Actually, the question was:

"Can you see yourself working to support Hillary Clinton should she get the nomination?"

Not as harsh, when you hear the actual question, instead of the one you made up, Greg.

Enough with the sensationalized bs., please.

WHAT!!???

I'm an Edwards supporter who's planning to vote for him tomorrow. I want to cast at least one vote this year that I'm truly excited about.

But I'll proudly vote for whomever gets the Democratic nomination and work tirelessly on behalf of the ticket.

If the Obama family doesn't feel the same way, they have no business campaigning as Democrats.

What is Michelle THINKING?

You can't put too much weight behind this. Michelle Obama isn't running for anything and holds no public office, so any speculation as to whom she might support or not support is pure gossip. This story is meaningless. Considering the things the Clinton campaign has said about her husband, I'm not surprised that she'd be hesitant. But that's her personal decision, and she's entitled to it.

Hey, I feel her. I'm disgusted with both of the Clintons because of their lies and dirty campaign tricks, I think their conduct has been below even the lowest standards of decency, and basically reflect what I'd expect from Republicans. I'm infuriated with their conduct, and it wasn't even directed at me or my significant other. So hell yes, her support in no way needs to be a given. I'll go much further and say that I could never vote for Hillary in good conscience, because I'm ashamed of her conduct, and I'm ashamed to be in the same party as her and Bill at this point, not to mention my disgust with her support of the Iraq war, her embrace of lobbyists and her opposition to banning landmines and clusterbombs, to name a few policy issues.

And wait, Paul Krugman says they are closer to each other than Republicans? I thought Obama was Hitler, or Stalin, or GW Bush or the Boogeyman, or whatever else Hillary wants Krugman to say about Obama. Krugman can go to hell. That Clinton tool lost any credibility in my eyes a long time ago. His vendetta against Obama has been shameless, from his constant and unfair attacks about health care, to his attacks over the Reagan comments. I couldn't care less about what Paul Krugman says about anything anymore.

Wassup, Michelle. Are you gonna take home your marbles if your guy doesn't get to play? Who are you looking out for? Not the American people. You would rather suffer for more of the same?

I heartily agree with the first comment. Greg misrepresents her quote. I don't expect that kind of stuff from TPM. You disappoint me...

Yeah! Paul Rosenberg, writing as Big Tent Democrat, was spreading the vapors about this earlier. The truth is: she said everyone would support the nominee of the party. She failed to say she would campaign for the nominee, which is understandable given the Clintons' behavior post-Iowa through South Carolina. I don't even know if I can vote for HRC. And I know all you TPM people will say that's immature, but they weren't talking about you. Were they?

As DanR2 said, it was "working to support" not supporting. There were no mixed signals about who she'd "back" or "support," just who she'd "work" to support. There is a big difference.

Oh come on. I interpreted this as her saying she would have to think about whether she would "work" to support her, or actively campaign. I think you have to listen to the whole statement, she might be a tad imprecise, but she was just saying her husband is the one who can do the best.
And are you quoting Krugman as a neutral observer? Of course there is not much daylight between their policy positions, but then that doesn't jive with many of Krugman's recent columns/blogs.

Do you think that it has occurred to Michele that if Barak wins the nomination that he might just need the votes of HRC supporters like me? Does she think her sulky pettiness, her version of the Obama Whine, is going to garner support?
Such a g fabulous notion of entitlement she has...
You go girl!
For the rest of us, DANGER! WARNING WILL ROBINSON! WARNING!

I don't like Hillary Clinton at all. I don't like her bullshit smear tactics that's about the equiv of Rove. If they can't stop talking stupid then they won't get my support or the support of people that will not register to vote because they have been sick of it for a long time.

I see a lot of difference between Obama and Hillary. If there were no similarities, I wouldn't vote at all since my candidate is out.

I was an Edwards supporter and people that criticize other people for not supporting Hillary if she wins the nomination are making me that much closer to voting for McCain. I don't like either of them but at least I've have my protest vote saying that once liberals and Democrats had their chance for real change, they reverted back to the same corporate, political machine, that promotes war, censorship, and anything that will get them elected.

Oh well... I'm more of a Naderite anyways.

