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New York Times bestselling author Edward Klein's controversial new book "The Amateur" is already making major headlines, even before its official release.
From the allegation that Bill Clinton called Obama an "amateur" to the possibility that Jeremiah Wright was offered $150,000 to keep quiet until after the 2008 election, the book is almost impossible to ignore.
(Related: Book: Obama Team Tried to Pay Rev. Wright $150K to Keep Quiet Until After 2008 Election)
But perhaps most amusing, of all the reports, is that Michelle Obama and Oprah have been engaged in a subtle "Mean Girls" style battle of wills, with Michelle Obama even criticizing Oprah's "girth."
The New York Post, which pre-released excerpts of the book, explained: "When [Oprah] phoned, [Obama] dropped everything and took her call. They huddled over strategy. Of all of Obama’s unofficial White House advisers, Oprah had unparalleled access, input, influence, and power."
This prestige was short-lived, however. Soon after Obama won the election, according to Klein, "It soon became apparent that something had gone wrong between Oprah and the new administration — or, more precisely, between Oprah and Michelle Obama."
It didn't help that Valerie Jarrett saw Oprah's connection to the first family as a direct threat, so, according to Klein, Jarrett specifically set about turning Michelle against Oprah [All subsequent emphasis added]:
IT didn’t take much to convince Michelle...As far as Michelle was concerned, Oprah’s billions and her elite lifestyle disqualified her as an adviser to Barack, who had no truck with wealthy people, except as a source of campaign contributions, and was a redistributionist at heart.
But that's not all:
...“Michelle is very jealous, I would say unusually so,” said someone who was very close to Oprah. “Most people after years of marriage have trust and don’t follow their husbands around and check on them. Michelle doesn’t seem to trust Barack at all. She insists on knowing his every movement and drops in on him at all kinds of odd times. It’s been the buzz of the White House...“Michelle makes it clear to her inner circle, and this certainly includes Valerie, that she wants women around Barack watched and wants info about who he has an eye for and gets touchy with,” this person continued...
And for the dénouement, Klein writes that, upon hearing the news that Michelle was going to devote herself to the issue of childhood obesity, Oprah offered to pitch in.
She received a response "curt to the point of rudeness," to which she supposedly responded: “Michelle hates fat people and doesn’t want me waddling around the White House!”
Oprah was eventually convinced to respond in a "diplomatic note," which the first lady allegedly treated with scorn, telling her staff: “Oprah, with her yo-yo dieting and huge girth, is a terrible role model. Kids will look at Oprah, who’s rich and famous and huge, and figure it’s OK to be fat.”
Klein concludes:
Nonetheless, the president pushed Michelle, against her will, to make a sort of peace with Oprah in order to get Oprah’s endorsement in 2012. Left with little choice, Michelle reluctantly agreed to tape an interview for one of the last Oprah TV shows, in May 2011. She sat there through much of the show with her arms folded in a defensive posture across her chest.
Though White House officials have not confirmed the rumors, the stories are certainly providing amusement on the right throughout Twitter and other social media networks-- though Oprah is unlikely to be equally amused.
(H/T: The Daily Mail)
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