Axelrod Says Michelle Obama Is Never a Back Channel to the President

Michelle Obama launched her mentoring program Monday at the White House, part of what White House Communications Chief Anita Dunn describes as the first lady "creating her own job." Meanwhile, Senior Adviser David Axelrod said he's never used Mrs. Obama as a back-door conduit to her husband.

By the time the two-year presidential campaign ended -- Wednesday marks one year since the election; time is flying -- Mrs. Obama had a sense of the broad outlines of what her tenure as first lady would be: non-controversial, family-oriented and focused on a few inter-connected issues that she personally related to.

One year ago today -- election eve -- was a frenzied day of campaigning for the Obama family and an emotional one for then-Sen. Obama, because his beloved maternal grandmother (he called her "Toot") had just passed away.

The Obama campaign plane started in Jacksonville, Fla., and landed finally in Chicago, as Obama led massive rallies in Jacksonville, Charlotte, N.C., Cleveland and Manassas, Va., attended by some 90,000 people. At the very last event of his long quest for the White House, he said, "Even if we're successful tomorrow, we will be facing bigger challenges than probably any administration since FDR. But you and I know, you can feel in your gut, something's happening here."

In the evening, rocker Bruce Springsteen performed for Obama at the Cleveland rally, and Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha briefly joined the Springsteen family on stage. Earlier in the day, Mrs. Obama had stumped in Las Vegas and Littleton, Colo.

Marking the first anniversary of the election, CNN "Situation Room" host Wolf Blitzer on Monday landed three White House honchos -- Axelrod, Dunn and Robert Gibbs -- key figures in the communications and message team, for a joint interview.

Blitzer asked them to "talk a little bit -- the first lady and her role in all of this. As his wife, his adviser, his friend."

Dunn replied that "as every first lady does, she is creating her own job. She's created her own job description and . . . obviously, a huge part of that has always been as a mother.

"And . . . when I think of the president's ability to keep in touch, there's nothing like having two elementary school daughters to keep you in touch with reality, and he'd be the first to tell you that."

She added that Mrs. Obama, "in the course of the campaign, developed some issues that she was passionately concerned with, with military families and veterans and how we, as a nation . . . treat the people who have given up and sacrificed the most for us. You know, she's had a longtime interest in healthy families and healthy bodies and child nutrition, which is something she brought to the White House. And it's a very unique approach to the job."

Blitzer asked if Mrs. Obama was "an adviser to the president on substantive policy issues."

Axelrod took that one. "I'd put it this way: I think he really values her opinion, and I don't think she takes folders of, you know, on nuclear proliferation home and offers her point of view." But he went on to say that the first lady is "incredibly bright. She's got great sense. And she -- like anyone who has a good, solid relationship with their spouse -- she offers her views . . . and he takes them seriously."

Some past first ladies -- Nancy Reagan is one -- were sometimes used as back channels to the president. Axelrod said that's not the case in the Obama White House. Blitzer asked, "Is it ever necessary for you, David Axelrod, to go to the first lady and talk to her and try to convince her to weigh in with the president?"

Axelrod said no.

On the mentoring front, Mrs. Obama is pairing some top White House women -- among them pals Susan Sher, her chief of staff, and Desiree Rogers, the social secretary, with young girls from the Washington area.

In her remarks Monday, Mrs. Obama said that "mentoring has been something that has been important to me forever, probably as long as I can remember. And the one thing that I knew I wanted to do was to use this platform as first lady to expand the mentoring role.

"It's something that I wanted to do, it's something that I thought that we should do. So I'm very excited. I really want kids, young people in this nation to know that when they think of the White House, that they think of a place that is open to them; you know, a place where there are folks who really care about your development and want to listen and be a part of your growth and want to invest in you as a resource.

"You should know that there are people like this all over this country -- not just in the White House, but in every part of government, in private sectors. All over the place there are women who are hungry to help bring you guys up. And we thought that the White House is a good example. If there are great mentors here and people with time, then they are everywhere. So we are thrilled to have you."

Sher explained the mentoring program to the girls gathered -- boys will be added later -- at the White House: "We're also hoping there's a little bit of skill-building, so if there are areas that you think -- whether it's financial literacy or how to apply to college or other issues like that that you're interested in, you should let us know, because we'd be delighted to try to be helpful."

Mrs. Obama explained the routine she envisioned: "We want to expose you to the wide breadth of women who work in government. And we're going to have people coming in every month that we get together. And the topic may be something specific, like financial literacy, but we're going to get a better sense from you what your interests are. I mean, if there are a number of you who are interested in foreign affairs, if there are people who are interested in policy work, if they want to know how communications works -- I mean, everything from professional to personal."

She added, "A lot of that is going to be shaped by you as well."