So if Michelle Obama doesn't vote for the Democratic nominee, I guess that means she'll vote for McCain. Lovely.

Seriously, when I read posts like this, I begin to think that the blogosphere has become as shoddy in it's reporting as the "MSM" it loves to attack. Obama didn't say she wouldn't "back" or "support" HRC, she said she wasn't sure she'd "work to support" her.

On to substance: if she wants to sit home and twiddle her thumbs, that's fine. But maybe she just wants to end her time on the campaign trail? Spend more time with her kids? Go back to work?

And, really? Given the things Bill Clinton has said about Obama, you find Michelle Obama's comments "harsh?"

Wow,

I can't imagine the cacophony of crying by the MSM if Bill had made such a statement. Maybe Michelle should shut up and bake some cookies.

Imagine the howls of outrage if either of the Clintons responded exactly the same way to that exact same question.

Personally, I vote for people over parties. After 15 years as a liberal independent I changed my voter registration to Democrat for the sole purpose of caucusing for Obama tomorrow. If he gets the nomination I will remain a Democrat because if Barack Obama represents the future face of the Democratic Party I most definately want to be a part of it.

After the Clinton's and their surrogates treated Obama like complete crap why would anyone expect less? I'm surprised she didn't just laugh.

Imagine the howls of outrage if either of the Clintons responded exactly the same way to that exact same question. Posted by pjsauter

Took the thought right out of my mind! I was thinking precisely that if Obama prevails in the end, he'll have the press to thank for it. His "hot air" rhetoric would have fallen flat had the press turned its lens on him for just a quarter of the time that it has been turned it on Hillary. If Obama wins, it will be because of the media's negative onslaught on Hillary and not because Obama is such stellar candidate. His suit is as full as his resume. Image if Bill Clinton had come out and said that "he'd have to think about supporting Obama" if he wwon the nomination... The media would have had a field day with it, no doubt about it. The double standard is so appalling I wonder how the media could recover from it, especially if Hillary wins...

This is the second expression of this theme--the other is Obama's skepticism that "she would get the people who voted for me" if she were the nominee--so I don't think she gets a pass on this. This is Michelle Obama on message.

Obama is not Neo, and I hope folks will stop with the soft treatment in the press. It won't be this nice in the General.

Obama said in his SC victory speech that there would be mistakes made.

Certainly this comment by Mrs. Obama falls into that category.

What is amazing and dissappointing to me is how much venom is instantly spewed in the progressive blogosphere. The first comments I read on one of the most recognized sites just flat out called her a "bitch". This is so dissapointing and just increases my overall cynicism. I am just as discouraged when I see the same term used to describe Senator Clinton.

Taken even further, it is extremely disrespectful to use the familiar "Hillary" vs. the more proper last name of Clinton or Senator Clinton. How many times do you see Obama referred to as Barack?
Even in this TPM post and all of the comments so far I see one use of the Obama's first name vs. countless references to Hillary.

I hope that Mrs. Obama accepts responsibility (or stands by her comment), but I also hope we all can find a little more civility and respect (at least within our own progressive community). Probably a pipe dream...

Why spin what she said? We all understand what she meant and the message she is trying to send. Why do the Obamas feel they have to be so rude? She's already acting like a sore loser. I'm really tired of hearing people insinuate that Black voters will get depressed and stay home in November if Obama is not the candidate. My friends used to call that "selling wolf tickets." I guess she's not part of the 80% of Blacks who still approve of the Clintons. Sadly, we'll have to make our way forward without her.

Someone help me understand what the Obama and Clinton people are so mad about, the Obama folk maybe a tad more so. Is it style? An amorphous theme? What?

Cute. Her 15 minutes of fame and time with Oprah and all is almost over. She's welcome to be a sore loser, who cares? Obama's team is already conceding defeat tomorrow and trying to spin it.

that's some interesting hubris, matthew weaver.

distinction WITH a difference.

"Working to support" sounds like: will you work on the campaign. She's not sure.

That does not mean she will not VOTE for Hillary.

Will Bill and Hillary work on Obama's campaign?

On the other hand, Michelle does back out though in her later comment (" You know, everyone in this party is going to work hard for whoever the nominee is. ") which suggests it was a boo-boo.