he’s away from home for such long periods of time. Moments like that one are the most difficult for me when it comes to the girls. 

MC: What have you learned from other moms in the White House?
MO: Hillary Clinton has been a great source of inspiration … she and President Clinton did an incredible job raising their daughter, Chelsea, who has grown up to be a beautiful, intelligent, caring, successful woman. Laura Bush has also handled herself and her girls so elegantly during their years in the White House. 

Cindy McCain  

MC: Both of your sons are in the military; Jimmy, your youngest, fought with the Marines in Iraq. What was it like to see a son off to war?
CM: You know, I have seen other young men and women go off, and I really thought I understood what that meant, because my husband’s family has these generations of service. But it was a tough one for me, because I was watching my son leave this time. So I was extremely proud; I was also very nervous and very scared. But if you’ve never seen a group of — and I’ll say Marines, because that was what I saw — a group of Marines either leave or come home, I suggest you go, because there is nothing like it. These kids are as proud as proud can be. 

MC: What was his homecoming like?
CM: Oh, gosh. You know, he was three days late getting home. And of course they all look alike when they’re coming in, because they’re all in the same uniforms. And I finally find him, and it was as if someone had let the air out of me. All of a sudden he was home. 

MC: What did you do as a family? Was it a quiet night?
CM: No, it was the night of the Virginia primary. We sat and watched the primary together. [laughs] And both of us got so nervous that we had to turn it off. My husband won the primary, but it was up and down all night. 

Topics: First Wives Club

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