A new book also reveals that Michelle Obama shot down the idea of Hillary Clinton as VP
A new book on the Obamas, Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage, by Christopher Andersen provides new insight into the couple’s marriage, including the disclosure that the president didn’t like the now-famous slogan “Yes We Can” when his chief strategist David Axelrod suggested it. Andersen reports Obama found the catch phrase “childish” and “corny,” and asked his staff to find something else. It wasn’t until Michelle Obama told him “It will work. Trust me” that he agreed to use it. Andersen also reports Michelle Obama shot down Hillary Clinton as a potential vice president, opting for Joe Biden. “Do you really want Bill and Hillary just down the hall from you in the White House, she reportedly told her husband. “Could you live with that?” The 328-page book also details the couple’s struggle with infertility, how they reconnected after their daughter Sasha’s meningitis scare, and Barack Obama’s frustration with his wife’s “constant criticism” about his role at home, a complaint he called “unfair” and “shortsighted.”