Former First Ladies Counsel Michelle Obama to Make Camp David a Priority
Former first ladies advise her to host many state dinners, frequent Camp David.
June 4, 2009 -- First lady Michelle Obama should have more parties at the White House. She should keep young daughters Malia and Sasha out of the public eye. And she should plan regular trips to Camp David.
She has gotten loads of such advice from the women with unique perspectives on her role. Think of them as the Former First Ladies Club.
"It is really sort of like a club," former first lady Laura Bush told "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts in an interview scheduled to air next week. "Everybody who's been there before knows what the new person is discovering."
And, in welcoming their newest member, there have been phone calls, letters and invitations to dine.
Michelle Obama invited Nancy Reagan to the White House for lunch Wednesday. She was in town for events honoring her late husband, President Ronald Reagan: President Obama signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act Tuesday and the Reagan statue was unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday.
But, it turns out, they've been pretty chummy lately. Michelle Obama recently telephoned Nancy Reagan and they talked for 45 minutes, the White House confirmed.
"She called me for advice, suggestions; I was very happy to talk to her," Reagan told Vanity Fair magazine. "We had a nice conversation."
Reagan said she encouraged Obama to entertain and break with recent tradition by hosting a lot of state dinners. (For the record, the Reagans hosted 56 state dinners in their eight years at the White House. Laura Bush organized six.)
"It's the easiest thing in the world," Reagan told Vanity Fair. "You don't have to do anything. Just have a good time and do a little business. And that's the way Washington works."
Rosalynn Carter has spoken with Michelle Obama several times on a variety of topics since her husband's inauguration in January.
A spokeswoman said Carter's advice to the first ladies who've followed in her footsteps has always been the same: "select a few key projects, stand by your convictions, and ignore the criticisms."
"I think there's a real camaraderie among first ladies that I sense, just the willingness and openness of each and every one of them, just the sense of, 'I know what you're about to go through and I'm with you,'" Michelle Obama told Time magazine.
In the interview, Obama said she knows it's not just about her. "My sense is that it's not just me; I think they do this because they know, experience when you've got children, that you need support."
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