Michelle Obama made a bit of a gaffe recently by saying that "the first time in her life (she) is proud of her country." What was she before? One can only surmise that she was ashamed.

This is the would-be first lady of the Democratic front-runner? Do we want a first lady who feels no pride in her country for being at the forefront of securing liberty throughout the world for decades? Every country has its negative points, but to not feel pride for some of the many great achievements of this country is particularly telling.

Of course, many will rush in, and have rushed in, to her defense, pointing out that the experience of a black woman in the United States gives one pause to reflect that she has not been the recipient of fair and equitable treatment that would make her feel proud. But, at the same time, her experience is hardly similar to many blacks who may feel disenfranchised by this country. She attended both Princeton University and Harvard Law School, an opportunity beyond those available to Americans of any ethnicity.

Others will rush to judge us for forming an opinion about her statement. If we say we are offended, the liberals will belittle us and try to explain to us that we are the ones who are wrong. If we are offended, it is because of the smallness of our views and we are just not smart enough to understand the nuance of the statement. "She doesn't mean what she said," they will say, "she really means this other thing..." Barack Hussein himself is doing exactly that. On Tuesday he said this:

"Statements like this are made and people try to take it out of context and make a great big deal out of it, and that isn't at all what she meant. What she meant was, this is the first time that she's been proud of the politics of America. Because she's pretty cynical about the political process, and with good reason, and she's not alone. But she has seen large numbers of people get involved in the process, and she's encouraged."

I'm sorry, but people mean what they say. This idea that a remark like that has to be explained by someone other than the person who said it to change the meaning into something that is acceptable is a trick many people try, but I'm not going to buy into it. She said exactly what she meant.

In any case, this is not what many of us would like to see in a would-be First Lady of the United States. As official hostess of the White House, the First Lady is an ambassador of good will for the nation to all visiting dignataries, and it is hardly fitting for such to loudly proclaim shame for her country. Many will tell you this whole incident is being blown out of proportion. But I think the devil is in the details, and this one detail is particularly telling.

The old saying goes "gaffes are what happens when a politician tells the truth..." Michelle Obama may not be a politician, but she is helping one to campaign, and she was telling the truth. Barack Hussein Obama has already made a point of not wearing an American flag pin on his lapel, and now his wife says she has never felt pride for this country. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck. The curtain has been drawn back, and it reveals both Michelle and Barack Hussein Obama to be less than forthright in their view of this country.