Book: First lady, Obama aides clashed

First lady Michelle Obama is a behind-thescenes force in the White House whose opinions on policy and politics drew her into conflict with presidential advisers and who bristled at some of the demands and constraints of life as the president’s wife, according to a new book.

New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, in a book to be published Tuesday, portrays a White House where tensions developed between Michelle Obama and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and former press secretary and presidential adviser Robert Gibbs.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the book, The Obamas, Friday evening, and the Times posted a 3,300-word adaptation on its website that appeared to capture its most revealing accounts.

The book is based on interviews with 30 current and former aides. President Obama and the first lady declined to be interviewed for the book.

The book portrays Michelle Obama as having gone through an evolution from struggle to fulfillment in her role at the White House but all the while an “unrecognized force” in pursuing the president’s goals.

“The emotions, thoughts and private moments described in the book, though often seemingly ascribed to the president and first lady, reflect little more than the author's own thoughts,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. — The Associated Press